I have had a number of benches over the years. Most I built myself out of plywood and lumber. I built most to a 40″ height so they could be used standing or on a stool. 40 inches seemed ideal for my height and the type of work I did. 

My bench in this photo is different. It’s desk height. I used it exclusively for woodwind work and continued to use the 40″ benches for brass. I used this bench for most of the years of J.L. Smith & Co. 

I bought this bench at a garage sale at a business across the street. It was painted yellow at the time. We (Pete Wehner and myself) stripped it, stained it and finished it with oil. I’m not super sentimental, but I do keep some pieces of my past around. I keep it around to remind me where I came from. 

One of the many great memories I have around this bench is the time that Bic Brannen came to visit me. We sat down at this bench together and disassembled an Eva Kingma quarter-tone flute. Bic was so excited about this flute. He marveled at its genius musical capability and its mechanical simplicity. We both agreed it was genius. 

This bench has many other great stories. I keep it outside my office to remind me of the rich history in my work life and where I come from. 

Jeff