A couple of decades ago, 1999 to be exact, I started my first commercial venture under a different business name, taking on fireplace mantel projects like the one pictured here. Every order was unique (aka, custom), so that was interesting and challenging for a number of years. But eventually it felt like I was spending almost as much time building crates to ship them in as I spent building the actual product.

That beginning was also the very early days of e-commerce, so there were "internet" obstacles to navigate, and much to learn about remote construction and the importance of having solid specifications from which to work.

Fast forward to 2020, and I totally rebranded my shop to focus on only hollow beam mantels, a more contemporary design with a much wider appeal (and easier for an aging man to handle).That was the birth of Mantels Only, which is still going strong today. I still entertain a few custom requests, but nothing on the scale of the old days.

I've limited my standard offerings to walnut, hickory, cherry, maple, oak, and mahogany, but I have easy access to more than 100 different species of domestic and exotic woods, as well as specialty varieties, such as figured mahogany and birds-eye maple. I haven't met a wood I didn't like.

In early 2024 I recognized an opportunity to merge my woodworking experience with the very specific technical field of rack-mounted electronic equipment. My belief was, and is, that there are individuals, both professional and amateur, who are willing to spend a few dollars more to house their beloved and expensive rack-mount gear in a furniture-grade, solid wood cabinet, a rack whose appearance rivals its function. The result was the birth of Rack My Gear.

After multiple designs and experimentation, I settled on a design that showcases the natural grain patterns and tones of the woods I use. There's nothing inherently wrong with the lower cost option of plywood, but it doesn't offer the variety of grain patterns that I can get from solid wood.

With unique designs and a selection of beautiful hardwoods, it didn't take long for customers to wonder if the same cabinets could be adapted for their extensive collections of vintage 1970's hifi components.

Some of those devices could be bought with walnut cabinets in the 70's, but most were not. Even fewer survived in good condition. And since most vintage hifi cases were walnut (albeit veneered or vinyl), I already had everything I needed to begin producing cases to mimic the originials, or improve on them.

So for the latter half of 2024, I offered hifi cases through my Rack My Gear virtual shop.

In early 2025, I felt it was time to give the hifi gear its own space in a new virtual shop, HiFi Caseworks.

I had some early customers who were generous and trusting enough to lend me their equipment to measure and ensure a good fit. Many other requests I filled by buying non-functional gear (future projects for me) on eBay. Still others were made possible by customers giving me accurate measurements to draw up and work from.

I now offer wood cases for several of the most popular vintage brands, and have been adding new models every month, many of those upon request by customers. And I have plans to add many more, as soon as I can make the time for proto-typing.

Also in 2024, I added full CNC milling to my shop, which enables me to deliver repeatable designs with much greater accuracy and in less time. I can replicate almost any design, as well as turn my own designs into working prototypes rather quickly.

In 2025, I added a single line of speaker stands to the shop. Built with the same commitment to quality, using the same solid hardwoods, this product has proven to be quite popular. I have plans to offer some new speaker stand designs in the coming months.

Ironically, the brand of hifi equipment I had initially targeted, Marantz, is the one I haven't had time to prototype and list on my HiFi Caseworks shop. Make no mistake, at least my versions of the WC-10, WC-22, and WC-43 will be offered as standard products before the end of 2025. (You can accelerate that timeline by ordering one now.)