One of the first and most obvious things to say about David Louden, is that he is a man that truly loves what he does - almost to the point of obsession sometimes! The sheer volume of work that goes in and out of the shop on a weekly basis stands as testament to that fact.  All the work done at the Woodworks is done by one man alone - David. He will be the first to tell you, however that

"if you really love what you do and are able to do it in a stress free environment - it sure doesn't feel at all like work !"

David "retired" in 1995 when The Woodworks opened full time to the public.

David was born in the rural Amish country of Western New York and spent his childhood there. His family "migrated" South in the late 70's to Nashville, Tennessee. It was there that he spent his teen years. While living in Nashville, David meet and apprenticed under Master Carpenter Earl Strawn. This was David's first exposure to the art of carpentry and quickly found out that he kind of had a "knack" for it. While working under Earl, David also learned  most of the basic concepts of building construction as well as advanced finish carpentry. Although David very much enjoyed finish carpentry, his creative side was very bored.

David has always had an artist / creative side that had to be expressed in one way or an other. In fact, most people don't know it, but David is actually an accomplished vocalist and musician who spent most of the '80's playing in rock and roll "Big Hair Bands" and working as a studio session vocalist. His  4 octave vocal range and operatic singing style really set him part from other male vocalists of the time. These years are often referred  to as "the Great American Couch Tour"!

 In late '89 David moved to Atlanta, GA. to pursue his musical career. It was there that he met his wife Mindy.  After buying and old cupboard at a yard sale, David decided to refinish it. It turned out "not so great " by most standards but one thing was for sure - David was hooked!

In 1990, David took a job at Hallmark Finishing in Roswell, GA. and began learning the basics skills of furniture restoration. It was later that year that David started The Woodworks as a part time venture. Then in 1991 David was then offered a position at Woodpride Refinishing of Buckhead and spent the better part of the next 3 years there learning as much as he could about all aspects of furniture and antique restoration. It was during this time that The Woodworks was getting a lot of calls to build various kinds of furniture as well as refinishing. David did his best to accommodate these requests but was never real comfortable with his qualifications as a furniture / cabinet maker. So when  David & Mindy bought their first home and moved to Dawsonville, GA. in late 1993 , David decided to leave Woodpride and took a job at Garret Cabinet Shop in Cumming, GA. to learn the skills of basic cabinetry. After the birth of there daughter - Peyton in 1995, David decided to leave Garret Cabinet and opened The Woodworks full time. By this time he was  building almost as much reproduction furniture and cabinetry as he was doing furniture restoration. This combination of furniture  restoration and the building of Early American Reproduction furniture was a perfect fit for David and remains to this day.

David truly loves his work and appreciates  just how fortunate he is to be able to make his living doing what he thoroughly enjoys.

 

 ..... so if you if ever wondered why David is almost always smiling, -

now you'll know why!