Woodworker Howard Cutter featured on DIY, CNN This day in Howard Cutter's, big, beautifully appointed workshop at his home on Bethany Road, the bluegrass music is loud.That's because the master craftsman is working hard on his new project, a completely handmade table with legs constructed from four separate sections. And when he's in the shop, the bluegrass is playing.
"I just love the sound of the acoustic guitar," he said, tapping his foot to the plodding bass line.He's happy among the sawdust, and you can tell it. Cutter spends most days in his shop, home of his business, Fine Woodworking of Alpharetta, handcrafting beautiful, intricate furniture, religious ornaments and other original pieces of art.It's a life he picked for himself. A Buckhead native who moved to Connecticut to work for IBM, he retired to Alpharetta in 1993 after 37 years with the company.One of his great dreams was to build the perfect workspace, one much roomier than the cramped basement he labored in at his home in Norfolk, Conn."It was a little bit of a splurge," he said, referring to the 1,000-square-foot shop that's attached to a barn on his 8-acre property. "Maybe it's overcompensating for that basement."Overcompensation it may, but with fine results.
"I just love the sound of the acoustic guitar," he said, tapping his foot to the plodding bass line.He's happy among the sawdust, and you can tell it. Cutter spends most days in his shop, home of his business, Fine Woodworking of Alpharetta, handcrafting beautiful, intricate furniture, religious ornaments and other original pieces of art.It's a life he picked for himself. A Buckhead native who moved to Connecticut to work for IBM, he retired to Alpharetta in 1993 after 37 years with the company.One of his great dreams was to build the perfect workspace, one much roomier than the cramped basement he labored in at his home in Norfolk, Conn."It was a little bit of a splurge," he said, referring to the 1,000-square-foot shop that's attached to a barn on his 8-acre property. "Maybe it's overcompensating for that basement."Overcompensation it may, but with fine results.
Cutter's crafts and workshop have landed him on CNN for a segment entitled "Life After Work" about people who choose second careers in retirement, and on the DIY (Do It Yourself) Network. His shop served as the set for DIY's "My Ultimate Workshop" special.Cutter said he got his start woodworking taking weekend classes in Connecticut. In fact, he still has his very first project, a dovetailed box. It was that simple feat of craftsmanship that saw him through today."I thought, 'That's what I want to do when I can do whatever I want to do,'" he said.From there he was hooked. After creating furniture for his home and his own workbench, Cutter's next big step came when he entered a rocking chair, a three-year project, into the Atlanta Woodworking Show. He took home first place."I thought, 'OK, this is easy,'" he said. "It gives you kind of a big head, but then people want to see more original work."
Roswell resident Beth King is one of the people who asked Cutter for more original work. Fellow parishioners at Roswell's St. David's Episcopal Church, King commissioned the master craftsman to create two items for the church: a Verge, or Episcopalian processional stick, and a box for Eucharist pieces."If you need a special piece, Howard is the first name you think of," she said. "Everything is done with such skilled craftsmanship.
His heart and soul are so evident in every piece."King said the most amazing thing about Cutter's work is his ability to create pieces that are both practical and beautiful."There is just love, care and spirituality in what he does," she said. "Sacredness runs through the entire creation."And though his pieces are always one of a kind because "making the same things over and over kills" him, it's the word of mouth from people like King that have made Cutter's business such a success."It's a modest business," said Cutter, "but it keeps me off the streets."
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