From my Entomology Series, this wooden robot is carved from fiddleback Australian Ringed Gidgee, among the densest woods on earth. Its weight is immediate and undeniable—stone-like, grounding—while the fiddleback grain moves beneath the surface like something still alive within it.
The head is formed from Australian Black Box burl, its natural chaos contrasting the density of the body. Brass ring inlays introduce a subtle mechanical order. The eyes—real honeycomb backed with mother of pearl—hold a quiet luminosity, organic structure meeting iridescent depth.
Set within the chest, a single blue carpenter bee from Java rests before mother of pearl—preserved, suspended, a moment held in time.
As with all of my pieces, every cut is a memory of the forest.
This work sits at the intersection of natural history and reconstruction—where timber, insect, and hand converge into something that feels both discovered and made.
Meet The Shasta Daisy No64— a wooden robot born from wind, wildflower, and salvaged wonder.
Its body is sculpted from richly figured buckeye burl (Aesculus californica), rescued and revived with dots of red jasper inlay beneath the grain. Set within its chest sits a single Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum × superbum), forever caught in a gentle breeze—an emblem of resilience, simplicity, and quiet joy.
The eyes are unlike any other: two cross-sections of protea blooms, their intricate geometry framed before a sky of luminous mother-of-pearl. They give the bot a gaze that feels both ancient and bright, like a flower remembering its time in the sun.
Its head, carved from stabilized redwood burl (Sequoia sempervirens), carries the swirling history of fog-fed giants—each curl and flame of grain a testament to centuries of patience and light. Every piece of natural material in this sculpture has been hand-harvested with intention and gratitude (all but the jasper, born of stone).
The bot stands on a base of curly claro walnut (Juglans hindsii), a piece once destined to become the butt of a rifle. Redirecting that history into a powerful artistic weapon—one of peace, beauty, and imagination—feels like a small redemption held in wood.
Together with its stand, The Shasta Daisy measures 15 inches tall and 5 inches wide.
A gentle guardian of bloom and burl, crafted for dreamers who know that even a single daisy can change the story.
Meet Purple Rain III No. 50. It is crafted from stabilized and dyed purple Birdseye Red-Leaf Maple. The eyes are made from Teddy Bear Cholla Cactus set in front of Mother of Pearl, embedded in Entropy Bio Resin. Inside its abdomen lies a single Strawflower. The head accents are crafted from Gaboon Ebony from Africa, inlaid with Mother of Pearl and wrapped in brass. Have you ever submerged your body in the waters of Lake Minnetonka?
This handmade wooden robot is crafted from maple burl harvested on the beach, stabilized, and dyed black. The abdomen contains winged everlasting flowers, and the live edge of the burl is tinted with aqua-colored mica powder. Red jasper stone inlay dots add detail, while the head is made from Bolivian Purple Heart with straw flower eyes. I am very proud of this robot.
Meet wooden robot Brown Malle No52. This burl travelled all the way from Australia to land in my wood shop and be turned into a wooden robot. This is a minimalistic design. It has a live edge head and live edge arms and legs that give it the appearance of standing on point, like a dancer. I love this wooden robot as it is elegant. futuristic and it makes my imagination run a little wild.
Timber Mountain 2.0 No. 67 is a taller, evolved companion to the original—built from extraordinary old-growth redwood jeweler’s lace burl, a material so rare and intricate it feels almost impossible that nature made it at all. The grain moves like memory through the body, full of depth and texture.
Its chest holds a piece of Bolivian Purple Heart, a bold pulse of color set against the warmth of the redwood, while brass ring inlays bring a subtle mechanical rhythm to the piece. The live-edge arms and legs were intentionally left raw, preserving the untamed character of the wood and giving the robot a more weathered, organic presence—as if it rose from the forest rather than being built in a shop.
Its head is carved from the very last piece of black box burl I had in my collection, making this piece even more personal and irreplaceable. The eyes are hand-carved mountain forms, carefully painted and set against a luminous mother-of-pearl sky, with a level of depth and dimension I’ve only been able to achieve a handful of times.
This is more than a wooden robot to me. It is, without question, my favorite one I have ever made. There is something deeply complete about it—like all the pieces, materials, and years of making finally arrived where they were meant to.
As with all of my pieces, every cut is a memory of the tree.
This handmade wooden robot is crafted from hand-harvested Old Growth Redwood Burl, stabilized and dyed black. The head and heart are made from figured Bolivian Purpleheart. The eyes are crafted from Australian Brown Mallee Burl, featuring Brazilian straw flowers with a blue chatoyant sky. The inlays are mother-of-pearl. This is my new favorite wooden robot—just don’t let the others know.
Standing just shy of sixteen inches tall, Purple Rain No60 is a handcrafted wooden robot built as a bold tribute to endurance, craftsmanship, and the late great Prince. Carved from salvaged Red Leaf Maple, its body has been meticulously stabilized and dyed a deep royal purple, ensuring it will endure for generations. Every curve and joint reveals the shimmering figure of the maple’s grain—now forever preserved in regal hue.
Its eyes are hand-carved mountains of black walnut burl, rising before a luminous sky of mother-of-pearl, a vision of wilderness held within a gaze. The head and base are made from dense Desert Ironwood, their natural weight grounding the figure with strength and gravity.
In its chest rests the sacred geometry of a Knobcone Pinecone, sliced open to reveal the hidden pattern of its seeds—a reminder that beauty and order often lie beneath the surface. Surrounding it are inlays of mother-of-pearl wrapped in brass.
At seven inches wide and nearly sixteen tall, this piece embodies presence.
It is a wooden robot—alive in spirit, crafted to last, and meant to be remembered.
Sequoia Sempervirens No. 58
Hand-harvested from a fallen relic of old-growth redwood burl, this wooden automaton carries the deep breath of the forest in every curve of its grain. The redwood has been carefully stabilized to preserve its ancient figure—ripples of flame and curl that seem to hold centuries of fog, wind, and rain.
Its head, carved from desert ironwood, bears mountain eyes—tiny black-walnut burls set before a sky of mother-of-pearl. Each inlay glimmers with subtle light, the mother-of-pearl bordered in brass like a horizon at dawn.
In the center of its chest rests a single knobcone pinecone, sliced to reveal the sacred geometry normally hidden within—a spiral of seed and symmetry, both mathematical and mystical.
The automaton stands upon a fiddleback Bolivian purpleheart base, rich and resonant, measuring four inches square. From base to crown, Sequoia Sempervirens No. 58 rises 15.5 inches tall—a quiet monument to patience, craftsmanship, and reverence for living wood.
Every line, every reflection, feels alive.
I love this wooden robot.
Perfect — here it is in a super clean copy version:
From my Entomology Series, this wooden robot is carved from the same ancient old growth redwood that Timber Mountain was made from, carrying forward the same history, character, and sense of place. Though redwood is naturally light, this piece has been stabilized, giving it added weight, durability, and resilience against the elements while preserving the soul and character of the original wood.
Standing taller than the others in the series at 18 inches, this piece has a more commanding silhouette while still holding the same sense of stillness and wonder. The entire back side is left live edge, giving it a more raw, weathered presence—as if part of the tree’s original form still refuses to let go. Brass ring inlays bring a subtle mechanical rhythm to the form, balancing the organic flow of the wood with hints of structure and design.
Its eyes are made from real honeycomb set before luminous mother of pearl, giving them a layered depth that feels both natural and celestial. In its chest rests a single yellow carpenter bee from Java, suspended before mother of pearl like a preserved relic.
As with all of my pieces, every cut is a memory of the forest.
This work continues my exploration of timber and insect life as vessels of story, memory, and transformation—where reclaimed wood, natural specimens, and handwork meet to create something that feels both discovered and made.