I Was born in 1945 and raised in Oklahoma City, OK. Attended Grade School and High School in Oklahoma City. Enrolled at Oklahoma City University in the Fall of 1965, majoring in music, as a violinist. Taught 4th through 8th grade Stringed Music classes in a local parochail school for a short while.

Joined the U.S. Air Force in 1966 to participate in the Viet Nam war. Served in the field of aerial reconnaissance and was exposed to cameras and photography in a way that furthered my youthful interest in the subject.

After leaving the military in 1970, I took up photography as an avocation, shooting natural landscapes for calendars, post-cards, and salon prints for galleries.

In the early 90's I found an interest in working with wood, specifically the creating of fine furniture. I was mainly just dabbling around with the process and trying my hand at different styles. During the late 90's I worked for three years as a stringed instrument repairman, repairing violins, violas, cellos, and basses. However, all the while, my passion for building fine furniture was growing and became full-blown by the early 2000's. That's when I officially started My Legacy Woodworks.

I work in the "old world style" of woodworking using traditional joinery methods revered and proven for centuries as solid and long lasting. All joints are hand cut dovetails, mortise and tenon, or mortise and tenon and pegged. Tabletops are finished with "breadboard" ends to keep them flat and uniform. They are fastened to the frame in a way which allows the tops to "breathe" with the seasons and not be damaged. Woods are dyed and not stained to produce a richer and more uniform coloring. Furniture finishes are painstakingly applied by hand, and most are multiple coats of hand-rubbed shellac, or oil and varnish where appropriate. A minimum of metal fasteners are used in my furniture, and then only when they will produce a longer-lasting connection than period equivalents. I use power tools when appropriate, but many old world style hand tools are used in the careful construction of my creations. Every piece I handcraft is "signed" by a bronze coin bearing my name and my hand-plane logo and dated with the month and year of completion, which is then permanently inlaid into the piece of furniture. It is my intention this furniture will last many generations when properly cared for. It is, after all, my only LEGACY.

Get in touch with me and lets create something together.

405.579.5262 email:wudwizrd@sbcglobal.net