Honoring a Family Legacy
I’m Jim Masson, the owner and craftsperson behind Tapered Grain.
For as long as I can remember, my dad had a woodworking shop in the basement. His shop was always one of my favorite places to hang out. There was always a project of some kind in the works, and it was the place where I could really see first-hand many of the things which also powered his successful career as an aerospace engineer. I could watch him think through and solve problems, see his organization and attention to detail, and join him as he learned new tools, techniques, and skills. We would talk about the time he spent working with his father on various projects. As I got older, I gradually became more of a help than a nuisance in the shop, and some of my favorite memories are from times when we were working on projects and solving problems together.
There is a bookcase in our house today, which my dad built for me when I was perhaps 8 years old. It’s a humble piece of furniture built simply from a few 2x8’s. It has also been in every house, apartment, and room I have lived in, and I think it always will be. I can remember watching my dad cut some of the shelves for that bookcase on the table saw, and I now can’t separate the object from the maker.
My dad didn’t only build humble pieces, he also built beautiful pieces out of knotty pine which have endured for decades, and which I’m sure my sister and I will fight over some day. Each of those pieces contains some of his creativity, some of his craftsmanship, and some of his passion. They will provide joy and utility to whoever has them, and I don’t think they will ever find their way into a landfill.
That tradition, that legacy, is the inspiration for Tapered Grain.
Woodworking has always been as much about learning as it is about making. As a kid I would watch “The New Yankee Workshop” and “This Old House” on PBS in the afternoons, and dream about the things I would someday build. In the modern era, YouTube and Instagram have picked up right where Norm left off, teaching and inspiring a new generation of craftspeople.
As soon as I was able, with my own young family, I started assembling my own basement woodworking shop, eager to continue that family tradition. I found that time in the shop, working with my hands on something tangible was a great way to decompress from my day job working on computer software.
Building on skills I first learned at my dad’s side, I started building my own furniture in 2007, and I haven’t looked back since. I’ve grown a lot over the years, taking on more ambitious projects, and continuing to pick up new skills. In more recent years, I’ve taken classes in furniture design and construction at the Ebanista School in Seattle, taking my skills to a new level. With those improved skills came a heightened passion, and I began to look forward to the moment when I could dedicate myself to this craft.
After many years of learning and dreaming, Tapered Grain was born in 2023 out of my own desire to have a creative impact on the world around me, and to create durable objects which would bring joy and utility to generations of people. It is a leap of faith, stepping away from a long and successful career in computer software to pursue a dream.
I believe that handcrafted fine furniture is a gift not only to yourself, but to generations to come. I believe in building things which will outlive their maker, and which will always have a place.
I hope you will consider ordering a piece from us and becoming a part of this legacy yourself. In the meantime, I have got to get back to work, one of my sons just walked into the workshop.
