Who are we?

    Taylor Woodworks consists of the 2 Taylor brothers: Jeff and Ron (and there is no question, Jeff is the boss!).

Jeff Taylor:  Woodworking has been in my blood from an early age.  When I was twelve, my parents let me put a sign on our maple tree stating "Woodcrafts For Sale."  I enjoyed woodshop in high school and made more gun racks than my allotted wood allowance.  My interest in reproduction furniture started on my honeymoon in Williamsburg, VA.  I was taken by the Inns and the spectacular woods in the furniture.  As a newlywed, I needed new furniture, and therefore had a reason to start trying to build my own.  Sometimes my wife and I would buy antiques and refinish them but even then they did not work well, or were not styled the way that I wanted.  This was when I started to make furniture for myself.  The first pieces I made were a pair of shaker tables.  From that experience I started the beginning of my work today.

    As far as my education in woodworking is concerned, I guess you could say I was my own best teacher.  I have always been in pursuit of learning about and developing my craft.  You could say it's my obsession.  I use the internet and am constantly buying books and magazines to read.  However, my favorite way to learn is to observe other professionals.  I have researched some of the best shops and have made a number of contacts from which I could learn by asking the right questions and by simply observing.  I have taken a few classes at the North Bennett Street School in Boston, MA and at the Old Cabinet Shop in York, PA.  Not only do I learn new skills from these courses, but I am also inspired by the great woodworkers that I meet there.

    Presently, I own a small shop on a beautiful piece of property in Magnolia, Delaware where I will be building my home.  My brother and I do our woodworking there.  Although we enjoy other types of cabinetry such as kitchens, mantles, and built-in millwork, building beautiful furniture is our favorite.  I feel it is a gift to me to be able to do what I love for a living.

Ronnie Taylor (pictured right):  I joined my brother in Delaware after receiving my Bachelors Degree in Music from Eastern Nazarene College in 1999.   After much on-the-job training and several books, I finally started making some furniture of my own.

Taylor Woodworks:  Jeff's first shop was actually a table saw in his brother-in-law's basement.  In 1991, when Jeff built his house, he moved his couple of tools into his own garage.  For the next several years, we added more tools (and an addition on the garage) as we had more and more work coming in.  Finally, in 2005, we moved into our first "real" shop, where we currently work (pictured below).  We hope to be adding on within the next few years.

Last updated on October 26, 2008