Daniel Strack Woodworking

I’ve been at this for as long as I can remember. Both of my Grandfathers were crafty and technical. One was an engineer who owned a tool making factory and the other was the do-it-yourself, outdoorsman type. Somehow those traits made their way to me. As a kid, I loved to take things apart and figure out how they worked. I've always aspired to invent or create things. Music has always been a part of my life as well. My Dad collected records and we literally had thousands of them tucked away all over the house. He started collecting when he was a teenager in the ’50’s and just kept going. Music would play in our house almost every night. It’s no surprise that I started playing guitar when I was 11 years old. This has led me to not only play music and tour the country but also study sound engineering and record many bands along the way. Shortly after getting my first guitar, I started tinkering and modifying. This led to me attempting to build my own guitar at age 16. I kept at it and eventually found myself working for a guitar company in Chicago. I was able to use the wood shop to work on my own projects after hours. This allowed me to greatly improve my skills. I moved to Seattle in my late 20’s and continued on my woodworking path by putting together my own wood shop in the basement of my house. At the suggestion of my wife, I built a dining table like one she had seen in a magazine and that opened me up to the world of furniture making. I love building both guitars and furniture and I think they balance each other out nicely. Guitars are more precise and technical whereas furniture can be more open and free form. Now, I’m back in Chicago where I continue to build guitars and furniture. I am by no means set in my ways, but I’ve figured some things out since building my first guitar over 20 years ago. My design aesthetics are ever-evolving, while always gravitating towards simplicity. I like to refine something to the point where it appears simple, but still has impact. Efficiency is a goal of mine in both design and process. I also strongly believe in respecting our environment, so I always try to use responsibly sourced materials and non-toxic finishes.