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| Photo by Glenn Ruga |
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Working with wood has been a lifelong aspiration for Thomas Cummings.
After completing an engineering degree in 1987, Cummings traveled,
studied and trained in art and woodworking in Bali, Indonesia, St.
John in the Virgin Islands, California and Washington, D.C., where
he did carpentry and boat building, and made kitchen cabinets and
furniture. During his travels, he was inspired by artistic communities
and the alluring beauty of Bali and St. John. Today he uses that inspiration
as he creates every piece.
He now lives in historic Maynard, Massachusetts 23 miles west
of Boston--and makes custom furniture in a 140-year-old carriage
house behind his home. Experienced furniture makers Steve Sackman
and Paul Thomson work with Tom to produce furniture of extraordinary
beauty and quality. Steve is a graduate of the prestigious North
Bennet Street School in Boston and Paul is a master furniture
maker with more than 20 years experience.
Tom creates his own designs, using simple line drawings or more
detailed CAD drawings. He can create a furniture design based on
a client’s ideas, photos or magazines. He and his colleagues
pay attention to every detail. They hand select all of the wood
individually for each job directly from the hardwood dealer.
Tom is still awed by the beauty of what can be brought to life
by a stack of rough sawn board. His furniture creations showcase
the grain of the wood, sometimes enhancing the design and sometimes
serving as a contrast. His work demonstrates that, if handled properly,
wood can take on a multi-dimensional appearance with depth that
changes as you move across the piece and color that changes and
grows richer over time.
Visit the Thomas Cummings Woodworkers gallery to see the
difference that hand-crafted truly makes.
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