My name is Kirk Miyashiro. I’m a retired high school principal. My interest in wood working can be traced back to my 7th grade woodshop teacher Mr. Thompson. I was amazed at his talent working with wood. I made a Walnut and Maple chess board as well as several Mahogany book racks in his class. I learned I was pretty good with my hands, and wanted to build more things, but life got busy.
Fast forward being married and home projects. Building a fence, crown molding, baseboards, shelve systems, and platform bed. Then came my first challenge, while on vacation my wife saw a cigar box purse that she wanted to purchase. “I can make you a purse” I said, after glancing at the price tag. “You can? OK make me one”. Well I did, and what started as one purse for my wife turned into several purses for her, then purses for gifts, then purses for sale.
I enjoyed the challenge, but I was repurposing cigar boxes. I wanted to create using wood as I had done in junior high school.
I have always been fond of fine writing utensils, owning several Monte Blanc and Waterman pens. I saw a custom wooden pen, and I was hooked. I started turning wood pens. Again, first for family and friends as gifts. Then parents and students at school learned I made pens, and before long I was selling them by word of mouth. I then expanded to custom clocks, jewelry boxes and sushi boxes. Always first for my wife, then for others.
Woodworking has been a great release from my job running a school, and now in retirement it has become one of my passions I can devote more time to. With the encouragement of my wife, I began increasing my product line and created this website to share my creations. My creations are what I call Custom Functional Fine Art.
I have now included images from a new hobby picked up during COVID. Astrophotography, capturing deep space objects with a telescope and camera and processing the images with software. Check out the wonderful images from the night sky.
Please contact me at KMMWoodWorks@gmail.com to discuss your future build or custom designed item.
Thanks for looking,
Kirk
Contact me at:
KMMWoodWorks@gmail.com
805-432-6258
