About Us

Bio

Philip Davidson is a fourth generation fine

woodworker. While providing psychotherapy for children and adults during the last 50 years, Philip has also built reproductions of 18th-century furniture. This pursuit has led him to many interesting locations like behind the barricades at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (to take measurements) and to a koa lumber yard in Hawaii in the early 1990’s. Little did he know that nearly 30 years later he would use this koa to build a ukulele.

Philip’s love of music and woodworking skills have come together in this totally enjoyable yet challenging pursuit. Longtime luthiers Mike DaSilva and Ken Franklin have served as consultants to Philip and been very impressed with his work. Philip is eager to find the next piece of wood that can be transformed into this big little sound machine.

Wood Collected For Years

Specialized wood like koa, maple, walnut, and highly figured wood that would have been shipped to West Germany had Philip not purchased years ago.

Wood Collecting Story as relayed by Harvey Leach

Lucky Strike redwood was one of 4 salvaged redwood trees discovered by a couple named Craig and Alisha Carter in the forest land owned by Cal Trans and the State forest... depending on who you ask... which was a part of the story. The Carters asked Cal Trans for permission to harvest downed redwoods within the easement for Hwy 101. The Carters then set out to find the ultimate redwood. Using a sledge hammer Craig would whack the ends of fallen trees searching for the best "ring" he tested several hundred but found 4 that really stood out and began cutting billets and packing them out to their Subaru. The best of the 4 was named "Lucky Strike" or "LS" the others were called Fine Arts or FA (equal IMO to the LS but with more color variations), Tonal Awesome or TA and Tono Boso or TB. While harvesting the LS a dispute arose between Cal Trans and the State Parks as to whether Cal Trans or State Parks had jurisdiction. In the end the Carters were delayed from returning for several months... and in the mean time poachers had come in and taken the rest of the LS, probably for fence posts...