Jon Billing
My woodworking journey started out of a cabin in the woods of Northern Minnesota. It was in that small cabin that I started to develop a modest workshop after attending a lutherie school for guitar building (2003). The guitar program led the way to other avenues of woodworking, such as furniture making, cabinetry, and carpentry, followed by a stint in art school, which led to even more exploration of woodcraft with carving and wood turning.
Eventually, I found myself in NY and started to learn from a carpenter who exclusively does traditional Japanese woodwork. I quickly fell in love with the craft, tools, and techniques, and in 2019, my wife and I moved to Japan. The next few years were spent working with a traditional carpentry company in Okayama, Japan, building timber frame homes, where I continued to learn and develop my skills and knowledge.
In 2024, we embarked on another adventure when my wife and I purchased a 115-year-old traditional house north of Tokyo. In addition to renovating the house, maintaining a small garden, and a grove of chestnut trees, I also design and build furniture in a workshop on our property.
https://www.bigsandwoodworking.com/about/
The following link is to my blog, which has regular updates on current work: