Marilyn Guthrie

I’ve always been intrigued by furniture.  But growing up in the south, taking shop class as a female wasn’t permitted.  I know this, because I asked when I was in Jr. High and was told no.  I took a wood working shop class at a local high school in 2006 but had trouble getting the information I needed and didn’t quite finish my project.

We own a 1906 home in Seattle that we’ve been steadily renovating.  I started building furniture in earnest after our remodel added a garage in 2009.  About that same time I found two things that really got me going – the Wood Whisperer Site and Wood Class at the local Community College.  The Wood Wisperer gave me the know how and Seattle Central Community College gave me the tools to get started.

The best thing about woodworking is the community I’ve found.  I have woodworking friends all over the country.   My local woodworking chums have been a source of inspiration and support.

I use a mix of hand tools and some power tools in my new garage shop.  Most of my work is for our house and shop.  Occasionally I also get the oppurtunity to make something for some one else.  After retirement, still many years off, I plan to increase the amount of woodworking I do significanlty.

The purpose of this blog, for me, is to help me remember how I do things.  Since I’m working on things in short bursts of time and projects take a long time, it’s good to capture the information in a shop journal.