Customer Spotlight

...he would not have the success he has had, without the help of the CarveWright.

Doing Something He Loves
written by: Bobby Griffith

Keith Derr spent the past 20 and a half years serving in the United States Navy, and retired in July of 2007 as a Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman.  He now resides in Virginia with his wife of 17 years Michelle and their 2 children Paul and Destiny, as well as their 2 English Bulldogs, Maribelle and Chief.  While serving our country in the Navy, Keith obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Management.

As with nearly all of the great service-men (and service-women) of our country, the armed forces enabled Keith to become multi-faceted in his abilities, as well as his interests. His interest in woodworking dates back to his childhood alongside his grandfather, but it wasn’t until 2001 that his passion for woodworking really took off. That year Keith began building custom dartboard cabinets for Christmas gifts, which then led to him building custom coin displays. He admits to having frustrations with the tools available to him at that time, and in 2006 he began searching for CNC machines to assist him with his woodworking. Upon return from a 6 month tour in the Middle East, his wife mentioned to him this new woodcarving machine she came across, and from there Keith began researching the CarveWright Woodworking System. In January of 2007 Keith purchased his first of three CarveWright machines.

Keith’s favorite aspect of the CarveWright is the software. He stated, “It’s intuitive, easy to use and blows away the software used by comparable CNC machines.” Shortly after beginning his journey with the CarveWright, he began to send out his resume in an attempt to start his post-Navy career. One day as he and his wife were standing around the “dog house,” Michelle suggested that instead of working for someone else, Keith should go into business for himself. So he did. In July of 2007 he began filling out all the necessary paperwork for his business. In his own words, his transition from the Navy to working for himself was, “Going from something I love, to something I love.” After golfing nearly every other day, and other various means of distraction, Keith decided it was time to hit the ground running with his business. In January of this year, he began to dedicate himself to creating beautiful customized wood workings. His business has boomed since then, and he states that he would not have the success he has had, without the help of the CarveWright. However, he proudly admits that none of it would have been possible without the devoted, loving and unconditional support of his beautiful wife.    

Keith specializes in coin displays, shadow boxes and dartboard cabinets, but he is far from limited to just those projects. Showcased are photos of one of Keith’s proudest pieces to date, his personal shadow box representing his service time. You can see more of Keith’s work, as well as place custom orders with him at www.doghouseww.com. Keith is also a CarveWright Pattern Vendor, and you can check out his patterns in the Pattern Store under the name “The DH.”