Custom Woodworking

Two backlit signs. Left one says "Three Tall Trees" right one says "RavenSong".

My most recent custom woodworking PTB (Pay The Bills) project is complete. It was for two backlit signs for a pair of properties overlooking the Ottawa River.


Recently I found a new online co-op starting up. Their initial impetus was as a response to the increasingly expensive and frustrating experience people are having with Etsy. This new co-op is based in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, but has members in Canada, the EU, and probably a few other international locations. To expand the audience for my custom woodworking, I joined recently and am working on their transition to Shopify.

The name and website are Artisans.coop


Ongoing updates for my custom woodworking projects are in the Projects Updates Blog.


I’m on Mastodon!


If you would like to send money my way, you have options! Consider buying some of my items in the online store. There’s also the wish list at Lee Valley, my favourite toy store. Those items range from necessary and practical to outright indulgences. My PayPal account is https://paypal.me/fabrikisto. Interac is set up for auto-deposit at joe@@fabrikisto.com. Thank you!


Wood – the original material for tools and construction – is still the standard for quality. Wooden desks, tables, chairs, signs, and all manner of objects always stand out for their character and beauty. Wood feels warm. Wood gives a welcoming character to our environment, be it in nature or in our homes.

Modern computer-aided tools make the design of beautiful wooden objects more accessible. Modern woodworking machinery allows the creation and craftsmanship of wooden objects which more people can afford. Beauty is no longer reserved for the rich.

Recently I have been satisfying a long-term goal of creating sculptures. I have a dedicated site at ksi.ca for my Tactile, Photo-Kinetic, and Thermo-Kinetic Sculptures.

Boxes of various types are fun and at times challenging. My jewellery boxes feature exposed corner joints and fine woods. They will thrill and satisfy for lifetimes – yours and your heirs.

I use Vectric Aspire to assist in design and generate GCode for the CNC. In the shop I use a 16″ Hammer Jointer/Planer, a 14″ Hammer bandsaw, a Makita tracksaw, and a CanCam CNC Router to shape fine woods. A recent (and last expensive) addition to my tools collection is a SawStop Compact Table Saw.

I prefer maple and walnut, but also use some exotic woods for character. Most of my wood is from KJP Select Hardwoods and Bell Lumber near Renfrew. Finishing is by hand, assisted by a custom designed and built vacuum table, Festool Random Orbital Sander, and assembly table. I prefer Livos Natural Oil and Rubio Monocoat. My hand tools are primarily from Lie Nielsen and Lee Valley.

Bring your ideas for unique furniture, puzzles, or other custom woodworking objects and I will work with you to achieve a work of art which will bring you a lifetime of functional pleasure. My workshop is in Horton Township, near Renfrew Ontario Canada.

Of course you can use the online shop here!