Working primarily with hand tools, some she has made herself, Kari Hultman of Lemoyne has been making furniture for 20 years. Starting with a simple planter box, Hultman, 48, has graduated to replicating 17th and 18th century pieces. She recently completed a woodworker’s rite of passage by building her own workbench and has taken up chip carving as decoration.
Born near Pittsburgh, Hultman graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. Joining her parents in the Harrisburg area after graduation in 1992, she runs her graphic design agency, Step One Design, Inc., from her little white house on a broad, tree-lined street.
When her parents moved away, she stayed because she loves the area for its proximity to historic sites and museums, beautiful landscapes, and metropolitan cities.
“I love working from home and being my own boss,” Hultman said. “And I’m only ten steps away from my workshop.”
Hultman said it was an old workbench she discovered in her basement that inspired her to make some things for the house. She bought a book on woodworking and was immediately hooked. Over two decades, she’s read hundreds of books and magazines about woodworking.
Now, Hultman is sharing what she’s learned. For five years she’s written a blog called The Village Carpenter, sometimes getting up to 2,000 page views a day, and has written articles for publication. Recently, she demonstrated chip carving and hand-cut dovetails at the John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion and Fort Hunter Park in Harrisburg and at the York County Heritage Trust.
“Kari is a great teacher, gladly sharing with others what she’s learned,” said Alan Garner, respected area woodworker and friend.
Hultman has not sold any of her work, but is starting to build some chip carved boxes for a museum store in Lancaster County. Her goals are to build ornate hand tools for sale to collectors and to write a book that includes plans for furniture from the 18th century and earlier.
A self-admitted tree-hugger, Hultman said, “I use Pennsylvania cherry almost exclusively. You can’t beat the warm glow. Cherry works easily, carves fairly well, and is readily available in this area.”
“I often find cherry wood shavings throughout the house and even clinging to the dogs,” partner Nancy Sheets said with a smile. “I’m glad that Kari has found what makes her happy.”
Hultman despises do-it-yourself projects.
“While I may be a bit more handy than the average homeowner, I don’t like repairing furniture or working on home renovations. I prefer to build furniture or projects of my own design from scratch. In fact, if we ever come into a small fortune, I will hire a full-time cook, gardener, housekeeper, and clothes shopper. The only shopping I like to do is for tools and lumber!”
“One of the things Kari does is to break down any stereotype of woodworking being for men only,” fellow woodworker Garner said.
Hultman thinks that most women are not attracted to woodworking because the machinery scares them and many women prefer to learn things from a person rather than from an instruction book. So, unless there are classes nearby, they may steer clear of woodworking.
However, it’s been a passion for her and has provided a lot of satisfaction. According to Garner, Kari’s talents in fine woodworking put her among the best in the nation.
“Woodworkers are some of the nicest, most generous people I’ve ever met,” Hultman said. I don’t know if it’s a characteristic found in all craftspeople, but I’ve been fortunate to make some wonderful friends over the years – thanks to that old workbench in the basement.”
To follow Kari Hultman on her Village Carpenter blog, visit villagecarpenter.blogspot.com.
John K. Robinson is former press secretary and web editor for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg.
