about

Chip's Story

How Stone Mountain Crafts Came To Be

I grew up in a small rural town of about 300 people in upstate New York. I was a four-year letterman for my high school wrestling team and active in Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout in 1971.

My woodworking experience started with me helping my dad build boat dock sections to high school shop classes (I was in the wood shop every chance I got throughout high school, during class times and study hall periods), to where I am today. I didn’t do much woodworking while on active duty until my wife saw a picture of a bench she liked in a magazine and asked if I could make it. I told her I’m not a woodworker, I’m a sheet metal mechanic. Her response started my return to woodworking by stating it can’t be that much different than working with sheet metal, can it? I made that bench after securing some very basic tools (and still have it some 40 odd years later).

After graduating from high school in June 1973, I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in October as an Aircraft Structural Repair Specialist (think auto body only on military aircraft). My Air Force career spanned from October 1973 through November 2001 and took me to Europe twice, Africa 3 times, the middle east (more times than I can count) and all across our great country.

The name Stone Mountain Crafts derived from my Romanian/German heritage. With my surname being STEINBERG, In German STEIN = Stone and BERG = Hill or Mountain, hence the Stone Mountain name.

I craft smaller items now, no furniture, such as Cutting/charcuterie boards (largest being 14 inches wide X 41 inches long, smallest being a heart shape about 8 inches across). I make turned items from the lathe such as: bowls, rolling pins (French and conventional), round lidded boxes, letter openers, honey dippers, mason jar lids and much more.

The typical tools I use are the table and miter saws, a 10-inch lathe (biggest bowl or turned item is about 9 ½ inches in diameter), clamps (LOTS of them), belt and random orbital sander and LOTS of elbow grease. The typical finish on all boards is a food safe mineral oil. On items not specific to food contact I usually use a sanding sealer and either Danish oil or 100 percent tung oil (food safe) and paste wax.

Some of the woods I use are Walnut, Maple, Mahogany from North America and exotic woods such as Granadillo (Mexico and Central/South America), Sapele (Central Africa), Bocote (Central/South America), Zebrawood (Tropical Africa), Padauk (Central Africa), Purpleheart (Central/South America), and Olivewood (Mediterranean Region), along with some others.

I work out of my garage in Litchfield Park, AZ. I've been married to the same wonderful woman since 1976 with two grown daughters (one is in Surprise, AZ and one in Charleston, SC) and two grandchildren. I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ as my LORD and SAVIOUR.