About
The Craftsman
Background
Dan Faia has been a professional woodcarver, furnituremaker, chairmaker, and educator for over three decades. He currently operates a woodworking shop and small group workshop program in Rollinsford, NH. He has also taught extensively at woodworking schools throughout New England.
After completing two years of formal training in 1994, Dan continued to develop and hone his skills early in his career by working alongside master craftsmen in the fields of furniture making, chair making, furniture restoration, and preservation carpentry.
When he isn’t teaching or creating custom commissions and period reproductions, Dan is usually busy in his shop pursuing his passion for traditional woodcarving. His work is displayed in private and public collections. In acknowledgment of Dan's dedication to the art and legacy of period furniture, he was named the 2023 recipient of the Cartouche Award by the Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM). Dan also received the Distinguished Alumni Award from North Bennet Street School in 2024.
Dan enjoys sharing information, and has published numerous articles in Fine Woodworking and other digital and print media. He also produced a video workshop series on measuring and reproducing a Queen Anne chair for Fine Woodworking. In addition, he has been a guest on Fine Woodworking’s Shop Talk Live podcast and the Modern Woodworkers Association podcast.
Well recognized for his contributions to the woodworking community, Dan has participated in demonstrations, presentations, or exhibits for organizations such as Colonial Williamsburg, Concord Museum, Eastern MA Guild of Woodworkers, Fine Woodworking, Fruitlands Museum, Guild of NH Woodworkers, Museum of Fine Arts-Boston, NH Furniture Masters, NH Preservation Alliance, Old State House-Boston, Old Sturbridge Village, SAPFM, Strawbery Banke, The Furniture Society, and The Old Manse.