Bruce Neese
Greenville, IL
Bruce is a woodworker.  He makes beautiful tables, benches, center pieces, serving pieces, and votive holders...all out of wood.  His company is called Smithboro Woodworks.  

View his work here.

Neil Kolling
Collinsville, IL

Neil crafts baskets, all split by hand, using unique long-ribbed construction.  He carefully selects young white oak trees to use in the baskets.  It takes more than 20 hours to complete a basket.

Rich Wilkens
Lebanon, IL

Wood carving with outdoors and Native American themes.

Scott Schlapkohl
Godfrey, IL

Each of my turnings is a unique functional piece of art.  I find the wood for my pieces by scavenging trees damaged during storms or removed by their owners for various purposes.  I recycle these trees to display their beauty in a new way. Each piece of wood has inner secrets hidden deep inside, which I uncover at my lathe.  Some pieces of wood are meant to be simple bowls, while others become elegant pieces of art.  My pieces highlight the wood’s natural beauty and are as much a joy to hold as they are to see.

Check out my work!

John Whetstone
Silver Lake, IN

 In 1978 my wife, Debbie, asked me to make her a wooden spoon that wouldn't break. With only a homemade band saw and an antique wood lathe, I met her challenge and produced our first wooden spoon. In 1984 , I realized my dream of a full-time woodworking business with The Carpenter Shop—designing and constructing custom furniture, doing millwork, and making wooden spoons. Being encouraged by the enthusiastic response of those who purchased our woodenware, in 1991 The Carpenter Shop was retooled solely for the designing and making of Whetstone Woodenware.™ We make Whetstone Woodenware™ from kiln dried hard maple. And after 17 hand operations and a final polishing, the products are treated with mineral oil. The hard maple tree is grown and milled in the USA; our main lumber source is only 10 miles away from our shop.

Check out my work!