Traditional Handcrafted Railings

The traditional art of creating handcrafted volutes, landing wreaths and curved sweeping railing is inherent to the standard of craftsmanship at Bach Woodcraft.

Handrail sections and transitions are cut from solid wood and squared into blanks prior to profiling. The custom profile of choice is created via shaper, router and hand carving. The final step in fabrication involves close attention to detail sanding for a smooth flow in the feel of the rail.

With 38 yrs of experience in this craft, the process of conceptualizing and creating these curves & sweeps have become second nature to me. Even though each layout can be calculated mathematically, I rely primarily on my artistic interpretation to develop fluent results.

Whether installed upon wood balusters or decorative metal, this traditional method of hand railing will enhance any balustrade with a look of simple elegance.

Company Background (& Family Legacy)

In 1928, Edward M. Schildbach, embarked on his life long career as a master stair builder in New York City. Over the next fifty years, my grandfather became well regarded by architects and builders for his high level of craftsmanship in the trade. His achievement caught my attention by age 18 and I asked to work in his shop during the summer of 1975. The following year would be our nation’s bi-centennial celebration and my grandfather was busy replicating the original staircases in the Upper Hourglass Hallway for Thomas Jefferson’s Rotunda Building at UVA which were destroyed by fire in 1895. This was a rare opportunity to participate in reviving one of our national architectural treasures and I became captivated with the prospect of carrying on this very special family legacy.

Upon graduating from college in 1980, I opened my woodworking shop in Maine which specialized in the craft of architectural wood stairs and handrails. My grandfather had retired in 1978 and he would serve as my mentor over the next five years on my path in becoming the next generation of master stair builders. Focusing upon the region of Metro NYC and Fairfield County in CT, I developed a dedicated clientele of high profile architects and builders. My expertise expanded over the ensuing years to encompass fine architectural millwork which was also held to the highest level of design standards and craftsmanship.

With the turn of the 21st century came the introduction of automation, online supply chains and varying economic instability which all contributed to challenges for the traditional craftsman in a custom building environment. With the desire to maintain my practice of handcrafted woodwork, I recognized it was time for a renaissance in my business model. In 2006, I made the commitment to center on historic districts around Boston, Portsmouth and Southern Maine. My primary focus would be millwork preservation while continuing on a limited basis to provide traditional handcrafted stairs, railings and period millwork to my most loyal clientele. My background as a hands on woodworker has proven to be a natural transition into preservation and replication projects in historic woodwork.