Artist - Sidney Woodworks

Frank and Ethel Southard are woodworkers specializing in tables, free standing cabinets, decorative boxes, and marquetry. They build and finish everything in their small shop in Sidney, Maine. Their goal is to create items aesthetically pleasing to the eye and will last a lifetime. 

Frank and Ethel do not do production work. Although they can make similar items, they will not be exactly identical. Each item is one-of-a-kind. They stand by their work and guarantee the item will not fail under normal conditions. 

Frank has pursued careers in teaching high school English, ethnographic fieldwork in Labrador, and with the Maine Department of Labor during which time he also pursued his passion for cabinetmaking. After retirement he began cabinetmaking full-time. His specialties are tables, free-standing cabinets, and decorative boxes. Ethel, contributes to the finishing process and marquetry designs. Marquetry is used in pictures, tables, boxes, and on some cabinets. 

Marquetry uses a variety of natural wood veneers about 1/28 to 3/32 of an inch in thickness. These veneers come from many species of trees from around the world. A pattern is chosen and the individual veneer pieces that will make up the design or picture are cut out using a knife. Following this, the pieces are glued together and the completed design is mounted onto a rigid base and sanded flat. Last, a finish is applied to protect the wood. The infinite variety of veneers, grain, and figuration insures a unique one-of-a-kind product every time.