Dennis Bork, a native of Milwaukee, developed an early interest in woodworking through his father, a wood pattern maker. He earned a degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and worked for three years in research.
Bork never lost his love for woodworking, so he completed a five-year apprenticeship as a wood pattern maker and worked in this trade for 12 years. In 1985, he started a business making period furniture. Today he and his wife, CeCe, operate Antiquity Period Designs, Ltd., where he specializes in making late-17th-, 18th-, and early-19th-Century furniture.
Bork uses traditional tools, either antiques or his own reproductions. For some pieces he uses only these hand tools. His work is distinguished by complex turnings, delicate latticework, beautiful rosettes, and all hand-applied finishes. He also enjoys the challenge of adding hidden drawers and compartments so his customers cannot find them.
His work has appeared numerous times in the Directory of Traditional American Crafts.
The entry deadline for the 2023 Directory of
Traditional American Crafts has passed. We are now processing entries and submitting
them to our jurors. We will contract entrants after the jurors have made ther decisions.
BACKGROUND
