Every holder starts here as a simple block of wood

Once I choose a piece of wood, I trim it to length and map out the rough shape to carve.

All the holders are carved by hand with a simple sloyd knife.

The final shaping and smoothing of the holder is done by sanding with progressively finer grits.

The holder is sanded to a smooth finish to bring out the luster of the wood, and I brand the foot of the holder.

The finish is applied and polished to the desired level of shine, depending on the type of finish selected.

Once the finish is applied and given a first polish, I drill a hole and cut a slot in the foot of the holder to mount the flange.

Flanges are cut down into strips from larger metal sheets with tin snips. Flat nose and bailing pliers are used to shape the strips into either standard or bullock flanges.

Flanges are dry fit into each holder to ensure proper alignment.

Once properly fit, the flange is secured in place with a small peg of dowel.

I seal the feet of most of my holders. This means that flanges can’t be easily replaced, but it also helps prevent ink and moisture from getting into the wood which can cause significant damage and rot.

Finished holders are always given a final quality control check before being photographed, packed up, and shipped out.