About
Although the journey began many years ago, THE WOOKSHOP CARPENTRY STUDIO inc. was officially incorporated on May 18, 2011, 11:18 a.m. pacific time. My name is Andrew Stoker, my nickname, since that one fateful day when I was 15 is the Wookee. I fought it for years and even tried giving myself other nicknames but eventually gave in. Hence the name WOOKSHOP.
I’m originally from Montreal and have been in Vancouver since 1999. I’ve been building things since I was old enough to be allowed in my dad’s basement workshop where he taught me the basics. Though I consider myself self taught and have acquired many skills throughout the years, I did have to start somewhere.
My earliest influences where my dad, Wiles E. Coyote and Norm Abram and the New Yankee Workshop.
My earliest influences where my dad, Wiles E. Coyote and Norm Abram and the New Yankee Workshop. Not necessarily in that order but more of a combination of all three. I would watch cartoons as my dad would be building something in his shop making all kinds of indiscernible sounds. In those cartoons the coyote was always trying to catch that dam road runner. He would design a plan for a trap or contraption. He would then go off screen and you would hear all kinds of construction and buildings noises. Eventually he would come back on screen revealing his newly made device or trap to catch the road runner. We all know what happens, but I always cheered for the coyote. In some way, even before I understood what those noises were, I could relate to them, as I could hear them coming from my dad’s workshop. The table saw, the sanders, the drilling, the hammering, the sounds of something being built. A couple of years later I discovered Norm Abram and The New Yankee Workshop on P.B.S. It was the first time I made the visual connection between the sounds I could hear from my dad’s shop and the real woodworking tools being used on wood to build furniture, not to catch the road runner.
Growing up, my dad was always building or fixing something around the house while my mother was busy in her sewing room or working in the garden. Both of them were, and still are very good at what they do. In retrospect, it was like having my own live gardening, home improvement and renovation show. From quilts and roses, railway ties and brick walls to full renovations and hand crafted fine furniture, my parents opened my eyes to how things were made by hand.
time capsule
This theme of doing things yourself, by hand, carried on through for many more formative summers spent on my grandparent’s farm in Toronto. My grandmother was an award winning chef and my grandfather was one Canada’s leading thoroughbred trainers at Woodbine racetrack. Although I was my grandfather’s shadow for years and he taught me many things about many things on a race track and a farm, I believe my grandmother had a greater influence on my woodworking. From scratch, by hand, that was how she made everything and that is how, I later discovered, I like to build something.
coffee table
After graduating from university and doing some travelling I ended up in Vancouver in 1999. Several years of framing and residential renovations led to several years of finishing carpentry, millwork installations and scenic carpentry. While my skills developed in those disciplines I also began building my first workshop and acquiring my own set of shop tools. It was a one car garage unheated shop in the basement of a rental house, but it was, for the first time, where I started to build real furniture.
hooks
Like most woodworkers who start to get serious about what they are building and while doing research, I ran into the work and teachings of James Krenov. I was never a student of his or ever met the man, but, I can honestly say, if you have any interest in woodworking, and even if you don’t, you should read his books. He authored 4 books: A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook, The Fine Art of Cabinetmaking, The Impractical Cabinetmaker and James Krenov: Worker In Wood. As a series of books, they explored an understanding of wood and woodworking in a unique and personal way that I could really relate to and found both inspiring and educational.
maple mantle
My current shop is located in east Vancouver, British Columbia where I continue to explore and develop my own style of furniture. I work as a finishing carpenter, scenic carpenter and do client based commercial and residential custom woodworking. I build and design with precision and an attention to detail based on skill, knowledge and hands on experience.
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