About Chris

Chris Gochnour discovered the pleasure of building things by hand when he made his own skateboards and snowboards as a teenager. His enthusiasm for carving turns on a snowboard was eventually replaced by a passion for building things out of wood and teaching others the craft. For over three decades he has built fine furniture for homes and office buildings throughout the Intermountain West and taught woodworking to artists, hobbyists, and woodworking professionals.

Chris is a contributing editor for Fine Woodworking magazine and has been published in the magazine over 50 times during the past two decades. This list includes links to many of his articles. Chris also teaches woodworking at Salt Lake Community College and in his workshop in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Over the years, Chris has built hundreds of commissioned pieces, including the governor’s desk, credenza, and conference table  in the Utah State Capitol.

Chris loves hand tools and is nationally recognized as a preeminent hand tool expert with a passion for using, and sometimes making, planes, saws, chisels, spokeshaves, scrapers and other woodworking tools. Something of a rag-picker, Chris takes great satisfaction from finding old and neglected hand tools and giving them a second chance at life.

When he’s not in his studio or searching for old tools, Chris enjoys cycling, skiing, and spending time with his family.