Mckaskell Haindl

Mckaskell Haindl McKaskell Haindl designs and makes fine furniture, cabinets and accessories for homes and businesses with the amazing team at Covenant Construction

What’s next? We’ve seen the original, secured the material, visited the site - now we take a rubbing so a pattern can be...
10/23/2026

What’s next? We’ve seen the original, secured the material, visited the site - now we take a rubbing so a pattern can be made and closely examine the original under various light sources to see the details which don’t show under normal light, and we spend some time really looking at this fascinating artifact. The quiet, focussed effort invested here allows a new yet respectful design to be created which is then transferred onto the slab to be carved. An understanding of the piece and the goal is critical to have before any letter carving begins!

Thinking again about the white oak from Western’s campus - the cookie wall hangings at Wampum Learning Lodge - WesternU ...
10/22/2026

Thinking again about the white oak from Western’s campus - the cookie wall hangings at Wampum Learning Lodge - WesternU came from the very base of the tree. We had a backhoe dig around the trunk so we could get Brent’s 7’ long chainsaw mill down and around, just above the roots. A lot of creative manoeuvring was needed because the diameter was about a foot wider than the rig’s capacity. Here you can see Brent of Kintore Custom Hardwoods and Daniel of Big Ass Slabs manoeuvring a cut. The cookies were huge! Not all survived drying and storage, but the ones that did were pretty cool!

I promised a follow up - here’s a selection of items made for Western University using the campus white oak tree I menti...
10/20/2026

I promised a follow up - here’s a selection of items made for Western University using the campus white oak tree I mentioned in my last post. These items currently are in use Wampum Learning Lodge - WesternU and WesternU Visual Arts - let me know if you recognize them! The final pic is Peter McGregor’s grave marker….maybe best to consider it a sneak peak since it has yet to be unveiled!

The slab used for Peter McGregor’s new marker comes from a tree I first encountered as a kid skateboarding on Western Un...
10/18/2026

The slab used for Peter McGregor’s new marker comes from a tree I first encountered as a kid skateboarding on Western University near the tennis courts across from where J.W. Little Memorial Stadium used to be (who’s old enough to remember the concerts there? LOL). Sometime in the 1980s or 90s it was damaged by an impact - possibly a car, and it slowly began to fail. About ten years ago the grounds manager reached out wondering if the tree, which needed to come down now for safety reasons, could be used to build furniture - YES - what a great idea! To build furniture for western using trees from the campus grounds….fantastic idea! So I arranged to have it milled and it was stored in a shed on campus to air dry. The wood from this tree has been used to make several things on campus over the years - I’ll share some in my next post.

For Peter McGregor what’s cool is, at almost 400 years old, this tree was mature when Peter was living here, and it would have been part of the forest which gave the city its cherished nickname - The Forest City! Now there’s some non AI maker narrative for you 😀

I’ve been working with Bardawill Victorian Restoration a company which specializes in Heritage restorations. These hand ...
10/08/2026

I’ve been working with Bardawill Victorian Restoration a company which specializes in Heritage restorations. These hand turned column plinths will replace some highly deteriorated and much flatter, routed ones which would have been installed in place of the originals about twenty years ago. These new ones will match the house much better, and are more in keeping with the rest of the neighbourhood - a heritage district in

Making a new wooden grave marker for London’s first settler, Peter McGregor, started with a conversation then a visit to...
10/06/2026

Making a new wooden grave marker for London’s first settler, Peter McGregor, started with a conversation then a visit to see the original at Museum London followed by a trip to the Scottsville Pioneer Cemetery to view the current marker from the early 1980s.

The carving of the original is quite skillfully done and fascinating to look at in the way only hand carved objects can be - imbued with the carver’s idiosyncrasies. It’s really quite beautiful.

The marker from the 1980s is also quite interesting and very much reflects the woodworking practices of the day: truss-laminated boards, hand routed template letters, fabricated appliqué, and wood plugs. All told a masterful example of best practices of the time.



Chris McKaskell
CLAY Home Spaces

09/30/2026

I’ve built, carved and turned several memorial plaques and urns over the years — this is the first grave marker though. Grateful to have been able to help Memorial Restoration & Safety with the installation of this, great crew, I learned lots and we had a good time getting the work done -

09/30/2026

Installation day for a marvellously fun project - a hand-carved reproduction of the original wood grave marker for London’s first settler, Peter McGegor, in celebration of the city’s bicentennial this year.

I’ll post some of the process in the coming days.

Thanks to Tom of Memorial Restoration & Safety for making this video.

Always great to be able to help out with an old house restoration! Two new balusters in sapele to match the long missing...
09/26/2026

Always great to be able to help out with an old house restoration! Two new balusters in sapele to match the long missing originals. Fun working with Bardawill Victorian Restoration on this 👍🙏😀

Ready to go to the next stage - I’m really looking forward to seeing the cabinet Jeff Family Tree Woodworking has these ...
09/16/2026

Ready to go to the next stage - I’m really looking forward to seeing the cabinet Jeff Family Tree Woodworking has these going on!

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London, ON
N6E2T1

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