Timothy Micinski: Carving A Life of Creativity

By Dan Breen

“There is something about grabbing a tool, holding it. You start to create something from your imagination. There is something about the creative process that is so important. I feel real satisfaction in the process of using my hands to create. It is almost meditative. My mind is going and working. I’m in the groove,” Says Tim Micinski, The Mustachioed Woodworker.

Tim Micinski moves effortlessly between the intricacies of electronics design (He designs and a Consultant to local manufacturers.) to the detailed work of wood carving. Tim carves bass-relief, intarsia, and carved pieces. His carved characters with morel mushroom hats are whimsical and joyful. The details in the carving of the faces and the character in the eyes make these gnomes a collector piece.

Tim’s interest in woodworking began watching his dad work around the house. His dad made traditional lawn Christmas decorations, Santa and altar boys, out of plywood. Tim’s dad taught him how to use a scroll saw. Tim attended school at Pierre Navarre in South Bend, Indiana. Mr. Downer, wood shop teacher, taught Tim how to use a lathe and other power tools. “It created more passion for working with my hands,” says Tim. In high school Tim took drafting and design classes.

In 1980 Tim’s brother gave him his first wood carving tool set and the book “Wood Carving” by Freda Skinner. He broke some of the tools my first carving, then they sat for a few years. “The first successful carving was a wooden heart for my girlfriend. She is now my wife.”

Tim discovered intarsia art seeing a magazine article about Judy Gail Roberts out of Tennessee. He liked the layers of wood and the building up of the picture. At first He made a lot of wedding gifts and presents for friends from patterns. Eventually he started to design his own patterns. 

Tim took a break from wood work for a while as he returned to college to pursue a bachelorette in business management. He was working for Crown two years ago when they closed. He decided with some encouragement from friends and family to try wood carving to provide a portion of his livelihood. 

Tim finds his wood from traditional shops Like Johnson’s Workbench, and cuts boards directly from trees. Tim’s brother has acres of land where Tim harvests walnut, cherry and many other varieties from fallen trees. “I tend to look for unusual pieces.” He shows me a root. “This is a cherry tree root with tight grains and a spongy carving character.” He has a stack of redbud branches from a tree in his front yard. 

Tim took a class in Maine from John Bryant, a master carver. John gave him several pieces of linden wood from the property of Fredrick Law Olmstead, Landscape Designer of Central Park. The 170 year old Linden fell down in a storm. Bryant was asked by the State of Maine to create carvings from it. 

“You have to learn to read the grain,” says Tim. “When you learn about the grain, the wood will tell you how to carve it. The wood will carve very easy when you carve with the grain. If you don’t, you’ll get frustrated and drop the carving.”

Tim’s current focus is to build a versatile product offering. The challenge is to understand what is marketable and inspiring. “Someone advised me, if you’re going to make it in this business you have to be quick. I have to keep balance and know when to say this is enough. This piece is right.”

I asked Tim what he would tell someone starting out carving. He replied, “Get the best basic tools you can afford. Don’t get cheap tools you’ll become frustrated. Acquire some wood that is easy to carve. Pine is easy. Also sassafras is easy to carve, and plentiful in this area.”   

View more of Timothy’s work:

Facebook: facebook.com/mustachwoodworker
Website: themustachioedwoodworker.com