Always wanting to try something different, this is the place to see my experiments, my travels, my successes, and my "learning mistakes."

You can see all of my posts by following me on https://www.instagram.com/aliciadietzstudios/

It's moments like this that make me thankful that I always make extra pieces. Forgetting to place my spacers alongside my fence when routing the straight bit cut of this sliding dovetail, it's now too wide. Thanks to Mario, Sam, Brian, and Terre, I learned long ago to always, always, always makes extra pieces and take them through EVERY step of the process. So instead of finding matching walnut, milling it to exact thickness, ripping it to width, cutting end angles, serting up the mortiser, and cutting 2 angle mortises, I grabbed one of my extra side rails from the stack. And Jacqui, who's been so wonderful in helping with these chairs, hit the nail on the head when she said, "Ah! Yes, punch-in-the-guts crisis averted!" I couldn't say it better myself :-) . . . . #wip #makerslife #alwaysmakeextras #mistakeshappen #anounceofprevention #vermontwoodworkingschool @vt_woodworkingschool @terre_vt @messinadesignercraftsman @jacqui__stewart
Dress right, dress. All lined up and ready for finish. Applying that first cost of finish is such a rewarding experience as a furniture maker. The wood finally reveals it's true colors, grain, and character. It's the next 3 costs that get a little tedious ;-) . . . . #wip #handcradtedfurniture #handmade#studiofurniture #chairdesign
Each crest rail goes from rectangular to domed with the help of my favorite tool in the shop, my spokeshave. This is such a touchable area of the chair, and I love that you can feel the work of the hand.
Three 1/8" veneer layers get glued together, put to bed in the vacuum press overnight, and wake up as happy little chair back splats. There are two of these curved pieces per chair with a 7/8" gap between them. . . . #wip #finelycrafted #furniture #modern #moderndesign
I swear I am making good progress on those chairs, but spending a weekend @aworkshopofourown in Baltimore with the incredible @markmelonas is an invigorating, inspiring, and process-heavy break. Playing with concrete again (this might be my new obsession), this time making molds with @smoothon before pouring concrete. My mind is spinning with the possibilities!.... I've got to get back to real life tomorrow and work on chairs, but I'll shed some light on this project soon :-) . . . . . #baltimore #woowork #wooworkshop #women #womenowned #concrete #concretemolds #moldmaking #handmade #walnut #lighting #pendantlight #woodart #concreteart #buddyrhodes #gfrc #gfrcconcrete #smoothon #womeninwoodworking #womeninconcrete #girlpower
The mountains have always been a source of inspiration and awe. The crisp air breathes new life. And the rising sun is a majestic bonus. . . . . #inspiration #mountains #thisisthelife
So many veneers, so little time. The backs of the chairs are made from 3 layers and each back has two splats with a 7/8" gap between them. Their next stop is into the vacuum bag to get their shape. . . . . #wip #finelycrafted #furniture #modern #moderndesign#boutique #style #bespoke#custommade #personalhome #soul#studiofurniture #fromtreetotable #walnutchair #handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningchair#interiorinspiration  #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomchair#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign
Back at work on the chair legs. The beauty of the #shaperorigin is that the first 3/8" was perfectly shaped (along with all the jointer that goes with it). Bandsaw close to the line and then flush trim around the edge. Rinse and repeat 26 more times. . . . . #wip #finelycrafted #furniture #modern #moderndesign#boutique #style #bespoke#custommade #personalhome #soul#studiofurniture #fromtreetotable #walnutchair #handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningchair#interiorinspiration  #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomchair#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign
To say this was an incredible week assisting @markmelonas at  @arrowmont_school is an understatement. How amazing what came together in 5 days. Mark is extremely generous with his time and even more so with sharing 20 years worth knowledge. Also, a huge thanks to @buddyrhodes and @buddyrhodes1 for their donation of materials. I'll definitely be ordering some more as soon as I pull in the driveway tonight :-) . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #expecttheunexpected #concrete #concretemolds #moldmaking #handmade #walnut #wallart #woodart #concreteart #buddyrhodes #gfrc #gfrcconcrete #smoothon #bench #concretebench #takeaseat #seating
We went to town last night pouring concrete molds under the care of @markmelonas @arrowmont_school. Now the hard part.... waiting to take them out!!!! The agony :-) . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #expecttheunexpected #concrete #concretemolds #moldmaking #handmade #walnut #wallart #woodart #concreteart #buddyrhodes #gfrc #gfrcconcrete #smoothon
Taking a break from the chairs to play in concrete @arrowmont_school with the incredible @markmelonas. The force is strong with this material! This is a mold for wall hanging... playing with @buddyrhodes concrete mixes and walnut. To say this class is wetting my desire to integrate concrete into my practice is an understatement! . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #expecttheunexpected #concrete #concretemolds #moldmaking #handmade #walnut #wallart #woodart #concreteart #buddyrhodes #gfrc #gfrcconcrete #smoothon
Being traditionally trained in furniture making, I sometimes pause before using technology…. not this time, my friends. The Shaper Origin by @shapertools is a game changer. I’m making a run of 14 dining room chairs. That’s 28 back legs (and of course a few spares). There is a laminated curve back. There are mortises for the crest rail and the back rail. I have the ability to hone each of these to a micrometer, tweaking and tweaking and tweaking until I get a perfect fit for the back splats and my joinery – all skills that I learned when doing all that joinery by hand as well. The concepts remain the same. But the execution evolves – once I hone that first leg with all it’s joinery, then I can repeat it another 28+ times to the same exacting precision. Using these tools to enhance how I imagine and execute custom furniture is an exciting future. These chairs are proving to be a beautiful blend of technology and hand craftsmanship. . . . . . #shaperorigin #shapermade #tech#router #cnc #gamechanger #upscale#tools #handheld #portable #usa #handcrafted #wood#woodworking #cncrouter #OnToolCAD  #digitalfabrication#customfurniture #handtoolthursday #joinery#wip #finelycrafted #furniture #modern #moderndesign
Love hanging with amazing wood women... 😁@sallieplumleystudio is such a good friend - in and out of the wood shop #vcugirlgang #womeninwood #womeninwoodworking #girlsrock #womenownedbusiness #Repost @sallieplumleystudio (@get_repost) ・・・ Here’s to wood shopping with my only woodworking gal pal in RVA @aliciadietzstudios Check her out y’all- she’s amazing, makes beautiful things, and is a super cool friend. We got our hands on a sweet stash of walnut, splinters, and spiders from a pal up in Rockville. . . . . . #sallieplumleystudio #aliciadietzstudios #liveedge #liveedgewalnut #walnutfurniture #woodshopping #designforyou #madeforhome #richmond #richmondmade #rvamade #womenswork #womanmade #woodworkingwomen #richmonddesign #rvadesign
Leg parts, and leg parts, and leg parts, oh my! Wait until you see the magic of cutting the back leg template, exactly the same, time and time again. . . . . #wip #finelycrafted #furniture #modern #moderndesign#boutique #style #bespoke#custommade #personalhome #soul#studiofurniture #fromtreetotable #walnutchair #handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningchair#interiorinspiration  #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomchair#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign
Selecting lumber and laying out parts is one of my favorite steps in the process. It is one that is often overlooked in the final product because flashier aspects like inlay, finish, design are all fighting for attention. But for me, it all starts with the wood. Because the back legs of the chairs are curved, I get live edge slabs – this allows me to use the naturally curved grain of the tree for those parts – greatly adding to the strength of these parts. I am always comparing trees to us, and for good reason. Wood grain is so much stronger when they stick together. Just another life lesson from the wood shop today ☺️ . . . . #wip #finelycrafted #furniture #modern #moderndesign#boutique #style #bespoke#custommade #personalhome #soul#studiofurniture #fromtreetotable #walnutchair #handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningchair#interiorinspiration  #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomchair#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign
You know what this means.... onto a new project - a set of 10 chairs for the dining table I just completed. What I'm loving about this process is the efficiency of scale. These web frames just got dropped off @sgwoodrva - two powerhouse women who I'm so excited to work with!!!! Here we go.... . . . . . . #studiofurniture #fromtreetotable#walnutchair #moderndesign#handmadefurniture #customfurniture#custommade #diningchair#interiorinspiration #vacuumpress #lamination #custom #design #diningroom#diningroomdecor #diningroomchair#madeinrva #benevolent #homedesign #urbanlumber #walnut #solid #craftsmanship #furniture #furnituredesign
More spoons, bowls, and treasures from my hand and power carving class at @Arrowmont last week. I've already gotten emails from students who've started new carving projects after returning home. Mission accomplished - love of carving is spreading. Thanks again to @joegindhart and @cbruffyart for your help! . . . . . #arrowmont #craftschoolexperience #experiencetheunexpected #crafts #spooncarving #kitchenware #kitchencarving #handcarved #powercarved #handmade #madebyhand #spoons #woodenspoons #makingsawdust #arrowmontexperience #arrowmont_school
I am so excited to be joining @markmelonas in September for his concrete bench class. He is a master at his craft - I can't imagine what we're going to unearth during this week. There are still a few seats available, so check out @arrowmont_school for more details. Come join us!!!! #Repost @markmelonas (@get_repost) ・・・ Join me in Gatlinburg, TN this September 16-22 @arrowmont_school of craft. You will design and build a concrete bench; learn mold making techniques, concrete mix design and concrete casting. Full information on the course can be found on Arrowmont.org. And if that wasn’t enough we’ll be joined by @aliciadietzstudios !! It will be an intense and fun time. There are a few spots remaining. #craftschoolexperience #concrete #learn #gfrc #moldmaking #craft #arrowmont #concreteinthesmokys #arrowmont #experiencetheunexpected #crafts #handmade #madebyhand #concrete #bench #makingsawdust #arrowmontexperience #concretecraft #arrowmont_school #concretebench