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Andy Pitts

Andrew Pitts, Heathsville, VA, US
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For most of his adult life Andy Pitts’ passion has been designing and making fine furniture. During a 30-year career as a Naval Officer he spent years at sea aboard ships, but when home he taught himself the woodworking craft. He and his wife raised two daughters and moved the family (and workshop) many times, field testing the durability and timeless appeal of his designs. In 2002, he built his workshop in Heathsville, Virginia so he could pursue his passion full time as a studio furniture designer/maker. Using mostly local native woods he harvests and mills himself, he makes fine contemporary hardwood furniture with impeccable attention to detail. The hallmarks of his pieces are pleasing proportions, exquisitely matched grain patterns, exacting joinery, and meticulous finishing throughout. His furniture is fully functional, yet projects grace with a sense of peace. Andy has a unique ability to bring out the full expression of wood with quality and clarity of construction.

Andy’s work appears in the Artisans Center of Virginia in Waynesboro, Virginia, where he is a juried Virginia Professional Artisan, and in the Rappahannock Art League Studio Gallery in Kilmarnock, Virginia.

Andy’s work has won a number of awards, including:

-Niche Award Finalist, 2008 and 2009
-Custom Woodworking Business Design Portfolio Honorable Mention, 2008
-Blue Ribbon First Place and Viewer’s Choice Award, 46th Annual Art Exhibit, Rappahannock Art League, Kilmarnock, VA, 2007
-Blue Ribbon First Place, 45th Annual Art Exhibit, Rappahannock Art League, Kilmarnock, VA, 2006
-Blue Ribbon First Place, 44th Annual Art Exhibit, Rappahannock Art League, Kilmarnock, VA, 2005
-Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence, Navy Newport Artists and Art Show, Newport, RI, 1991

Gender: Male

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Contributions

Showcase with TV Lift and Hidden Jewelry Storage

Oct 10, 2009
3 comments

Cherry, Red Oak, Sycamore, Ambrosia Maple, Walnut Shellac Polish Finish 33"H x 43-1/2"W x 17-1/4"D I call this a Special Cabinet because it is a quite amazing combination of needs and design. It...

Shadows of Night

Jan 15, 2009
5 comments

Ebonized white oak legs, bent laminated holly sides, walnut top and bottom (sapwood retained), maple back and carved poplar doors.

Chest sans Sides

Nov 10, 2008
4 comments

Cherry, Red Oak, Maple, Sycamore, Pecan, Red Cedar     The design of this unusual piece came to me in a flash one day, but the execution took several months. The piece has no sides...

A Special Cabinet

Nov 10, 2008
1 comment

Cherry, Red Oak, Sycamore, Ambrosia Maple, Walnut, Shellac Polish Finish 33"H x 43-1/2"W x 17-1/4"D I call this a Special Cabinet because it is a quite amazing combination of needs and design. It...


Recent comments


Re: Furniture Society Conference had an industrial focus

Oops! In way of followup from above, I tried opening the pix in a different browser and now they open just fine. Sorry for the confusion. Guess I need to change browsers...
The bottom left piece, where you said you would have to check you notes for the maker (and top right detail) is my "Shadows of Night", seen in the FWW.com Gallery at http://finewoodworking.taunton.com/item/5412/shadows-of-night

posted: 7:06 am on June 15th  

Re: Furniture Society Conference had an industrial focus

It's tough to capture how wonderful the annual Furniture Society conference is for anyone interested in very fine furniture, so thanks for the blog! I hope you will also do the same through FWW in print. I know that a lot of readers would be interested in learning more about the Furniture Society, an organization open to all, and why conference is "summer vacation" for a lot of us. By the way, can you make the thumbnail pix open to larger photos? You have some nice shots here, but hard to see.

posted: 6:51 am on June 15th  

Re: Shadows of Night

p.s. I just added an "open" shot of the inside.

Andy

posted: 2:04 pm on January 15th  

Re: Shadows of Night

Hi Artis,

Thanks for the compliment! I used to be an engineer and everything was straight lines. Guess I've changed since those days. Glue-ups are a real challenge, now! On my homepage at www.AndrewPittsFurnitureMaker.com, look on the left side about half way down and you should see this cabinet. It is hyperlinked, so it will take you to its own page. If you don't see this on the homepage, you might be seeing a version cached on your computer, so just refresh your browser. Also, it can be found under "Casework ... chests" in the Gallery section of the site.

posted: 2:01 pm on January 15th  

Re: Chest sans Sides

Artis,

The curved legs were a challenge with the dowel holes. I guess I could have made an angled guide block for each dust divider, but if I remember correctly, what I actually did was this. With the legs and dust panels laid up in the correct orientations for using the dowel centers, I marked a pencil line parallel to the dust divider along the front of the front curved leg and back of the back curved leg. Then, I could place the leg in my bench vice and eyeball the drill bit parallel to the line. Not too exact, but it worked. The dowels are a little forgiving!

Thanks for the comment on the writeup. I'm glad you find it useful. And thanks for the nice comment on the piece!

posted: 6:11 pm on November 12th  

Re: Chest sans Sides

dstenson, thanks for the complement! I see you are from Victoria. We were there last year for the Furniture Society conference. We loved it! What a great place to live!

posted: 7:21 pm on November 11th