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Why I Still Cut Joints by Hand
Power tools are faster. Hand tools are better. Here's why I reach for the chisel when the router is three feet away.
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Built by Hand.Written from Experience.
George Merrill is a carpenter, craftsman, and writer — shaping timber and telling stories across four decades of working with his hands.
Craft Is a Conversation
Every joint tells a story. Every board carries the memory of the tree it came from, the mill that shaped it, and the hands that set it into place. I've spent my career listening to wood — learning what it wants to become and guiding it there with chisels, saws, and patience.
I frame houses. I carve by hand. I build furniture that outlasts the trends. And somewhere along the way, I started writing about it — the rhythms of a job site, the silence of a workshop at dawn, the satisfaction of a mortise that fits without persuasion.
This site holds both sides of that work. Browse the gallery to see what I've built. Read the posts to understand why I build it. Either way, you're seeing the same thing: a life shaped by paying attention to the details.
Selected Work
Framing, woodworking, and carving — each project built with the same attention to grain, joint, and finish.
From the Workshop & the Desk
Project notes, reflections, poetry, and the occasional story from the job site.
Old Goat Creative
Some projects are bigger than one pair of hands. Old Goat Creative is the company side — where George brings together trusted collaborators for larger builds, custom commissions, and creative projects that need a team. Same standards. Same eye for detail. Just more hands on the timber.