Ben Richmond
Machias, Maine
After attempting a traditional college experience and a few years in the white collar world Ben started his woodworking path with carpentry, which transitioned into building furniture. After a few years in carpentry he started building furniture. Ben has worked for three different makers, two in Maine and one in Colorado. Each maker demanded a higher level of skill than the one before it. After about five years of building he decided to attend the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship out of a desire to learn the more traditional methods of making.
“As my experience with working for other craftsman grew I found I was moving further away from what I considered to be the heart of the craft. Using industrial equipment made it easier to do repetitious work faster and potentially more accurate but I always felt like more of a craftsman using hand tools. I also found the makers that I respected the most would often use power equipment effectively while having a good working knowledge of hand tools. Working in small shops, they could not afford to take the time to teach me the skills I wanted to learn so I took it upon myself to find that education.” - Ben Richmond
