Hi everyone, my name is John and I’m The Accidental Woodworker. Born and raised in the Central Valley of California in a small town by the name of Exeter. The town revolved around two things: cattle and oranges.

Growing up I played sports year round and you would more than likely find me on the nearest basketball court in my spare time. I bled Dodger Blue, Lakers purple and gold, lived and died by the L.A. Rams (mostly the latter) and “painted the valley red” with my beloved Fresno State Bulldogs. I never really dealt with tools and woodworking was the furthest thing from my mind. My dad tried to show me how to change the oil on my truck but the resulting mess when I didn’t tighten the filter all the way steered me away from my life as a mechanic. I never used a power tool except when I used to work with my dad drilling hard rock water wells in the summer. Even then, it was mainly a pneumatic grinder which I used to sharpen the 75 pound drill bits we would use to hammer through the rock. I can still remember the afternoons in the summer waiting for the air compressor to charge back up in the 100 degree heat so I could continue the tedium. Needless to say, tools weren’t really my “thing”. Eventually I left home at 19 to join the U.S. Coast Guard, where I spent 4 1/2 years and was a telecommunications technician. I spent my time in the service in Northern California, Alaska, and Seattle. I moved home for 6 months when I got out in the beginning of 2002 only to move away again to San Diego during that summer. I started working for a telecommunications company where I still work to this day.

In the end of 2003, I moved to Long Beach in order to cover a different area and that is where I met my now wife. We have a 5 year old girl and a 3 year old little boy that keep us more than busy.

Trying to find balance with work, family, and my new found passion of woodworking. Started this blog as mainly a way to document my projects and be a running journal for my experiences.