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My major quarantine project, I finished up this 7′4″ Pintail from Grain Surfboards homebuilt kit this winter/spring. Here are the glamour shots before I waxed it up for the first session—it definitely works! 

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My Grandpa always had this 1980s Seiko Synchrotimer (7A28 7039, I believe) on his wrist, even while working in the garage on various automobile projects. Years of heavy use resulted in the tachymeter markings becoming practically illegible, the crystal scratched up as well. I inherited it when he passed on, and decided to give it a new strap. my first attempt of a simple vegtan strap felt too flimsy, so I lined a piece of blue-grey suede with vegtan, skin-side out for comfort, and I like the outcome much better.

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Another present: I lined the shoulder pad of this guitar strap with blue suede, rough-side out, so the strap “sticks” to your shoulder and doesn’t slide around.

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My Grandpa had this beat-up “Old Fitzgerald” Ice hammer, used for making fresh-cracked ice for cocktails. As a design challenge, I put together my own version as a birthday present for one of my brothers.

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Apple Watch Strap I put together for J about a year ago. Double-sided Vegtan leather glued flesh-side together, for durability and comfort. Watch connectors from Buckleguy.com. Already getting some nice patina.

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For Halloween 2018 I decided to go as Han Solo. I made the mistake of thinking I could quickly put together a simple holster and blaster. Naturally I got carried away, and the results are a wood blaster with removable sights, a hand-stitched leather gun belt, and custom laser-cut metal buckles.... luckily I started building it in February.  

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To keep this bottle opener handy I sandwiched a little magnet in between a vegtan leather strap, so it can be thrown on the fridge, etc.

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Every year, a few days before Christmas and the extended family and friend get-togethers, my family (mainly my older brother) forget how long it takes to roast coffee, and we end up spending several hours on the porch in freezing temps, hunched over a small popcorn popper converted to roast coffee, about a cup at a time (80g). It is painfully slow, but the expressions of friends and family members who exclaim, “You mean you roasted this yourself!?” inevitably ensure that we forget how tedious the process is, and we end up doing it all over again the following year.  

For Christmas 2017, I took the label making process into my own hands and tried my hand at linocut making. Naturally, I forgot to reverse the image before carving the block, so I had to scan and print it digitally, but I savored the experience nonetheless. Much preferable to roasting the coffee, but it’s all part of the #process. 

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I helped a friend build this walnut pour over stand, modeled off of my own from a few years back. This time we used spline joints with curly maple, and monocoat rubio as a finish, rather than the multiple coats of poly. I’m in love with the way this finish brings out the wood grain.

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Backyard bench from leftover 2x4 and 2x6 scraps. 

Cardboard prototype -> finished product. 

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This mahogany butcher block cutting board was a team effort: my brother did the gluing and planing, then handed it off to me as a birthday present (that’s how the O bros roll). I sanded, oiled, and branded it with my leather/wood burning tool. My brother is cooler than me and and doesn’t waste time with social media, so he doesn’t get a mention, but photos were by my boy @ragsdale.blue

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Camera strap for my friend, photographer @alexandragarrett (follow her on the ‘gram if you know what’s good). Cut from vegtan leather in two weights: ~8oz for the strap, and ~4oz for the camera attachment points. Matching brass hardware, and monogram (new feature!)

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Collaboration with an artist friend of mine; I put together this walnut picture frame with maple splines, and my friend @samantha_emilie created the watercolor artwork. Check her out on the ‘gram for more watercolor goodness. 

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Leather flask sleeve and matching key fob (Christmas present 2017). I found a set of letterpress type in a secondhand shop, and it’s been great for monogramming. I was afraid the pressure necessary to create a bite on leather would damage the type, but it is holding up well so far. 

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Pencil stands cut from blocks of oak and maple. There must have been a burl in the oak piece, and it left these beautiful swirls. Christmas presents 2017. 

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New vs. aged cast iron pan sleeves, in thick veg tan leather. 

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After and before shots of a french press I refinished with hardwood, updating the beat up veneer. I believe I used white oak and rosewood.