Tom Phillips
Woodworks

60 Fifth Street
Ashland, OR 97520
541-482-4829

Dining Chair

Tom Phillips Woodworks is a small shop dedicated to providing quality built custom furniture for homes and offices. Designing pieces that

Trestle Dining Table

match existing decor, solve unusual spatial situations, and/or create a special relationship between beautiful woods, daily functions, and people. Every project is an opportunity to evaluate your style preferences, site requirements and budget range to determine the right combination of techniques and materials.

Owl Wall Cabinet

I opened my shop in 1978 with little training in the use of stationary machinery, and had to learn from experience, books and friends. During the summer of 1980 I attended a month-long

Bench with Drawer

seminar in Mendocino taught by master craftsman James Krenov (who had apprenticed to the Europeon tradition in Sweden). This event which was presented by the Mendocino Woodworkers Association. This solidified my skills with hand and power tools, as each student built their own handplanes and a small coopered (curved) door cabinet. My design eye was encouraged to use patterns in boards to enhance and unify the whole piece. Returning to my own shop in Ashland Oregon challenged me to incorporate Krenov's refined approach into work my shop was generating. Also as I enjoy working with the natural shapes of slab cut boards, it has been exciting to create ways of presenting organic forms in a fine furniture

Guest Room Set

setting. During these 20 years I have built many one-of-a-kind products including: tables, beds, dressers, desks, shelving, chairs, benches, staircases, and cabinets. My woodshed is stacked with Black Walnut, White and Black Oak, Bigleaf Maple, Myrtle, Madrone, and other woods waiting for the right project to be ordered.

Kitchen Corner Dining Table

The examples of my work shown here represent my tendency to work with solid, full dimension woods using traditional joinery methods and hand tooled details when appropriate. Rough lumber is milled to even dimensions, then panels and thick veneers can be resawn for matching grain patterns. When all other parts have had their joinery cut, they are shaped to the style chosen.

Chippendale Dresser

Final work with handplanes (homemade), spokeshaves, chisels, and scrapers create definition to surfaces and prepare parts to be sanded carefully before finish is applied in several coats. I use air dried woods when available for their subtle colors and workability, and oil finishes that are mixed to provide durability and a smooth low luster surface. This process is adjusted for each job, for example, I can use more plywood to limit material handling and joinery requirements, or build with handcut dovetails in full width boards to continue the tradition of handmade furnishings.

I hope you find my work interesting, and that if you have any questions or requests please contact me.

Please Note: Final cost will be determined by:

The time it takes to design and construct the work to your specific requirements
The price of the materials and supplies requested (wood, hardware,...)
any additional fees for shipping, crating and insurance that are needed to deliver the work safely from Southern Oregon to you.

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