Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Flood.
Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
It’s been a lifetime passion, building things. From fort building as a kid to high school shop classes, to tech school carpentry classes, all these things led me to know that wood was my medium & the foundation of my career.
At 20 years old, I started my own business, the Joinery, in the La Crosse area. It was an antique restoration & custom furniture business. I learned a great deal about period styles and developed a love of antiques. I had that business for five years and learned a lot about the trade and even more about myself.
But the big city called and in 1985, I headed to the Twin Cities. I went to work for a custom cabinet shop and stayed there until 1992. Learned so much about the craft there.
In 1992, my dream come true. I started my custom cabinet shop, Timber Creek Woodworks. I settled into a good life of doing what I love making clients’ dreams come true. I loved the artistic freedom I had by being both the designer and the craftsman I worked on some amazing projects with some truly wonderful people. I had that business for 28 years.
Times change and the cabinet business has too. In March 2020, I decided to take Timber Creek in a different direction to pursue a newfound passion, buying ornamental cast iron to repurpose into furniture. It wasn’t intentional but now I can see that it’s a full circle right back to where I started in La Crosse.
I am passionate about the marriage of repurposed cast iron and wood. I love giving new life to old castings and the design and engineering involved in each piece. The carved wood bowls reflect my appreciation of the hidden beauty within the wood, waiting to be revealed. I use wood only from fallen trees and their roots. No bowl has ever been made at the expense of a living tree. I am proud of that.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting your own business is exhilarating but brutal. When I started Timber Creek I had just gotten married and soon after there was a baby and then another one. The pressure of keeping things running was enormous. When you are the owner it’s all on you. Lots of late nights and weekends at work. It’s a sacrifice. It’s a labor of love.
The computerization of cabinet-making changed things for me. It eliminates the part that I love most. The artistry. It’s a big reason why I changed directions with my business.
The cast iron furniture and wood bowl making (its nickname is Rust and Dust) is a lot less stressful but does have its challenges. It’s tricky to find the raw materials – the antique cast iron and the right kind of wood. In furniture making, the marriage of components can’t be forced. The design and proportion have to work.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m proud to be a part of the art community in Stillwater. My work can be seen and purchased at Smith & Trade Collaborative on the main street.
I’m proud of the beautiful kitchens I’ve made all across the metro area during my years as a cabinet maker. I’m proud of the fact that I don’t cut down trees to make the bowls. I call it my organic art. I’m proud that my art is fully sustainable.
I’m known for my diverse skill set. I’m a master craftsman in the wood medium. I’ve become a pretty good metal worker. I have an artistic eye and engineer projects and execute them well. My wife would say I get obsessed with my projects.
The way I make my bowls is unique. Most of the carving is done with a cordless chain saw and then finished with hand-held sanders and sealed.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up in rural Wisconsin – a pretty little town called Cornell. I was the youngest of six and we owned a restaurant. We all worked there as we grew up.
I spent a lot of time in the woods and on the river with my friends, doing all the things young boys do.
I loved the outdoors (and still do) and loved working in my Dad’s hobby shop.
I wish everyone could grow up in a small town.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @timbercreekwoodworks_mn
- Facebook: Timber Creek Wood Works
