Robert Howard believes ‘there is a place in the world for everyone working in wood.’ Early in his career Howard chose not to work on commissions because did not want the responsibility of imposing his ideas on anyone else.
Twenty years ago he made the leap from a secure job as a mechanical engineer to full-time self-employment. He liked the process of making furniture and began teaching about 17 years ago, which he also has found very satisfying.

Fundamentally, Howard is a chairmaker, and maintains that every new chair is an iteration of the last. ‘I am always striving to improve them. At some point I began carving bowls and they have become
more and more complex. I like the warmth and appeal of furniture without having to worry about it."
He does not erase all the tool marks on either the bowls or the chairs preferring to make what he feels like making, when he feels like making it, and worries about selling it afterwards. Robert makes many of his own tools to get into the awkward spaces demanded by his intricate bowls, and explains that his engineer training enables him to solve similar technical problems.