Contact:

John Cooley

Cicada Carpentry


Light carpentry and finish carpentry in eastern CT.



Window Seat


This built-in window seat was constructed of solid oak and oak plywood, with a custom fit cushion. Underneath is a fully finished, locking storage area. The seat is not actually attached to the house framing, but is held in place by a tight friction fit.


Salvaged Stair Railing


This railing and gate came from a salvage yard in Brooklyn CT. Here's how it looked fresh from the salvage yard:

It had extensive areas of rot. I disassembled it, cleaned it, repaired it, and redesigned it to fit this stairway. A bookshelf was added to the left side.


Fireplace mantelpiece


This fireplace had only a small, plain piece of trim surrounding it. I built this out of boards and stock trim.


Glass Block Window


This window was built from scratch.

I built it in my kitchen (I didn't have a shop at the time)

and then I installed it in its rough opening with a little help from Jorgensen clamps.


Mortise lock restoration and install


I specialize in repairing and installing mortise locks. You can read more about this pattern, called "Corbin Ceylon," here.

Found objects

Got a junkyard? A flea market? You might have a treasure and not even know it!

This owl lamp kept falling over, so I made it a base from a scrap of redwood.

This pilot light for a power strip was made from a few scraps of oak, a neon night light, a broken doorknob escutcheon, and an indicator light from an Otis elevator.