About
Hello! My name is Jonah Seifer.
I am a woodworker born in Massachusetts and now living in Colorado. My work reflects my two homes - incorporating woods from each region as well as purple quahog shells native to New England. "East by West" is a tribute to these two special places, as well as an impossible direction that reminds me to slow down, think critically, and focus. My woodworking practice is equal parts practical and meditative, and each piece on this site has its own story. I hope you enjoy exploring them and will consider supporting my work.
History
When I was ten years old at summer camp, an amiable Mainer named Frosty taught me how to use a scroll saw and I was hooked. I eventually made the tool organizer on the right which has been in continuous use for more than a decade.
After graduating from Colorado College, I had yard space and needed a sturdy kitchen table. I picked up some scrap wood, found some old clamps on Craigslist, and soon enjoyed the satisfying "clink" of resting a beer on something I had made. Since then, I've always looked to build exactly what I needed. I've never had a proper woodshop of my own, but over the years I've worked in my yard, on porches, and in makerspaces.
As my technique and design skills have improved, woodworking has taken on new meaning to me. What started off as a purely functional pursuit has become an exciting mix of function and art.
Focus
I'm a practical person, so I mostly make furniture and smaller pieces that have a useful function at home. I'm particularly interested in blending traditional woodworking techniques with computerized methods such as the CNC router and laser cutter. Regardless of the scale or techniques I'm using, I aim to make pieces that are original, useful, durable, and aesthetic.
MaTerials
I enjoy working with domestic hardwoods like maple and walnut, and occasionally incorporate beetle kill pine into my work. I reclaim wood when possible and source all new lumber from Colorado. I also use epoxy, glass, and steel in my work for both functional and aesthetic reasons.
I'm especially fond of incorporating quahog shells (pronounced "kow-hog") into my pieces. These shells were widely used by Indigenous tribes local to the area I grew up in, and when I was a kid at summer camp we exchanged polished quahog shells as tokens of friendship.
Powerful rare earth magnets are also integral to my woodwork. As a nerdy kid, I loved playing with magnets. As a nerdy adult, I still love playing with magnets. Thankfully, some things never change.
ComMissions
Since transitioning to a full-time office job in 2021, am no longer taking commissions at this time. The silver lining (for me, at least) is that I can use my limited time in the woodshop to work on experimental designs that I deemed "too risky" to produce for customers. See the Continental Divide Table in the Portfolio section for an example of what I'm referring to. Of course, if the price is right I can be persuaded to come out of my temporary retirement, so don't hesitate to reach out if you have a project idea. I'll continue to build small batches of certain items for my online store as time permits as well.
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