Wood Joint Studio

A working North Franklin woodshop tied to Fort Bragg's fine woodworking tradition, custom craftsmanship, and the quieter history of people still making things by hand.

Overview

Some Fort Bragg buildings tell their story through storefront windows, signs, and old photographs. This one tells its story through sawdust, hand tools, wood grain, and the kind of craftsmanship that does not come off an assembly line.

Wood Joint Studio is a working North Franklin shop tied to Fort Bragg's long tradition of building, repairing, shaping, and making things by hand.

Location

Wood Joint Studio sits at 915 North Franklin Street in one of Fort Bragg's practical north-end working areas.

The building has the plain appearance of a real shop: a fenced yard, broad work doors, room for materials, and the look of a place built around tools and steady use.

It is not a showpiece building, and that is part of why it fits Fort Bragg so well. This town has always had places where people worked behind simple doors, turning raw materials into something useful, durable, and carefully made.

History

The story of Wood Joint Studio is tied to one of Fort Bragg's quieter claims to fame: fine woodworking.

The studio was created by Bob Sanderson and Taimi Barty, a married couple who attended the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program from 1999 to 2002.

That program, shaped by the influence of master cabinetmaker James Krenov, drew woodworkers to Fort Bragg from far beyond the Mendocino Coast. It helped establish the town as a place known for thoughtful design, careful joinery, hand-built furniture, and respect for the natural character of wood.

Wood Joint Studio belongs to that Fort Bragg chapter.

Its work reflects the patience, precision, proportion, and practical skill associated with the fine woodworking program. Over the years, the studio's projects have included furniture, cabinetry, hardware, boat work, and other custom jobs.

That range feels right for Fort Bragg. Local working history has always included people who could adapt, repair, build, and create something useful from the materials in front of them.

The Building Today

Today, Wood Joint Studio continues as a working custom woodshop.

It is the kind of business that may not attract much attention from the street, but still contributes something important to Fort Bragg's working identity. Inside a plain shop building, real skill is still being used every day.

Another part of the work is connected to WJS Tops, where old-growth and sinker redwood are prepared as tonewood for guitars and ukuleles.

That gives the story another distinctly North Coast layer.

Redwood once drove much of Fort Bragg's economy through logging and milling. Here, the material continues in a smaller and more careful form, selected for its grain, resonance, and musical qualities.

It is still part of Fort Bragg's wood history, only now it can be measured in sound as well as lumber.

Why It Matters

Wood Joint Studio belongs in this project because Fort Bragg history is not only found in mills, hotels, restaurants, bars, banks, and downtown storefronts.

It is also found in the working shops where people still make things one piece at a time.

A building like this is a reminder that craftsmanship is part of the town's memory too. It can be found in furniture lines, cabinet doors, boat work, custom hardware, guitar tops, and the steady rhythm of work happening behind a shop door.

Community Memories

The community response was simple but direct: Wood Joint Studio is remembered for having great woodworkers.

That short comment fits the building well. The history here is not built around a dramatic event or a famous storefront. It is built around the skill of the people inside, the quality of their work, and Fort Bragg's continuing reputation as a place where fine craftsmanship still matters.

Timeline

1999–2002 — Bob Sanderson and Taimi Barty attended the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program.

Early 2000s — Wood Joint Studio grew out of Fort Bragg's fine woodworking tradition.

Present — Wood Joint Studio continues at 915 North Franklin Street as a working custom woodshop connected to furniture, cabinetry, hardware, boat work, and tonewood.

Sources: Original post/photo supplied by Gee Bee; Wood Joint Studio official website; WJS Tops; Sanderson Hardware; BuildZoom contractor listing; Fine Woodworking author listings for Bob Sanderson and Taimi Barty.