WestWoodWorking.com
D Hohmann Handyman & Westwood Woodworking
David Hohmann
I spent my college years studying architecture, visual arts and developing as an artist. Architecture was a perfect fit for me, combining most of my talents and interests that were representing who I was at the time. I could use my creative skills designing and building large projects. My college education was relatively inexpensive and very rewarding; a few years at my local community college in Saratoga, followed by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and then graduate school at Cornell University. I consider my Bachelors of Architecture degree to have been nearly free - Cal Poly was something like $273 a quarter! With study so inexpensive I was able to take numerous photography, art and philosophy courses besides my core work in architecture.
After graduating from Cornell I worked in architecture only briefly. I was trying to make a go in New York City but having to work multiple jobs. Disillusioned by the lack of financially sustainable work, I quit architecture and found a job working as an assistant for the documentary filmmaker Errol Morris. I worked for Errol for 6 years on "The Thin Blue Line" and "A Brief History of Time". I still didn't make much money but it was fun and very rewarding. For the next couple of decades I worked at a job to pay the bills and get my kids through college. Recently, I was inspired to return to what I loved doing and to make a hobby into a business.
Since 2000, I have devoted myself to honing my craft of woodworking, as a sideline. During my free time, I have most often been found happily working in my workshop creating my original wood designs. I have made wood boxes, picture frames, an array of furniture for my home, doors, and windows. I have also completed home remodeling projects including making all of my kitchen’s cabinetry. I have found so much pleasure from working with wood that it has never felt like a job or even a hobby – it is something that I have to do. Now with the internet and the opportunity to sell my designs online, I can devote myself full-time to woodworking and selling the efforts from my woodshop.
One of my favorite things about wood is that it has taken on its present appearance by having “grown” that way. It is not perfect. I particularly love the part of the wood where the heart and the sapwood meet. Every piece is different, and along that margin the wood reminds us that it is still alive. My work combines this aspect of the natural product with my desire to shape it into something useful. I spend much of my time selecting the proper cuts of wood to reflect its quality and history. I hope that you will appreciate these efforts, and enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of my wood pieces as valued additions to your family’s heirlooms.
David Hohmann
I spent my college years studying architecture, visual arts and developing as an artist. Architecture was a perfect fit for me, combining most of my talents and interests that were representing who I was at the time. I could use my creative skills designing and building large projects. My college education was relatively inexpensive and very rewarding. I spent a few years at my local community college in Saratoga, followed by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and then graduate school at Cornell University. I consider my Bachelors of Architecture degree to have been nearly free - Cal Poly was something like $273 a quarter! With study so inexpensive I was able to take numerous photography, art and philosophy courses besides my core work in architecture.
After graduating from Cornell I worked in architecture only briefly. I was trying to make a go in New York City but having to work multiple jobs. Disillusioned by the lack of financially sustainable work, I quit architecture and found a job working as an assistant for the documentary filmmaker Errol Morris. I worked for Errol for 6 years on "The Thin Blue Line" and "A Brief History of Time". I still didn't make much money but it was fun and very rewarding. For the next couple of decades I worked at a job to pay the bills and get my kids through college. Recently, I was inspired to return to what I loved doing and to make a hobby into a business.
Since 2000, I have devoted myself to honing my craft of woodworking, as a sideline. During my free time, I have most often been found happily working in my workshop creating my original wood designs. I have made wood boxes, picture frames, an array of furniture for my home, doors, and windows. I have also completed home remodeling projects including making all of my kitchen’s cabinetry. I have found so much pleasure from working with wood that it has never felt like a job or even a hobby – it is something that I have to do. Now with the internet and the opportunity to sell my designs online, I can devote myself full-time to woodworking and selling the efforts from my woodshop.
One of my favorite things about wood is that it has taken on its present appearance by having “grown” that way. It is not perfect. I particularly love the part of the wood where the heart and the sapwood meet. Every piece is different, and along that margin the wood reminds us that it is still alive. My work combines this aspect of the natural product with my desire to shape it into something useful. I spend much of my time selecting the proper cuts of wood to reflect its quality and history. I hope that you will appreciate these efforts, and enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of my wood pieces as valued additions to your family’s heirlooms.
In October 2018 my wife and I moved back to Sunnyvale California to the home that I grew up in. At that time I started working on handyman projects both big (mostly for the family and the properties that we own) and small (for Home Advisor clients and personal friends). With the high demand in the Santa Clara Valley for skilled handymen that has now become 90% of my business.