I grew up right here in Humboldt County. I was born on the Mad River bridge on the way to the hospital – that is pretty local.
I started out woodworking at a young age coming from a family of craftsmen. I started working with honeybees in 2016 and it was a perfect excuse to make beekeeping equipment out of pine and cedar or rather – buy wood and make lots of sawdust. I started designing and manufacturing beekeeping equipment in 2017.
In 2020 I started Wild Jasmine Creations as a tool to help market and sell my beekeeping equipment. In the beginning it was all about honeybee homes, but manufacturing apiary supplies is very seasonal, so I started working with hard woods in the off season. I found out rather quickly that there was a lot of demand for my unique designs, getting away from simple edge-grain boards and making curved inlays and intricate end-grain designs.
My work is displayed at Arcata Artisans on the Arcata Plaza (882 H Street). Come on by and give it a look.
Quilt & Patterns Boards
We make lots of unique cutting and charcuterie boards. “Quit Boards” as we call them, blend traditional edge-grain boards with natural face grain patterns together. There are never two boards that look the same. “Pattern Boards” are designed digitally and the designed patterns are cut on the laser cutter. This part is tricky and usually takes a couple attempts to get the laser kerf adjusted correctly. The patterns are than attached to select pieces of wood and cut on the router table with a flush-trim bit. If all goes well they should fit together like a glove. One final template is made for the final shape.
Laser cutting and engraving
Laser cutting is new to us but it adds a lot to our offerings. Engraving our logo on our beautiful boards is very cool – nice to get away from heat branding. We do engravings of our own pollinator photos onto baltic birch and than frame using salvaged redwood or hard wood. We also do custom projects – slate engravings, custom wall art, ornaments and other small objects. We do lot of custom display shelving for local venders as well as business signage.
End-grain boards
End-grain (or short-grain) boards are the most time consuming. Especially the helical weave pattern as pictured. End-grain allows for patterns that are difficult to achieve when making edge-grain or face-grain boards. They “self heal” as you cut on them. We make large butcher block as well as boards with complex geometry. The geometric boards are designed digitally before we even buy material to reduce waste and the inevitable surprises that arise.
Wild Jasmine Creations 