Biography
My name is Bob Rozaieski, and I have been a furniture maker for over 20 years. I am a self-taught craftsman, specializing in 18th and 19th century tools, techniques and furniture styles. My knowledge of traditional woodworking and furniture styles has come from a combination of research, observation, and hands on time in the shop.
For over 10 years, I have done all of my woodworking using only traditional hand tools. Working with tools similar to those used to build original period pieces allows me to engross myself in building every piece and to focus on small details that often go overlooked. My goal is not to make my furniture look like it was purposely "handmade", but to make furniture as perfectly as possible using tools simlar to those that were available to our ancestors. By using only these traditional hand tools, my furniture looks period appropriate, with the slight, almost undetectable signature of hand work.
In addition to building furniture, my passion for the craft and my dedication to understanding and passing on the traditional skills of the early tradesmen has also blessed me with the opportunity to introduce and teach traditional woodworking to others. I volunteer as an historical craft interpreter in the woodworking shops at the Pennsbury Manor and Molland House museums. I have written articles for Popular Woodworking Magazine, and I have demonstrated traditional woodworking methods for various woodworking clubs and organizations, including the Central Jersey Woodworkers Association and the Society of American Period Furniture Makers. I also host an internet podcast called "Hand Tools & Techniques", which focuses on bringing traditional woodworking skills into the 21st century.