Brett Mason Craftsman

In order to keep out much of the noise from the rest of the home, my partner wanted a door for her office. Since she wanted to go with a glass door option and home depot only had the single door unit, that meant I needed to build the jamb. Rather than prefabricating the door jamb, I simply built it to fit the structure. This eliminates any discrepancies that might arise during the installation of the entire door; all I had to do was keep checking my measurements and ensuring that the jamb remained parallel. It didn't make sense to me to have a prefab because I was going to make changes nonetheless. Although this project had good outcomes, I might attempt a prefab method in the future with another door. Now with everything painted including the door, everything looks good to me!

Restoring this gliding bench for a client was an odd request. I can see why it was worthwhile to put in the work to replace all the slats with something distinctive in color, considering how the clients paid almost nothing for it at a yard sale. Given the financial constraints, pressure-treated decking material made sense because it is stronger and thicker than standard 1 x 6 material. I wasn't sure how the color the client chose would turn out at first. I was surprised at how well it turned out, and the subtle wood grain texture adds character to the design. Most importantly, from what I've heard, they still use it a lot and love it!

I constructed this spice rack for a client a while back. Really simple design; I added the middle support to prevent the shelves from sagging over time. For this project, oak plywood was used for its versatility and affordability. In other words, the wall on which the rack was to be mounted wasn't exactly flat. It made more sense to use a material that would shift sufficiently to be flush against the wall without applying stress on it than to use real oak, which can be very rigid. It installed on the wall nicely and flush, as I had anticipated, which also means that another satisfied customer.

"The Dutch"
Oak, Oak Plywood, Eastern Red Cedar

46 x 24 x 18 inches

Danish and modern Scandinavian furniture served as the inspiration for this coffee table. I truly value how wood is used while maintaining an industrial look. I used a good number of screws for this project due to the design, therefore it was crucial that I came up with ways to hide them from view in the final product. I picked red cedar for two reasons, rather than trying to cover up the screw holes on top with oak buttons. Initially, I was aware that the oak plug would have been noticeable and would not have been effective. Why not incorporate into the design given that I'm not ashamed of the assembly process I used? Secondly, red cedar is stunning; the woodwork exhibits a lovely chatoyance that highlights a hint of sheen for the coffee table. Extremely subtle, yet striking nonetheless.

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2023. For me this was a year of forgiveness, healing, and letting go. May not be profound to most, but this year has been paramount for me. I got to see places I've always wanted to experience, that also includes reflecting on my own journey. I've set aside the things that I thought were important, only to rediscover who I was and my purpose in this lifetime. It turns out I forgot a lot about what makes me who I am and focused on things that don't really matter to me. I believe we all do this at times whether we're feeling lost, trying to get with it, or simply trying to fit in. Striving to be relevant and on pulse with everyone else, while the essence of who I am slowly dies. As I healed, it was time to break the patterns that haunt me and learn to finally let go. It's easy to be afraid to let go, sometimes we believe we release the burdens that hold us back, whatever they may be. Sometimes those burdens never leave, they disguise themselves as lessons learned and cautionaries for future problems. By doing this, the burdens become armor, but what use is armor if it's the very thing that causes grief in the first place? I learned to trust the universe and let go of that armor and chose to be prepared instead. 

Will you let go? Will you be prepared? May 2024 be a year of change.