Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Huth.
Hi Richard, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
After working many years in carpentry I found that I liked doing Finishing work the best, because it requires high attention to detail. Unfortunately due to injury I was no longer able to perform my normal duties. After several neck and back surgeries I was left unable to work in the carpentry field and I was placed on SSDI. While trying to recover from surgery after surgery I fell into a severe deep depression. When I was finally healed up enough to walk around and use my arms a little I went out to my wood shop and started playing around. I found that while trying to create something in my shop it would take my mind away from the pain away from the negative feelings away from the lost hope, if even only for a short period. The longer I would spend in the shop, not only did I come out a better person, my projects also started to get better and better.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
With the products I make they require a certain clientele that is difficult to reach, especially when you live in the middle of nowhere and have very limited computer and marketing experience. I am working on building a website, but again have never operated one before. Another struggle is sourcing my materials, most of my wood is of an exotic species and comes from either Africa or South America, so ordering online in small batches is not only very expensive it also takes time and planning to assure everything is in place for my next project.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in segmented wood turning, creating many different shapes and sizes of vessels with intricate patterns containing thousands of little segments of wood all glued together to create something special. Each vessel can take anywhere from 30 hours to 150 hours to complete depending on segment count. I think I am most proud of that i am self taught. I know im not the best out there, not even close, but I love making these vessels, and it is great therapy for me.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I have learned an exceptional amount from YouTube. I find ideas that i like from Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Etsy and once I see something that catches my eye, I try to learn as much as I can about it from any source I can find, YouTube being a great one.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://huthwoodworks.com
- Facebook: Huth Woodworks
