About
CHESTNUT STREET WO
ODWORKING
Chris Frantz-Dale, Proprietor
I grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, where I was surrounded by countless examples of New England’s architectural history. I’ve been interested in buildings, design, art, music, craft and making things from a very young age. While attending Berklee College of Music in Boston I spent my summers teaching music and art, and learning the basics of carpentry while helping my dad with projects around the house. After graduating in 2006 with a degree in music composition, I went to live at a Buddhist monastery outside San Diego California. It was there that my woodworking life began in earnest. By working with others, and taking on my own projects of increasing difficulty, I learned to design, build and repair both buildings and fine furniture.
When I returned to life outside the monastery I worked in production wood shops and on job sites for general contractors, always with a mind for honing my skill with technical challenges and developing my aesthetic approach. It was at this time that I set up my first shop on Chestnut Street in Florence MA and Chestnut Street Woodworking was born. From 2018 to 2020 I attended the Preservation Carpentry program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston. While attending and after graduating, I worked for and studied with NBSS preservation instructor Michael Burrey and MLB Restoration of Plymouth MA. In 2020 I established my own shop at Unity Park, the historic industrial complex, now newly revitalized in Bristol, Rhode Island.
