About Red Dog Craftworks
Some people count down the days to retirement. I spent mine figuring out what I actually wanted to do with it.
After more than 30 years managing technology organizations, I knew I wanted to build things with my own hands — tangible things that don't live in the digital world. I've always been mechanically inclined and creative, forever tinkering, making, or learning something new. Retirement just finally gave me permission to make it the whole job. That's how Red Dog Craftworks came to be.
The shop name is inspired by Kobe — my Shiba Inu, shop dog, and chief quality inspector. When I visited the kennel nearly 13 years ago to choose from among his littermates, Kobe had other ideas. He made it abundantly clear that he was choosing me and that there would be no negotiation on the matter. True to his breed, he's self-confident, aloof, and judges you with a disdainful side-eye of someone who has already made up their mind — and found you lacking. He's also my constant companion and creative advisor. The least I could do was name the shop after him.
I'm a lifelong Pacific Northwesterner, so the natural beauty of this region shapes everything I make — the materials I choose, the textures I'm drawn to, the aesthetic I keep coming back to. I work with all species of wood and bring in steel when a piece calls for it. I use CNC carving, laser engraving, and hand painting alongside traditional wood working techniques, and I genuinely enjoy the technical side of figuring out how to make something work.
Fair warning: I get caught up in details. I've been known to let the pursuit of perfection slow things down. But I'm also endlessly curious — always chasing a new technique, learning a new tool, a new way of solving a problem. And at the end of the day, what drives me is simple: I want to create something that didn't exist when the morning started.
If that sounds like someone you want making your next piece, let's talk.