Chris Dixon, woodworker and occasional carpenter

Turning cash into sawdust is my passion

I’m Chris Dixon, a guy with a day job who enjoys working with wood.

Actually, I’m really passionate about woodworking. 

Some of my favorites:

• Turning – pens,  bowls, and a few other, small things. 
• Furniture – I made our dining-room chairs, the coffee and end tables, and a bunch of other things in our house. 
• Cat things – ramps, big cat trees, hammock frames, and other stuff the furry overlords ignore. 
• Tool maintenance – call me weird, but I get a lot of satisfaction from tuning the band saw and sharpening chisels. 

If I have to come up with an artistic statement, or some words about what inspires me, I guess…well, I just really love working with wood and despise paying good money for poorly made junk.

Mostly, we need something here at the house, or I need a shop-made thingamabob for the workshop, so I see if I can make it work. The poplar end table on this page replaced a thrift-store find that was fine for what it was, and plenty affordable, but just not as nice to look at. 

Plus, since I made the table, and its matching coffee table, I got to do exactly what my wife and I wanted for both pieces. There are no sharp corners because our living room isn’t very large – lots of whacked shins on the old tables I replaced. The tabletop design is what my wife calls “managed chaos” – all pieces are poplar, and arranged to show off how much variety you can find in one species of wood. 

As for the resin…that’s mostly for ease of cleanup. We have cats, both of us are prone to beverage spills, and neither want to spend lots of time cleaning stuff. Just wipe with a damp cloth and you’re done.