|
The woodworker’s hand routine with Kyle Richard ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Any good tool must be carefully maintained to do its work well, especially if fine motor skills are involved.
|
|
Meet Kyle Richard, the carver, craftsman, and teacher at
Peacekeeper Projects in Los Angeles—a woodworking studio where each bowl, side table, and wooden spoon are crafted with exacting precision and fluid west coast ease. Kyle’s handcare routine is just like his work: functionally minimalist, inherently sustainable, with a focus on tactile input and smooth lines and texture.
|
|
|
|
For me, woodworking started with a Covid-era project. I wanted to take my truck camping overnight, so I custom-fit it with a little platform bed and drawer.
|
|
I loved the precision and attention required to see a project through from design to completion. That feeling when something comes to fruition perfectly—I wanted to chase it. I started posting what I made for my own home, and people started asking if they could buy my work. I honestly had no intention of starting a business for a long while.
|
|
|
|
It’s essential to my creative fulfillment and process that I keep experimenting and not get bogged down trying to force something into “my style.”
|
I won’t even fully understand my style
until I can look back at my work and
see a throughline over years.
|
|
But one thing’s never changed—I deeply appreciate natural materials and am grateful to work with them every day. It’s easy to get accustomed to cheap, poorly made, plastic objects because they’re easily discarded, but, once they inevitably fail, they spend entire human lifetimes in landfills. I create my pieces thinking back to a time when large-scale heirlooms and generational pieces could take on new lives over time.
|
|
|
|
Working in the shop in the sun and heat, my hands are very quick to get dry, callused, and tough.
|
It’s nice to not walk around with
hands that feel like sandpaper.
|
|
Theraplush helps so much with that. As a sucker for a good design, I love how the case blends beautifully with everything else on my bedside table. Beyond that, the dream team of
Buffing Bar and
Carea Cream makes my naturally dry-leaning skin feel like a snake that’s just shed its skin—enriched and moisturized.
|
|
|
|
My studio’s in a residential area and the door’s always open, so I always get people stopping by to see what I’m working on and have a chat.
|
It really helps with creative flow not to
feel the burden of restrictions on my
noise level, space, or mess when a
project’s underway.
|
|
It’s a social place, too. Once a month, I host a workshop on how to carve a kitchen spoon, and then my daily office becomes this community space. It’s a bonding experience to learn a new skill next to a stranger, and I love bringing people together like that. A good reminder that we have a community outside the people we see every day.
|
|
|
|
If you’re curious to give it a try yourself, check your local woodshops—they often offer weekend or day classes. Once you’re more comfortable around tools, Reddit and Youtube can be excellent resources.
|
|
But the most important tip I can give you is: talk to your elders in the trade.
|
|
They have a lifetime of learned tips and skills and, in my experience, are generous with information and excited to pass their knowledge onto another.
|
|
|
|
Shop Kyle’s handcrafts and handcare
|
|
Buffing Bar—an advanced power tool that goes against the grain for top-grade sanding
|
|
|
|
Walnut Bowl—elegantly curved by hand; richly striped by nature
|
|
|
|
Sapele Bowl—a shroom-domed home for keys and balms
|
|
|
|
Carea Cream—a light sealant that prevents drying and softens surface texture
|
|
|
|
Theraplush—a deep-conditioning treatment that brings out skin’s natural luster
|
|
|
|
Figured Maple Bowl—a throne for your Theraplush
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Free shipping on orders over $65
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
