GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - When James Torrey graduated from Western Michigan University, his parents gave him a table saw.
That gift became the foundation of Rivertown Woodcraft, which creates one-of-a-kind custom furniture. Having added a joiner, planer and other tools, Torrey has created a full woodworking shop in his two-stall garage on the city’s Northeast Side.
“I can pretty much build anything now,” says Torrey, who has gained a growing following on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
The Grand Rapids Press (https://bit.ly/2o3kblf ) reports that Torrey recently gained acclaim when Clint Harp, the furniture builder for HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” selected a Torrey-built coffee table as the first place winner on his Instagram page, #CheckItOutClint.
“He’s got 400,000 people who follow him on Instagram,” says Torrey, who last year built the shelving and liquor racks for Sovengard, a hip new restaurant on Grand Rapids’ West Side.
That has created a following for his how-to videos on YouTube, where he demonstrates his woodworking skills in time-lapse videos accompanied to music.
Working with reclaimed lumber and hardwoods, the Traverse City native has created skateboards, coffee tables, bars and whatever else his friends and customers may suggest.
While he has a day job as product designer at Meijer Inc., the 33-year-old divorced dad keeps busy in the workshop on evenings and weekends when he isn’t parenting his two children. He’s even gone home for lunch to work on his projects.
Eventually, Torrey says he may have enough orders to quit his day job and make his hobby a full-time venture.
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Information from: The Grand Rapids Press, https://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids
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