The Studio Model
For fifteen years I have been building custom, made-to-order game boards—one at a time, for one person at a time. It has been deeply rewarding work. The greatest joy has never been the woodworking itself, but the moment a client opens the box and sees their board for the first time.
Over the years, one truth has become clear: while I’ve made many unique designs, the boards that consistently draw the most interest are the Scrabble and SuperScrabble models. Certain designs return again and again. At the same time, demand has steadily grown.
I’ve spent a good deal of time thinking about how to meet that demand without compromising craftsmanship, without rushing the work, and without disappointing clients with delivery timelines I struggle to predict. Custom work is meaningful—but it also carries the weight of individual deadlines, material sourcing for one-off builds, and extended lead times.
The Studio Model is my answer.
Rather than building one fully custom board at a time, I now create small, intentional batches of my most requested designs—Scrabble and SuperScrabble boards—crafted with shared core features. By building a handful together, I reduce setup time, streamline materials, and allow the work to flow more naturally in the shop.
This shift accomplishes three important things:
It protects the quality of the craftsmanship.
It removes the pressure of individual deadlines.
It allows boards to be available for shipment within days, not months.
Each completed batch becomes a Studio Release—a limited offering of finished boards ready to ship, typically within a week of purchase.
While the core structure of each release is consistent, personalization remains part of the experience. Within a given batch, clients may choose elements such as engraving, premium square color palettes, or tile color variations. The foundation remains carefully designed; the finishing touches can still reflect the individual.
In addition to Studio Releases, I will periodically create a Special Edition board—an elevated, highly distinctive piece made from rare or premium materials. This may include boards crafted from indigenous Hawaiian woods, such as koa and monkeypod, or bloodwood, burl walnut, or other exceptional materials. These pieces are fewer, more experimental, and represent the outer edge of what the studio can produce.
The Studio Model allows me to focus on what I do best: designing and building heirloom-quality boards meant to be played, displayed, and passed down—without sacrificing time, integrity, or joy in the process.
Designed to be played.
Built to be kept.