Dreams, freedom and functional art
A foosball table Daniel Howard created for Sonrisa Urban Taqueria on Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene.
One of Daniel Howard’s wooden table being moved.
Daniel Howard’s tables often include a variety of materials.
Another unique table crafted at Howards Woodshop in Coeur d’Alene.
A long table at Sonrisa Urban Taqueria created by Daniel Howard.
Daniel Howard uses wood and metal to make tables of all kinds, but though he loves crafting the pieces by hand he can’t trace his love of building to any one thing.
“I don’t know how it even started,” he said. “I don’t what it is about wood that I like.”
Things started small and before he knew it he was creating his own company, Howards Woodshop, four years ago.
“I’ve always done kind of creative stuff,” he said. “I built a few things for myself and family. It’s been word of mouth.”
He used to do cell phone sales and did a little construction work. He got married 11 years ago and he and his wife moved from San Diego to Coeur d’Alene 10 years ago, attracted by the slower pace of life.
“I can work for myself here,” he said.
His shop is behind his house next to the bunnies and chickens that make up his urban farm.
Much of what he makes are tables – kitchen tables, coffee tables, game tables. He built a large reception desk for Summit Chiropractic and made a 32-foot long table and foosball table for Sonrisa Urban Taqueria on Sherman Avenue.
He works with live edge woods and once made a wooden table with a concrete inlay. He also uses resin in metal in his table designs and uses his welding experience to fabricate metal bases for some of his tables.
“I like the design of it,” he said.
Howard uses hardwood in his pieces and gets fallen wood from around the Northwest from arborists or other sources.
“Everything we use is going to be hardwood,” he said.
He uses mostly oak and maple but loves to work with black walnut, which isn’t as common in the area.
“It smells good,” he said. “The grains are beautiful. It finishes really well.”
He uses knot filler to fill in any holes in the wood so it sands down smoothly. He uses Rubio Monocoat to create a finish.
“It’ll make it look really natural,” he said. “It’s not super glossy. It gives it a smooth feel. I want to keep it as natural as possible. I want it to be functioning artwork.”
He also accepts custom jobs. He recently completed a kitchen table, small table and mantelpiece out of black walnut for a single client. He’s helped by his cousin, John Douglas, who isn’t paid and said he just shows up for the fun.
Howard said his favorite thing to make is kitchen tables. Families sit around them and make memories night after night. Children play underneath them.
“I have memories of my kitchen table,” Howard said.
His parent’s kitchen table, though well used and battered, was passed down to his sister. Howard wants something similar to happen to the kitchen tables he makes.
“I hope it’s like a heritage thing and these will be passed down,” he said.
Though he loves to build things, Howard has few of his own creations in his house. He made a vanity and has a kitchen table that started life as a homeschooling desk.
His wife homeschools their three children, who range in age from 8 to 18 months. His 5-year-old son already likes to help his dad around the shop.
“He’ll sand stuff down,” he said. “My son wants to make kitchen tables with me.”
Howard said he’s trying to set an example by doing what he loves.
“What kind of keeps me going with my shop is my family,” he said. “We love to show our kids that you can go after your dreams. It’s not the same for every person.”
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Howards Woodshop, Coeur d’Alene
www.howardswoodshop.com
208-819-4947