Artisan work, and the love for it, alive and well at Alameda Point Studios

"Located at the decommissioned former Naval Air Station Alameda, Building 14 has become a 47,000-square-foot facility offering a space where furniture craftspeople, cabinetmakers, sculptors, a luthier (a maker of stringed musical instruments), a piano restoration expert, Lionel prewar trains guru, a tiny home builder and other artisans share large-scale machinery and volumes of knowledge gleaned from decades of hands-on practice."

""The greatest part is 30 different people, all with unique skills and histories," Frary said in a recent interview. "We can ask each other for help and get it. I've learned from Adrien Segal, a fantastic sculptor, not just her woodworking practices but how she handles her business and decisions about what projects to do. That's the joy - we're always learning.""

Building 14 at the decommissioned Naval Air Station Alameda is a 47,000-square-foot maker facility where about 30 artisans work in proximity, sharing large-scale machinery and decades of hands-on knowledge. Residents include furniture makers, cabinetmakers, sculptors, a luthier, a piano restorer, a Lionel prewar trains expert, and a tiny home builder. The studio offers memberships, including options for recent art or trade-school graduates to access professional fabrication tools such as a 36-inch band saw, a wide belt sander, a spray booth, and a heated drying room. Many makers prioritize handcrafting with recycled, found, or reclaimed materials and favor local sourcing. Custom furniture designer JP Frary manages the facility and emphasizes daily peer learning among residents.

Read at The Mercury News