1977 - 1998

Thomas Rogers & Comany

After college I studied Cabinet and Furniture Making at the North Bennett Street School (the oldest trade school in America). In 1977 I set up a shop in a funky old mill building in Boston's South End.  Although my training was centered on building fine furniture, the only reasonable way to put food on the table was to do architectural woodwork.

Images scanned from my portfolio
(pre-digital)

My specialty was creating new work that looked like it had been there all along.  I was blessed to have a really devoted crew who stuck with me through thick and thin.  I managed huge contracts for clients such as Robin Cook (author of Coma, and other medical thrillers) who needed so much woodwork done that it would tie up the shop for over a year (see image below).

Much of our work included materials, tools and hardware that required significant effort to locate or have custom made. We established good working relationships with experts in fields such as: metal; glass; stone; fiberglass and plaster casting; hardware; finishing and re-finishing; lighting, including neon; electrical; carving; wood turning; and other wood specialties.

In 1998 our landlord decided to renovate and all the craftspeople in the building were booted out. I decided then that it was a good opportunity to try something new, so I closed down the shop.

I really enjoyed making doors, which can be found at Boston's Symphony Hall and Harvard University. One of my favorite door projects was for 16 Louisburg Square. It's a Honduras mahogny frame with epoxy impregnated crotch mahogany veneered panels.

You might ask why I've included space at this site
for a business that I no longer run? 

A master cabinetmaker has many of the same attributes that you would want in a webmaster:

• Attention to detail
• Patience
• Experience working with clients on complicated projects
• If it's outside of my area of expertise, I can find a way to get it done

Do you have a product or service that you would like to promote?

Here's an image from a January 1993 Boston Magazine article about Robin Cook and the renovation of his home on Louisburg Square in Boston. 

Our work on this Honduras Mahogany library included a paneled coffered ceiling, bookcases with beveled glass doors, window seat with special chess board, door and trim work, a music cabinet and desk featuring crotch mahogany veneer, and tooled leather top. Click for a full size view (Often, the image will be resized by your browser, just click on it again and you will see the larger image).