Meet The Wood Elf: From Dad’s Basement to Midwest Forests

Some people call themselves woodworkers, artisans, or furniture makers. Around here, "Chief Wood Elf" just feels a whole lot more honest.

Mostly because I spend an unreasonable amount of time disappearing into the quiet Missouri woods, obsessing over wood grain, and emerging from the workshop covered head-to-toe in sawdust.

Origin Woodworks didn't start in a stuffy boardroom, and it certainly doesn't run like a cold, mass-production factory. It started right where many great Missouri passions do: in my dad's basement, with a few basic tools, a lot of sawdust, and an absolute obsession with turning raw timber into functional art.

The Basement Days & The Power of Rhythm

It’s pretty simple: I love doing creative things. It’s when I feel the most alive.

Back in the early basement days, I had a singular creative pursuit: making music.

But I quickly added another creative pursuit to my life when I needed a new coffee table for my own space.

I decided to make my own live edge coffee table with my dad’s expertise. In those first basement workshop days making my personal coffee table it became clear: woodworking and music are similar art forms.

A song starts as a tangle of raw ideas until you find the rhythm, tempo, and harmony. A tree trunk starts as wild timber until you uncover its grain, curves, and natural hues.

Working out of the basement workshop taught me how to listen—not just to music, but to the wood itself. As a musician, I don't try to force a slab into a rigid, plastic-looking factory shape. I look for the natural movement, the deep character voids, and the rich color variations that only decades of Midwest seasons can produce. When you sit at an Origin Woodworks dining table, you’re experiencing a hand-composed piece where nature plays the lead melody.

Out of the Basement, Into the Woods

These days, when I’m not at the workbench flattening 200 lb. slabs, you’ll usually find me out in the woods, building my own cabin from the ground up.

Spending days surrounded by standing trees and raw Missouri landscape changes how you see a piece of lumber. You stop seeing wood as a commodity and start seeing the decades of story hidden inside every trunk—the harsh winters, the humid summers, and the deep roots that anchored it to local soil.

Building a cabin with my own two hands keeps me grounded. It’s a constant reminder of the patience it takes to work with nature rather than trying to overpower it. That same slow, intentional mindset guides my craftsmanship.

Bringing Home Nature’s Beauty

Our mission at Origin Woodworks has remained unchanged since day one in the basement. I want you to get to Bring Home Nature’s Beauty.

Your living room shouldn't be filled with disposable, flat-pack furniture shipped across oceans in cardboard boxes. It deserves real warmth, real weight, and real history.

Whether it’s a massive live edge Black Walnut dining table destined to host twenty years of family gatherings in Ladue, a custom White Oak coffee table for a Town & Country build, or a custom epoxy piece for a historic Soulard rehab, my job is to preserve the soul of the tree while refining it into a durable, mirror-smooth statement piece for your space.

Handcrafted in St. Louis, Built to Last generations

Every piece that leaves the shop carries the mark of genuine Midwest craftsmanship:

• 100% Regional Timber: I work almost exclusively with native Missouri & Illinois species—Black Walnut, White Oak, Sycamore, Maple, and Cherry—often salvaged from partners that do local urban tree removals or regional mills.

• Midwest-Proofed: Every slab is properly kiln-dried to precise moisture levels so your custom piece withstands the wild swings of St. Louis humidity without warping or splitting.

• Hand-Rubbed Finishes: I use eco-friendly natural oil finishes that bond with the wood fibers. They feel incredible under your hands, highlight the natural grain depth, and stand up to real life—wine spills, dinner parties, and kid homework.

• Your Purchase Plants Trees: I’ve decided to donate $1 for every item sold to One Tree Planted, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization that plants trees around the world where they’re needed most.