REVIEWS

To Whom It May Concern:

Last month, we had the privilege of featuring Chad Stanton as the keynote presenter at our 30th Annual Home and Better Living Show in Tecumseh, Michigan. As you may or may not know, Chad is an extremely talented woodworker from Toledo, Ohio. He is the craftsman and owner of Stanton Fine Furniture, a contributing editor for American Woodworker Magazine and host of woodchoppintime.com.

We heard about Chad from a member of the Lenawee County Association of Home Builders who had attended several workshops he conducted last year at the Woodcraft Store in Toledo, Ohio. Our member was very impressed with Chad’s passion for his craft and encouraged us to feature him at our show – and we are very glad we did!

The members of our Board of Directors and the Home and Better Living Show Committee were unanimous in their praise and we highly recommend him as a presenter, keynote speaker, and/or workshop instructor. We’ve had many presenters at our show over the past 30 years and his by far, ranks among the best. Chad conducted five 1-hour workshops/presentations over two days of our show. His topics included how to make and end grain cutting board, easy cabinet doors, base boards and crown molding, and hand cutting mortise and tenons. Chad also covered quality of workmanship, the importance of working safely, caring for and properly selecting tools for the job, and shared tips he’s found to make a job easier. He tailored each session, taking into account the skill level of the audience so that everyone who attended got the most out of his sessions.

While he wasn’t presenting a workshop, Chad spent his time hand-carving a cabinet that he generously donated as a fund-raiser for our scholarship fund. Visitors to the show enjoyed watching him work using his vintage tools. His tool collection alone drew people into his work space and visitors couldn’t say enough about his friendly and approachable style. Not only is Chad a talented woodworker, he has a rapport with people – and that speaks volumes. He has an uncanny ability to make complex concepts easier to understand for the novice and professional alike. He can read an audience and adapt as necessary. His presentations were informative, yet entertaining and he kept his audience engaged.

We highly recommend adding Chad Stanton to your instructor list without reservation. If you have any further questions with regard to his background or qualifications, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Judy Carlisle
Executive Officer
Lenawee County Association of Home Builders


Chad Stanton gave us an informative and enjoyable presentation at the Cincinnati Woodworking Club.  We were fortunate to have Chad  speak on the subject of mortise and tenon joinery at our club meeting. He showed several ways to cut each of the component parts, sizing, and how to tune them, and several easy to use jigs and techniques to ensure squareness and fit. Johnny Carson said, “The only reasons to watch TV are to be informed and entertained.” Chad manged to do both in his presentation.  Injecting enough humor to keep interest and filling the presentation with lots of useful information.

Cincinnati Woodworking Club


Dear Chad,

Thank you for taking the time to spending the day with us and sharing your skills and knowledge in woodworking and finish carpentry. I speak for all of us here when I say it was informative and inspiring. You not only have a talent for  woodworking, but you have a talent for teaching and communicating your skills with the audience.

I have been looking for some woodworking schools or classes for some time and wasn’t able to come up with much beyond the beginner courses. Your class was exactly the foundation I wanted to give my crew to get a good understand and appreciation for woodworking. Thank you as well for coming to our location and giving the presentation.  I think it was beneficial to the guys that the class was held in their own shop. We look forward to future seminars, presentations, or classes that you may offer and would highly recommend them to others.

On behalf of everyone at Total Quality Construction, thank you very much.

Scott Hinz (owner) Total Quality Construction 


Dear Chad,

On behalf of the Northwest Ohio Woodworkers Guild I would like to thank you for the excellent presentation at our Feb. 25th  meeting.

Your presentation on hand cut mortise and tenon joints was instructional while being entertaining. The time flew by and was over much too soon. I wish we had more time in the facility because I’m sure you could have gone on for another hour with ease and humor.

We hope you can join us again sometime in the future an will look forward to keeping up with you on the internet and in American Woodworker Magazine.

Chris Sexton

Northwest Ohio Woodworkers Guild, Program Committee


To Whom it may concern:

Our business has been fortunate to headline Chad Stanton at three annual woodworking events. Chad’s roll was to do demonstrations for our customers, share his knowledge and expertise, provide education and skills for his audience that they may not otherwise have access to. Chad is a “draw” every time.

Chad worked with our time to outline the demo requirements, skill sets that the audience would learn, and supplied project samples for display to attract more people to the event. Additionally, he helped identity supporting tools that we could promote during the event and offered creative suggestions to refine our marketing and merchandising approaches.

Chad has a diverse background in home construction, furniture design and construction, and education. He expresses and shares enthusiasm for those professions and skills, easily develops a rapport with his audience by communicating creative and simple ways to address complex designs, and uses humor to interact well with his audiences. Yet he also challenges his audiences with some complex tasks (e.g. mitered dovetails) by demonstrating step by step, simplified methods  of completing the task. Woodworkers also appreciate how he responds to their questions and provides solutions that are attainable at any level of woodworking.

Chad has attracted the younger woodworker through his humor and by using current electronic and technical tools  that attract the younger groups. He piques their woodworking interest by creating projects that interest them (e.g. skateboards) and that can be made with a few simple hand tools and a lot of enthusiasm.

Groups of any size and any age appreciate Chad for his knowledge, ease of interaction, professionalism, and personalization of his presentations!

Respectfully,

John and Carroll Nystrom

Co-Owners, ELF Works, Inc dba Woodcraft


Chad is the face of our I Can Do That series of beginning woodworking videos. He creates a welcoming, comfortable atmosphere to offset what can be an intimidating experience. His knowledge, creativity, professionalism and extreme dedication make everything look seamless, and we’re lucky to have him as a part of our team!
Producer, Popular Woodworking Videos

Chad Stanton is a gifted woodworker and has been a favorite at the PRO Home and Garden Show for the past few years. Men and women have been intrigued by his knowledge and ability  to perform exceptional craftsmanship using primitive tools to create works of art.

Chad draws a crowd answering questions from the audience about tools, techniques,  and all while he works on a project during the show. His talent is amazing and we look forward each year to seeing him back at the PRO Home and Garden Show.

Sally Wylie

Operations Manager

The Professional Remodelers Organization