
Carving the Thread Chest
Hard Maple onlays and legs / 2013 51" × 25" × 20"Detail view of hand carving the transition from the onlays to the legs on the Thread Chest.

- About
Sharon C. Mehrman owns and operates a one-woman workshop in Florence, Massachusetts where she designs and builds heirloom quality furniture, architectural built-ins, and historic reproductions. Her work has been juried into nationally recognized museum exhibitions and craft shows. Sharon is the Grand Prize recipient of the 2015 Popular Woodworking Magazine Woodworking Excellence Awards for The Thread Chest, an art nouveau inspired furniture piece commissioned by a private collector. With a Master’s of Design and a Graduate Certificate in Public History from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Sharon brings over 30 years’ practical experience as a designer and woodworker to her work as a researcher and historian of material culture, historic woodworking trades, tools, and technology. In August 2019, she became a research fellow at Winterthur in Delaware continuing her research on the transition from handwork to machine-based woodworking in the nineteenth century. She teaches woodworking and furniture making, and is the Director of the Master Furniture Program, at Hill Institute in Florence, Massachusetts. Visit her website at sharonmakesfurniture.com.
- Region
- Florence, MA
- Website
- www.sharonmakesfurniture.com
- Media
- Wood
- Professional Status
- Maker & educator
Portfolio

Thread Chest side view
Hard Maple, Quartersawn Maple, and Tiger Maple with Maple Burl, Redwood Burl, Satinwood with burnt-edge sand shading, Walnut Burl, and Mother of Pearl inlays / 2013 51" × 25" × 20"Side view of the award-winning Thread Chest. The drawers are side hung to give me a nice background for the inlay work. Each side features hand-carved onlays to appear as though vines are growing from the legs onto the case sides.

Thread Chest
Hard Maple, Quartersawn Maple, and Tiger Maple with Maple Burl, Redwood Burl, Satinwood with burnt-edge sand shading, Walnut Burl, and Mother of Pearl inlays / 2013 51" × 25" × 20"This Art Nouveau inspired piece, commissioned by a private collector to store sewing thread and sundries, won the Grand Prize in the 2015 Popular Woodworking Magazine Woodworking Excellence Awards.

Coyle's Coffee Table
Tiger Maple; Glass / 2009 18" × 40" × 18"The simple and elegant design of the stretcher makes it look woven. Finished with fine detail of hand-carved lamb’s tongues on my signature leg design. This piece was commissioned by a collector and is the foundation of my Safford Coyle Collection.

Tall Case Clock detail
Sapele, Pine; Steel, Brass; Hand Painted Dial Face / 2021 86" × 20" × 10 1/2"I started my woodworking career in 1989 as a sign maker. I learned hand lettering while earning my BFA from Parsons School of Design in New York, as seen here on the dial face, and taught myself how to make the wooden signs. This is my third tall case clock.

Tall Case Clock
Sapele, Pine; Steel, Brass; Hand Painted Dial Face / 2021 86" × 20" × 10 1/2"I designed this clock to capture some of the period details that I love, like the Newport-style shell and the fretwork on the hood. For the pediment finials on the hood, I decided to carve a more realistic flame instead of a traditional stylized flame finial.

Piecrust Table
Sapele; Solid brass hardware / 2009 26" × 25" × 25"Inspired by a classic design, this tilt-top table features hand-carved piecrust table edge and elongated ball and claw feet.

Sarah Strong Chest Replica
White Oak, Birch; Forged hinges / 2019 30" × 36 3/4" × 15 3/4"This scaled-down replica of the Sarah Strong Chest, a Hadley-type chest originally made between 1680 and 1740, was commissioned by Historic Northampton in Northampton, Massachusetts to be used as a teaching tool.

Carving the Thread Chest
Hard Maple onlays and legs / 2013 51" × 25" × 20"Detail view of hand carving the transition from the onlays to the legs on the Thread Chest.

Ball & Claw foot
Sapele; Solid brass hardware / 2009Piecrust Table detail

Sarah Strong Chest Replica detail
White Oak, Birch; Forged hinges / 2019 30" × 36 3/4" × 15 3/4"Detail of the Sarah Strong Chest Replica. The chest and the carved imagery were laid out and carved using traditional methods and tools like dividers instead of a ruler.

Hepplewhite Card Table
Sapele with Zebrawood, Maple, Satinwood, Mottled Mahogany, and Ebonized inlays; Solid brass hardware / 2005 30" × 35" × 19"Inlaid card table. Tabletop is mounted on a pivot point, when spun 90° the top opens to its full size. The form is inspired by a classic design, the inlays are designed to be an amalgamation of classic and contemporary flourishes.

Thread Chest inlay detail
Hard Maple, Quartersawn Maple, and Tiger Maple with Maple Burl, Redwood Burl, Satinwood with burnt-edge sand shading, Walnut Burl, and Mother of Pearl inlays / 2013 51" × 25" × 20"Close up view of the award-winning Thread Chest drawer fronts inlaid with the image of Clematis stems, a design that I created for the collector who is also an avid gardener. I used Mother of Pearl to create a shimmering effect in the dew drops.