Building Beyond Time:

How One Craftsman Continues His Grandfather’s Legacy

“I was overwhelmed by the amount of tools he had” Nate Blackwell, craftsman at Thos. Moser since 2023, recalls. As he and his father unlatched the door to his grandfather’s woodshop they discovered stacks of old woodworking books with dog-eared pages and scribbled notes. The walls were lined with an encyclopedic collection of perfectly placed hand tools. Power tools and machines stood frozen in place from the last time they had been used, and piles of rough-sawn lumber stacked against the walls. Nate’s grandfather, a self-taught woodworker, was enamored with the Shaker style of furniture making. He loved the simplicity of the designs and prescribed to the Shaker notion of using local wood, often building pieces in apple wood, maple, or oak. “The more character; knots or wormholes, the wood had, the more likely my grandfather was to use it,” he says.” His grandfather was a prolific furniture maker building chairs, dressers, side tables, bookshelves, and the dining table for his home. 

“It’s about making something out of nothing… creating form out of raw materials.” 

During the early 1970s, his grandfather joined a local woodworking club that met in New Gloucester, Maine. The club would get together every month to have coffee and talk shop. It was in this group that Nate’s grandfather met Tom Moser. Tom’s business was still in its infancy at this point and, ever the student, Tom saw the woodworking club as a place to learn new techniques and approaches to working with wood. Nate recalls a story his aunt shared with him saying “There was a trestle table that my grandfather was working on and just couldn’t get it right. He mentioned this project in the woodworking group, and Tom told him to bring it to the Grange Hall shop, and they would work together. As Tom had more space and tools, Nate’s grandfather happily accepted the offer and they finished the table together.” Nate doesn’t recall the extent of Tom and his grandfather’s friendship but knows that the few times he spent in the Grange Hall shop and those woodworking club meetings were meaningful to him. 

It’s not just about the technique—it’s about the artistry in shaping it.” 

Nate’s journey into woodworking began in his grandfather’s workshop. “I grew up in my grandfather’s wood shop, mostly just bothering him,” Nate laughs. “I remember holding things while he clamped or did a glue-up, but I was mostly sneaking away from my parents to get an A&W Root Beer. We were never allowed to have a soda as children, but when I helped my grandfather, he would let us have a soda. The smell of root beer still brings me right back to my grandfather’s shop.”

Left: The Grange Hall workshop in New Gloucester, Maine.

Above: Nate works on shaping the arm of the Thos. Moser Continuous Arm Chair.

After spending a decade in agriculture, Nate decided to carve out a new career. He still wanted a job that allowed him to work with his hands and when the opportunity at Thos. Moser arose, he knew he had to take it. As an integral part of the chair department, Nate creates the iconic arms of the Thos. Moser Continuous Arm Chair in addition to building the vast catalog of chairs and benches. “It’s almost like sculpture,” he says, drawing from his background in 3D art. “There’s something incredibly satisfying about working with your hands to bring out a shape in the wood. You take a raw material, something square, and turn it into something graceful and functional. It’s not just about the technique—it’s about the artistry in shaping it.” 

Above: A collection of the furniture Nate’s grandfather made for his home.

When his grandfather passed, Nate salvaged much of the wood and hand tools from his shop storing them away for a future he could barely imagine. “I never would have guessed I’d end up using his tools like this,” he says “But here I am, using them to make furniture in the same style that inspired my grandfather’s work.”  

“The tools, the furniture, the techniques—they all carry a piece of him, and I want to keep that alive.” 

Upper Left: A collection of Nate’s grandfather’s tools that he uses in the Thos. Moser workshop. Lower Left: Nate holds a piece of wood that he salvaged from his grandfather’s collection. Right: Nate works on finishing a Crescent High Stool in cherry.

While it’s clear Nate is passionate about his craft, the emotional connection to the tools of his grandfather runs deep. “Using his tools, it feels like he’s right there with me,” Nate shares. “They’re not just tools—they’re part of his legacy. When I look at the furniture I’m making now, I can’t help but think about how proud he’d be.” That feeling of connection extends beyond the tools themselves. For Nate, the idea of heirlooms has taken on a new meaning. “I’ve got pieces of his furniture in my home. My parents have more,” Nate says. “It’s not just furniture—it’s history. It’s his history, and now it’s my history.” 

“Every piece I build, I think about how it might one day be passed down. It’s about leaving a lasting mark—just like my grandfather did.” 

For Nate, working at Thomas Moser isn’t just a job; it’s a continuation of a family tradition. “I’m building furniture that’s going to last,” he says with a smile. “And I’m doing it with the same tools my grandfather used. It’s like we’re building together, even though he’s been gone for years.” That sense of a family legacy is not lost on him. “When I signed my first piece of furniture here, it felt amazing,” he says. “Not just because I was proud of the work, but because my name is now on something that could last generations—just like the pieces my grandfather made.” 

Above: Nate’s grandmother and grandfather.

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