When John Steiner tires of building furniture, he gets out and logs a few fir trees.

"I like to go out and do selective logging just to keep in touch with that part of the work," the 33-year-old GDCC graduate says. So serious is he about logging that Steiner owns his own skidder and logging equipment.

He is every bit as serious about the quality of the tables, wardrobes and chests of drawers he makes. "All my work is done with lumber not plywood," he says of his furniture, which he sells out of his Bainbridge Island shop. "The main emphasis is on simplicity. It's functional and everything is finished - no rough surfaces." He spends between 100 and 200 hours on each piece.

A talkative and friendly man, Steiner is very honest about the disadvantages of woodworking. "It's extremely boring and it's really hard work," he says. "Everything I need has to be milled. Sanding takes days. I work with dangerous equipment and I have to make sure my will is up before I even think of working with it. One mistake can force you to start all over."

Steiner's interest in woodworking began during his childhood on Lake Washington, where his parents owned a resort. He would work with his father and brother building tree houses and go-carts.

At GRCC from 1969-73, Steiner took every art class that he could. "It was like a wonderland," he says. "I left with 50 credits and I think they'd run out of independent study programs for me."

After college he spent two years helping an Auburn craftsman and then struck out on his own making furniture on order. Since then his work has been featured in The Seattle Times and Seattle Post-Intellingencer. Steiner's furniture sells for up to $2,000 and has been shipped all over the country, although most end up in the homes of island friends.

What he so loves about his work, Steiner admits with characteristic honesty and humor, is the finished piece. "I tried for years to enjoy the work. I'd burn incense and put on music and try to meditate though the day. Finally I just gave up everything to enjoy the work."