BentheViking

Since I was a kid I have been interested in carpentry and woodworking. My first real experience with woodworking came in high school when I took two years of shop class. During my second year I was bored with the regular projects and started making up my own projects to do, including an Adirondack chair and end table set that I auctioned off for charity.

Through college my woodworking was put on hold due to a combination about a lack of interest and opportunity. When I graduated college (Univ. of Conn. '08) I moved to New Orleans to help run a non-profit rebuilding organization.

Eventually I was entered into something called the Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment's Apprenticeship Program. This was an educational and work program training apprentices in how to adapt high quality old world building techniques to modern building practices. In this program I was trained in making architectural millwork--doors, windows, moulding, fireplace mantles, ornamental brackets.

Since then I worked briefly in a private millshop, but work was unsteady. I then worked as the operations manager for Bluebag, a New Orleans based company that designs delivers and installs using IKEA products in the New Orleans area. Each week we brought truck loads of IKEA stuff from Houston to NOLA. My job was to run the people who deliver, assemble and install the products for our customers and was the head cabinet installer.

-- It's made of wood. Real sturdy.--Chubbs Peterson