ABOUT SPIKE
I’ve been fiddling around with wood my entire life. I build a tree fort—using the leaves of my grandmother’s walnut dining table—when I was nine. One of my best gifts ever was a box of wood scraps given to me by my next door neighbor—not kidding here—Don Duck. I kept fiddling. After graduating college I taught for two years, but was drawn to carpentry, subsequently swinging a hammer for fifteen years.
Through a propitious set of circumstances, I was hired by the Readers’ Digest’s Home Improvement group, where I worked as an editor for Family Handyman magazine and headed up the books division. Fifteen years and 100s of articles later, I left Reader’s Digest to write full time. I produced seven books including the award-winning A Splintered History of Wood, Woodworking FAQ, Ridiculously Simple Furniture Projects and more. My most recent book, A Walk Around the Block (Harper Collins) was released in fall of 2020. Click here or on the BOOKS button to learn more.
I’ve written for Men’s Health, The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Mother Earth News, Fine Homebuilding and LOTS of other magazines. I’ve appeared on The TODAY SHOW, Modern Marvels, HGTV, the CBS Early Show, and LOTS of other radio and television programs.
All along the way I’ve worked with wood. I’ve built houses, cabins and treehouses; rustic tables, unique chairs and curved bookshelves; cabinets, fireplace mantels and architectural woodworking; hurdee gurdies, toys and play structures. And Wooden Beings.
My wife, Kat and I live in Stillwater, Minnesota, in close proximity to our 5 kids and 8 grand daughters
Website: www.spikecarlsen.com
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/spikecarlsenbooks
Instagram: www.instagram.com/spikecarlsen
One of my passions is “civic woodworking,” using one’s woodworking and carpentry experience to create items for the greater community to use. It’s also a good way to teach kids and others basic woodworking skills. Here are two examples.
CIVIC WOODWORKING
The idea for the “Move and Learn” mobility playground was hatched while physical therapist, Barb Diedrich (center photo, L) and Spike (R) were working in Tanzania. Barb needed a place where she could teach kids how to get on a school bus, climb stairs, negotiate ramps and tackle other everyday obstacles. The idea went from brains to cardboard to reality. Volunteers helped build the structure and children’s book author, Nancy Carlson created the magnificent graphics. It’s used by hundreds of kids and therapists every day
Leopold benches, made from 6 or 7 boards, are easy to build and a good way to teach basic carpentry skills. The six female students from Boma‘longombe Secondary school (center) took great priding in building these two benches from rough lumber, using only basic hand tools. The two young women (right) put the final touches to one of the benches they built, which will be used for an outdoor sitting area at a local church.