Latest Posts
Coffee Cabinet
This project started with my being tired of clutter on our kitchen counter and deciding I should build something that looked decent to store things in. It was both a fun design challenge, which I still have a lot to learn from, but also I threw in some new joinery — dovetails and stopped dados…
A Pragmatic Beginner’s Guide to Introducing AI to Your Engineering Workflow
If you spend too much time on the internet, it’s pretty easy to believe that everyone out there has outsourced their job to AI and is just letting their LLM of choice run free. I’ve been talking with engineers in the real world recently though, and the truth is that there is wild variability in…
Lavender Starflower
Grewia Occidentalis #1 and #2 Acquired 2020 – Lavender Star Flower (Grewia Occidentalis) I bought two of these in 2020 from https://www.bonsaify.com/ for $25 each. They’ve been a bit challenging as they need a lot of sunlight and water, in comparison to some of my other trees. I bought two of these in 2020 from…
Juniper No. 1
I bought this from a nursery and styled with the help of Addison in December 2022. Repotted winter 2023 year and did a 2nd styling in summer 2024.
Juniper No. 5
I bought this tree as a small whip at a show and added some bends in it to start with. I’ve mostly been growing it out to thicken the trunk, but also started adding shari in 2025. In 2026, I repotted it into the pot show up top. The plan now is to keep growing…
Ficus No. 1
Acquired 2020 I bought this ficus as one of my first bonsai. It’s got the classic mass-produced bonsai trunk s-curve, but rather than replace it, I’ve been trying to work with it.
Japanese Black Pine No 1
Acquired 2024 Just before decandling in 2025: I bought this tree at an auction in February of 2024 for fairly cheap, knowing that it would be a good deal of work to condense it into a more showable tree. I didn’t have any Japanese Black Pines at that time though and wanted to try one…
Accelerating Learning: Bonsai and the Art of Management
I used to loathe having anyone tell me I needed “more years of experience” to succeed at something. Now that I have more grey hair and joints that don’t work as well, I have to admit that some things do simply take time. Though I still think this phrase is overused when people don’t have…
Food Trays
This project started when I was in Japan at a cafe and they served dessert on a simple tray that I liked. I took a few pictures and sketched out what I wanted to build. I started with a prototype version to practice making mitered edges and also to see how my planned cut order…
Coffee Table
I spent a good deal of 2025 working on this coffee table. I designed in it in the early part of the year and finished at the end. It forced me a learn a lot of new things and pick up some new tools. Original design done in Fusion 360. This was my first project…
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