Achievements & Testimonies

  • I co-wrote an article with Charles Mak for Australian Wood Review:
    • Folding Ladder – A Stow-Away Ladder That Conceals Its Purpose – p. 20, issue 74 March 2012.
  • “The joys of creating my first bowl far exceeded anything I had imagined – and I believe it had a great deal to do with your patience, well-honed intuition for knowing exactly when to apply a hands-on/hands-off teaching approach, humour and wit, and your role-modeling a safe and ‘high standard of excellence’ practice. Thank you Chris for facilitating such a deeply enriching and rewarding experience.” - I. Jones, Port Moody, BC
  • I write for Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement Magazine:
    • Power-Carved Edges - p. 35, issue 72 June/July 2011;
    • Small Shop Storage Solutions – p. 40, issue #71  April/May 2011;    
    • Finishing with CA Glue - p. 41, issue 70 February/March 2011; and
    • Gluing Strategies – p. 30, issue #68 October/November 2010.
  • I teach seminars for Lee Valley Tools at the Coquitlam showroom including:
    • Dimensioning Rough Stock;
    • Fundamentals of Hand Planes;
    • Fundamentals of the Router;
    • Introduction to DowelMax;
    • Joinery: By Hand and Machine;
    • Maintain Your Shop Tools;
    • Make a Shooting Board;
    • Make Your Own Jigs;
    • Pocket Hole Joinery with the Kreg System;
    • Rail and Stile Door Construction Using The Veritas Router System;
    • Sharpening: Manual and Power Systems;
    • Table Saw Basics;
    • Tuning Your Hand Plane; and
    • Turn a Peppermill.
  • I gave a talk to the Pacific Woodworker’s Guild on the subject of design in May 2010.  Guild member and reporter Phillip Ngan wrote a detailed recap of the evening which you can read HERE.
  • I lectured at the RONA Vancouver 2010 Fabrication Shop in August 2009.
    “Thanks so very much for meeting yesterday with my carpentry apprentices and giving them your workshop on how to start and run a small carpentry business. You were well prepared, personable and very helpful. Your two-page handout on “Pointers on Starting and Running a Business” is a great thing to have left with us for future reference.  Again, thanks Chris, for your time and your expertise.”
    Rod Paynter, Project Coordinator, YWCA Fab Shop Project
  • I demonstrated woodworking during the Heritage Picnic & City Hall Open House on July 25, 2009 to celebrate the City of New Westminster’s 150th Anniversary.
  • I wrote several articles for Canadian Home Workshop, of which I was a Contributing Editor, including:
    • Charging Station – November 2009;
    • Shed Some Light - p. 18,  May 2009;
    • Recipe for Success - p. 42, October 2008;
    • Beach Caddy - p. 42, Summer 2008;
    • Taking Care of Business - p.50, November 2007;
    • Whirligig – p. 53, May 2007; and
    • Cuckoo Calamity - p. 75, April 2005.
  • I completed a commission to design, build and finish the top for a 12-person dining table in Phoenix, Arizona.  The top was made from a single slab of bubinga, a beautiful, rich-looking African wood.  The waterfall figure largely contributed to its beauty but also provided a challenge to work.  I completed surfacing, carving the edges, and finishing in five days in October, 2008.
  • I designed and built a massive trestle table from rare old-growth Pacific dogwood in December 2007.  The clients wanted a substantial table leaf system, so I came up with a design which secured a leaf to each end with a pair of bolts from below into rails which slide out from below the table.  The design is so sturdy that the entire table can be lifted by the attached leafs.  Later, in March 2009, I was asked to turn a pair of matching salt and pepper mills.
  • I have represented Lee Valley Tools at numerous woodworking shows in Canada and the United States since 2006.