Hillcrest Woodcraft

Hillcrest Woodcraft Sharing my art. Always seeking feedback and recommmendations.

I recently completed this mens valet commissioned by long time friends of ours. Per their request, I modeled this after...
04/26/2026

I recently completed this mens valet commissioned by long time friends of ours. Per their request, I modeled this after a display-valet I made for my brother-in-law in 2023. They wanted a couple of specific things: 1) A faux top drawer and 2) Utilize some wood salvaged from a grandfather clock he had made for his mother some years ago.

This turned out as good as I could have hoped and feel honored that they had confidence in me to deliver their expectations.

The salvaged wood was used for the drawer boxes, drawer liners, top compartment liner, and drawer pulls. It will be a gift for their son so when that occurs, it will have a three generation connection which is very cool. Hopefully it will spark some good memories for him as well.

I'll finish it off with a handwritten & engraved personal inscription on a plaque mounted inside of the top lid.

Update: This auctioned last night for $250 so that's cool and a resulted in a nice donation to Sawyer Woods Scholarship...
04/25/2026

Update: This auctioned last night for $250 so that's cool and a resulted in a nice donation to Sawyer Woods Scholarship Foundation. I'm happy about that.

This is an older piece that has been sitting around for a while so I decided to break it down and give it a refresh. I ...
04/20/2026

This is an older piece that has been sitting around for a while so I decided to break it down and give it a refresh. I have donated this to Sydney Woods Scholarship Foundation (https://www.facebook.com/sawyerwoodssf) as an auction item. I included an SWSF pin, necklace, and key chain. I also donated two necklaces that I hope generates interest.

The fundraiser is on Friday, April 24th, 2026 at Sweeney's Saloon in St. Paul. Hoping it can help raise a few $ for some dear friends and their foundation.

I unapoligetically take Mulligans in golf and with my art. This is a redo of a piece from 2024. As I looked at it over...
04/18/2026

I unapoligetically take Mulligans in golf and with my art. This is a redo of a piece from 2024. As I looked at it over time, I realized it gave me a feeling of tension. After listening to some of my favorite artists discuss their design process, I now understand the reason. I took two design ideas and force fit them together instead of allowing the process to evolve on its own.

The redo succeeds in providing me a feeling of calm when I look at it. The lines flow much better and each component complements each other; and maybe (depending upon personal preference) elegance emerges from the simplicity.

Hope to bring this to The Wood Bin soon to see if it generates any sales interest.

A couple of months ago, I was asked to produce a wall size version of our family crest for my "Nephew" and his family. ...
01/08/2026

A couple of months ago, I was asked to produce a wall size version of our family crest for my "Nephew" and his family. After some back and forth on the design, we landed upon Walnut against a black background. Mistakes were made along the way but we ended up with a piece of art that we are very pleased with. I was fortunate to find a length of Walnut with beautiful distinct grain from Iverson Hardwoods that I used for the large outer pieces and the outer ring to create some contrast against the smaller interior pieces. I also raised each of the pieces slightly to create depth and (hopefully) some nice shadowing effect. Each opposing piece of the crest is bookmatched to maintain symmetry.

The finished piece is approximately 36 inches in diameter and was completed with an oil & wax finish which produces a silky smooth matte finish.

I think it looks fantastic on the wall space they selected (whew) and hopefuly in time becomes a nice family heirloom.

I took time out from a project to do some carpentry with the help of IKEA. We replaced our piecemeal IKEA with a built-...
03/31/2025

I took time out from a project to do some carpentry with the help of IKEA. We replaced our piecemeal IKEA with a built-in cabinet and display. As it turns out, my project complements this well, although I don't have license to decorate of course.

I copied one of my favorite artist/craftsman Sawyer Design who basically established an ambition to take simple boxes and make them elegant and "more than just a box." The larger ones are Walnut, one has a Sapele drawer front, a hardwood from Africa that has a beautiful reddish tone. The other is Zebrawood, another wood native to Africa that has striking grain pattern that I obtained from a friend who was liquidating his vast inventory of lumber. The drawer "pulls" are a simple shaped recess with an added strip of Purpleheart as an accent.

The two smaller boxes are Oak. I'm not a huge fan of Oak but I do like the look when it is painted black and lacquered. I think it distinguishes the grain pattern without being annoying. The Walnut drawer fronts maintain the theme. It's a subtle detail, but I do like how the vertical and horizontal spacing between each piece is consistent.

I'll add this to the pile of my work that will eventually get to The Wood Bin when I find time to make the trip to Washburn, WI so it can eventually find a permanent home.

Well this is a bummer and I guess one of the risks of working with wood...sometimes it is really cooperative while deep ...
02/08/2025

Well this is a bummer and I guess one of the risks of working with wood...sometimes it is really cooperative while deep down it has a bad attitude and contempt. I walked past it the other day and noticed the front sliding panel had a large gap on top. I was perplexed until I took a closer look and noticed that the top decided to warp for some odd reason.

I'm thinking I'm unable to repair this. I am grateful that it was still in my possession when it decided to give me attitude. Oh well. It was still an enjoyable project and provided a lot of opportunity to improve my skills.

Back to the console table (or whatever it is).....I think I'm done. I'll stare at it for a few more days to see if ther...
08/01/2024

Back to the console table (or whatever it is).....I think I'm done. I'll stare at it for a few more days to see if there are any flaws that are addressable. This was an interesting challenge to find the proper balance between structure and art and I'm hopeful I have not compromised structural integrity in pursuit of aesthetics.

The legs are ebonized (black) Oak with a Walnut face. The split lower shelves are Walnut and help lock the structure together via hand cut mortise that captivates the legs.

It's still sitting in my shop so obtaining a nice background was not practical. In the meantime we can enjoy an old stained moving pad.

Here is an update on an earlier project, Display Case/Valet that resides in Austin and houses a collection of ball marke...
07/17/2024

Here is an update on an earlier project, Display Case/Valet that resides in Austin and houses a collection of ball markers from courses around the country.

It's not overflowing so we'll assume that is reason enough to get to a few more courses.

Drawer front is complete with a finger pull complemented with some Wenge; it has a dark chocolate appearance. I kept wi...
07/14/2024

Drawer front is complete with a finger pull complemented with some Wenge; it has a dark chocolate appearance. I kept with the horizontal flow of the piece but broke up the symmetry. I added in a drawer liner and a black felt bottom and then fine-tuned it for a nice piston fit. When you close the drawer you can feel the air whooshing out - very satisfying.

The top has been refinished to remove the blemish I saw earlier. I still need to add stops for the sliding panels but I'll do that much later. I want to remove the sliding panels and store them while I work on the stand so as not to damage them.

This is effectively complete and I now move on to the stand. I've a couple ideas so I'll make a mock up or two before I select the wood and start making saw dust.

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Eden Prairie, MN
55346

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