Madeline began pursuing woodworking after graduating from UCLA with a degree in fine art focusing primarily on photography, video and sculpture. “I began to sculpt with wood but lacked the technical skills and understanding of the material to achieve the objects I imagined.” She began taking classes at Cerritos College eventually leading her to the Krenov School of Fine Woodworking. She is now the shop manager for a custom furniture shop in Downtown Los Angeles as well as a resident of Allied Woodshop, where she works on personal projects and pursues her art practice. Madeline spends the rest of her time outside, climbing, biking, and camping.

Kirtan Tom, the director and owner of Allied Woodshop, recently did an interview with Crafting a Revolution, a podcast hosted by Katie Freeman of Freeman Furnishings. 

They talk about how Kirtan first fell in love with woodworking in Brooklyn, New York, her own furniture design and making practice as well as running and being part of the wonderful community at Allied Woodshop.

Ways to listen to the episode:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/yrk5aWJacig

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1QJPwB9FFtdhxJ7nBkUSpz?si=e924b4cbd81c4079

You can also find it on iTunes, Google, Amazon, anywhere you get your podcasts.

Clio is a woodworker, soft sculptor, and musician who has inhabited many pastoral landscapes prior to winding up in sunny Los Angeles. It came as no surprise when she earned her BA in Studio Art from Lewis & Clark College (‘15), as she comes from a long line of textile artists, boatbuilders, and oil painters. In addition to teaching classes at Allied Woodshop, Clio manages Offerman Woodshop. She has been with OWS since 2016, where she was hired as short-term holiday help. Five years later, she now runs the show alongside fellow Allied instructor, Sarah Watlington. Clio oversees floor production and runs product development, often designing and puzzling out the build process for the smaller projects made in the shop.

Clio joined the Allied crew in 2019 as an assistant teacher and now is the lead instructor for Intro to Woodworking and Women's Intro to Woodworking. She loves teaching this unit as it is often the attendees' first time working with wood-- witnessing her students experience the magic of organic materials and machining for the first time has become one of her favorite pastimes. 

Additionally, Clio has more recently begun working on bigger builds and installs. She spent much of the pandemic turning a single car garage into an ADU, outfitted with a large white oak loft and partner pieces around the space. Clio also works closely with Would Works, a nonprofit social enterprise affiliated with Offerman Woodshop that provides work opportunities for people who are homeless or living in poverty by teaching them fundamental carpentry skills.

We're very excited to feature Lucie, one of our long-time students at Allied Woodshop. Lucie works in Interior Design and has always been drawn to creative hobbies and trades. She began exploring woodworking in community college and found Allied Woodshop after she moved to LA in 2013. So far, Lucie has taken Intro to Woodworking, Spoon Carving, Danish Cord Weaving, Steam Bending a Pendant Lamp, and Furniture Making I: Tables classes with us. She enjoys being around other people at Allied who are excited about woodworking.
For Lucie, woodworking is a lifelong venture in which she aims to hone her skills and engage in community with other craftspeople. Her goal is to design and build custom furniture for herself and for design projects. Even as she fluctuates among pottery, painting, expressive art, and other hobbies, she always finds herself back in woodworking. It is like a siren song, but one that leads to a deeper sense of self.

We've collaborated with Redfin in their recent article and shared a tip for homeowners for creating a woodworking station in their homes. 

"We recommend starting with a solid, good-quality workbench and storage for a few tools – using the walls for storage is optimal. From there, you can add a basic tool kit, and don’t forget to keep those tools sharp." - Allied Woodshop

Read the full article on Redfin for more tips!

Michael is a woodworker, furniture designer, and instructor at Allied Woodshop. He began woodworking with the desire to reconnect to the work ethics and craftsmanship of our past. Also a schooled musician, he learned the importance of composing and refining a piece until it stood on its own. Recognizing the parallels between the two seemingly disparate mediums of woodworking and music, Michael set out to establish a footing in the world of the dedicated craftsman. Utilizing locally sourced materials and classic joinery, he aims to bring the old into the new with modern interpretations of enviable classics. Michael teaches Furniture Making, Hand Tools woodworking, and Intro to Woodworking classes at Allied Woodshop.

Great news! Our Holiday Marketplace in December was a great success, and together, we donated $1,000 to the LA Food Bank! The amount was matched dollar-for-dollar during the holiday season and it means 1,600 meals for LA families.
We're incredibly grateful for your contribution to make this possible, and for your continuing support in our woodworking community. 

Welcome to our final Quarantine Woodshop.

The Quarantine Woodshop introduces alternative woodworking methods and exercises to adapt to Safer-At-Home conditions. We have taken into consideration individuals may no longer have access to a woodshop, limited working space, or limited learning opportunities. For this project, some basic woodworking knowledge is needed.

Today, we are providing you with at-home guide for constructing the Japanese tool box.

The Japanese tool box can be made solely using hand tools. This document gives an overview of those steps. We encourage practice using hand tools first if you are not familiar with them. Machines can be used to expedite the process. Don't worry, we won't judge.

We hope you found this series useful and interesting during quarantine.

Click here to view or download.