Len Cullum

Len Cullum was working in the Chicago theater world as a scenic carpenter a couple of decades ago when he became fascinated with Japanese woodworking. He looked for an apprenticeship but never found one. Instead, he says, “I learned by looking at pictures in books I couldn’t read.” He worked things out well enough that he wound up getting commissions to build everything from furniture and shoji screens to foot bridges and tea houses. Ten years ago he and his partner, Tina, moved to Seattle, where he continues to do splendid Japanese-style woodworking. He’s still pining for an apprenticeship—but with a Japanese hammer maker.