Harley Griffin
Ottawa, Ontario furniture maker Harley Griffin on solid wood, failing and building with LEGO.
Business:
Stone Mountain ProjectsHarley Griffin interviewed by Editor Rob Brown | October 2025
How long have you been building furniture?
I have been building/making since I was 8, starting with LEGO and slowly moving into solid wood. I took my hobby from part-time to full-time in August of 2020, mid-pandemic.
What sort of furniture do you specialize in?
The main part of my business comes from building custom game tables and dining tables, but I have a hard time niching down and staying with one thing. I enjoy learning and trying out new techniques or styles when I have the chance, or when a client gives me some free rein on a project.
In order, what are the three most important items in your shop apron?
Currently, it would be my tape measure, marking knife and 4″ machinist square. Those are the three things I reach for the most and have actually made a dedicated magnetic tool caddy that fits in my side pocket so they are always within reach and accessible.
Do you prefer hand tools or power tools?
I am what most people call a hybrid woodworker. I enjoy using a well-tuned hand plane or sharp chisel when the time is needed since they excel at the fine details that a power tool would take too long to set up or be too coarse. On the other hand, using my table saw or CNC to mill or cut out parts is much more efficient than using a variety of hand tools.
Solid wood or veneer?
I’ve always been drawn to solid wood. It’s a natural and enduring material that has character and holds a story in its grain and knots. I love working with solid stock because it has a different feeling and weight to it that manufactured or veneered goods don’t have. A large part of my work is building custom dining tables and game tables. I treat these more than just furniture pieces; they’re gathering places. This is where family and friends will gather and share years of memories, meals and milestones. My intention is to create something that becomes part of their rhythm of life, that holds on to the scratches, dents and stories. I strive to create a piece that is solid in every sense of the word, not just well built, but dependable, meaningful and crafted to endure.
Photos of Harley Griffin
Game Table with Textured Base
This game table built for a client who wanted something completely customized and unique has a textured base that was both the hardest and most enjoyable part of the build, Griffin says. The texture was added to the pedestals with a CNC router, while the tapered workpieces were held in place with a shop-made jig.
NES Coffee Table
One of the most asked about pieces in his portfolio is this coffee table. Griffin loves telling people all the colours are from natural wood. He eventually built a NES desk for the same client, who is a game developer.
Flip-Out Game Table
The most difficult part of many of Griffin’s game tables are that they have to be engineered to work in many different climates, as they get shipped all over North America. He also has to build them in a way so the client can make any necessary adjustments to the table once it’s at their home. Griffin’s favourite part of this build is the flip-out cubbies.
Flip-Out Game Table - Detail
Quotes from Harley Griffin
I listen to a wide variety of music, podcasts and audio books while I’m working. I don’t have a particular style or genre of music I listen to, but mostly look for a good beat to be able to bop to and keep the energy high during the day. If I’m in a flow state I usually have my headphones on but no music playing so I can stay focused on the task at hand. If I have a particularly long sanding session ahead of me on a table or large project I will sometimes throw on a show to help pass the time.
Don’t be afraid to fail, because you will do it frequently. The more you fail, the quicker you will learn and ultimately succeed.
I work incredibly close with my clients, since I am the designer, builder, customer relations and the shipping guy, and probably 10 others in between. I work with them from the initial inception of the idea all the way up to it landing in its final resting spot. I want them to have an experience working with me, getting them involved with the planning and keeping them involved through the build process so that when they finally receive their piece there is no doubt that they are going to absolutely love it.
Almost all of my big business has come in through word of mouth.
We have to raise awareness about woodworking and show everyone that it can be a viable career path. We have a large population leaving the workforce and not as many replacing them. There’s a large pool of knowledge that isn’t being handed down to the next generation and if we don’t get more people interested in pursuing this career, that knowledge will stop with them. We need to give kids the options and knowledge to try it while they are in school. This gives them the chance to learn about woodworking and see if they like it so as they transition out of school they have options they can pursue.
I can’t say I have had only one big influence throughout my career so far. I have had many different people at different times give me inspiration or help to influence my work. As a maker who’s continually trying new things, I come in contact with a variety of other makers when I’m exploring new ideas or techniques, and through the process of trying parts or pieces of a technique or process, they naturally start to find their way into the pieces I’m designing and building.
I got into “woodworking” from playing with the LEGO my dad gave me. I used to build spaceships, forts and pretty much anything my imagination could come up with. Also, my grandpa would give me a bucket of rusty bent nails, a hammer, a pile of scrap wood and an afternoon in the backyard to just build. Mostly nailing pieces of wood together to make swords and shields, but I did manage to build a small “shed”. And by shed I mean four 2×4’s with random bits of OSB nailed to the tops and sides. I love making things with my hands and gain immense joy building something from virtually nothing.
Woodworking is now in my DNA. When I think of myself, and who I am as a person, woodworking is always one of the first things that comes up. I express myself through my work and the things I create. I enjoy building and crafting for the people I care about most in my life and it’s one of the ways I express my love to them. Woodworking has moved past the point of being just a hobby and has become an important extension of me.
Our video of the work of Harley Griffin
