Handcrafted in Oxford, Ohio · Since 1966
Wood Shaped by Hand, Patience & Purpose
Heirloom furniture, memorial caskets, and fine woodwork — each piece shaped from hand-selected hardwoods with the care that comes from decades at the bench.
The Work
Craft & Services
Every piece begins with the wood — hand-selected for grain, figure, and character. The rest is patience, joinery, and decades of practice.
Blessed Resting Boxes
Handmade pine memorial caskets, built to order with dovetail joinery and a hand-rubbed finish. Optional laser-engraved portrait. Starting at $140.
Learn MoreCustom Furniture
Tables, desks, cabinets, and statement pieces crafted from hand-selected hardwoods. Each project begins with the wood and a conversation.
Learn MoreIntarsia Woodworking
Wood mosaic art assembled from dozens of individually shaped pieces. Natural wood color provides all the variation — no paint or stain.
Learn MoreArtistry & Carving
Antler roses, powder horns, walking canes, slide-lid boxes, and turned ornaments. The kind of work that keeps the hands and mind sharp.
Learn MoreWoodworking Lessons
Hands-on instruction for adults and children in a working Oxford, Ohio workshop. All skill levels. All tools provided.
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Featured Work
52″ Exotic Wood
Geometric Table
Over a dozen exotic hardwood species, each wedge precision-cut and hand-fitted into a radial starburst pattern. The hexagonal walnut pedestal base features sculpted feet shaped on the lathe. The plans were drawn by hand. The angles were worked and reworked until every joint closed cleanly. This table represents decades of accumulated skill brought to bear on a single piece.
Memorial Caskets
The Blessed Resting Box
A handmade pine casket built with the same care as any piece of fine furniture. Each Blessed Resting Box is constructed to order — dovetailed, finished by hand, and sized to fit. Because a faithful companion deserves a proper farewell.
The Classic
$140Select pine with dovetail joinery and a hand-rubbed satin finish. Clean lines, solid construction, and the natural warmth of the wood.
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The Portrait
$200The Classic build with a laser-engraved portrait of your companion on the lid. Send a favorite photograph and the likeness is rendered into the wood.
Inquire
The Heirloom
CustomYour choice of walnut, cherry, or curly maple. Lined interior, custom engraving, and the craftsmanship of a piece meant to endure.
InquireCustom sizes available for any breed. Each casket is made to order — allow 2–3 weeks for completion. Also available for people.
Selected Work
From the Workshop
52" Exotic Wood Geometric Table
Exotic Hardwoods · Walnut Pedestal Base
9 photos →
Walnut Media Cabinet
Figured Walnut · Raised Panel Construction
6 photos →
Spalted Maple Live Edge Dining Table
Spalted Maple · Hairpin Legs · Live Edge
6 photos →
Coffee Tables With Live Edges
Walnut Cross-Sections · Hairpin Legs
3 photos →
Hollow Log With Glass Center
Live-Edge Log Slab · Stained Glass
Curly Maple Office Desk
Curly Maple · Live Edge · Maple Legs
5 photos →
Cherry Baby Bed
Cherry · Brass Hardware
Spalted Maple Bedroom Dressers
Spalted Maple · Brushed Nickel Hardware
5 photos →
1966
Year Founded
One-Man
Workshop
Oxford, OH
Since the Beginning
By Hand
Every Piece
Instruction
Personal Woodworking Training
The best way to learn woodworking is at the bench, with tools in hand. Virg teaches one-on-one and small group sessions for adults and children in his Oxford, Ohio workshop. Sessions cover fundamentals or focus on a specific project — from dovetail joinery to lathe turning. All tools and materials are provided.
Arrange a Session
Materials
It Begins with the Wood
Every board is chosen by hand. After decades of working with mills and suppliers, the selection process is second nature — reading the grain, feeling the weight, understanding how the wood will move as it dries and ages.
The workshop favors walnut for its depth and warmth, curly maple for its shimmering figure, cherry for the way it deepens over time, and pine for the Blessed Resting Boxes. Exotic hardwoods — purpleheart, padauk, zebrawood — are reserved for special commissions. Lumber is also milled on-site from raw logs when the project calls for it.
In Their Words
From Those Who Own the Work
"We have known Virg for years, and he has made many pieces for us. They include a bench, a coffee table repurposed with a porcelain top, a fabulous work table made from northern pine (originally an ironing board with large planks), and most spectacular of all, a coffee table that now sits in our living room. This table design originated with us and he completed it with great precision. A variety of woods were used, and numerous complicated angles and shapes were required to complete the project. It is a true masterpiece of work! Virg has become a true friend with my wife and me. He is honorable, and we trust him to always do the right thing."
"The grain matching on the walnut cabinet was extraordinary. Every panel was deliberate. That level of attention is rare, and it's why we keep coming back."
"Spending a week in Virg's shop changed the way I think about wood. He doesn't just teach technique — he teaches you how to read the grain and let the material guide the work."
Heritage
Colonial Reproduction Furniture
Built using the same hand tools and joinery methods employed by 18th-century cabinetmakers. Each reproduction is researched from historical photographs and museum documentation, then constructed with period-correct techniques. The Appomattox Writing Desk remains one of the most requested commissions.
- ›Full-size reproductions of colonial desks, tables, and bottle cases
- ›Hand-cut dovetails and mortise-and-tenon joinery
- ›Period-accurate brass hardware
- ›Your choice of cherry, walnut, or maple
- ›Lap desks, secretary desks, writing desks, and more
- ›Hand-rubbed oil and lacquer finishes
The Craftsman
A Lifetime at the Bench
Virg Otto has been shaping wood since 1966. What began as a young man's fascination with grain and joinery became a lifetime of building — furniture, cabinetry, memorial caskets, intarsia, turned bowls, carved antler roses, and hundreds of pieces that now live in homes across the Midwest.
He mills his own lumber on a bandsaw mill at his Oxford, Ohio workshop. He selects every board by hand. He has built custom cabinetry for homes, offices, churches, and institutions. He teaches woodworking to anyone willing to learn — adults, teenagers, children.
His approach is straightforward: choose the right wood, respect the grain, use traditional joinery, and take the time to do it well. The result is work that lasts.
Contact
Begin a Conversation
Every commission starts with a conversation about the piece, the wood, and the details that matter. Reach out by phone or email to discuss your project.