Richard Wedler has been a custom cabinet and furniture maker in Southern California for over thirty years. Growing up in the Midwest near Cleveland, Ohio, Richard spent summers and other free moments working in his fathers' machine shop where he acquired a working knowledge of machining and tool making. Even as a pre-teenager, he began building things and curiously enough, working wood as a hobby.

After college, in the mid 60's, Rich worked with his father at the family screw products business, studying set-up technique on Brown & Sharpe automatics. Finding that factory life didn't entirely agree with his spirit, his interest in music called and in the late 60's and early 70's, he traveled about the country playing music as a singer and guitarist. Before Richard turned to woodworking as a career, he was touring the U.S. opening concerts for some well known acts that included Judy Collins, Josh White, Tom Rush and a good many others. He still performs in clubs with friends, playing guitar and, yes... the musical saw.

The pursuit of a music career led him to Los Angeles where a growing interest in photography and film led to several years of making documentary films. These found their way onto PBS stations and reaped a number of awards on the festival circuit.

All the while, between paying music and film gigs, his woodworking skills kept the cash flowing, (or trickling). Eventually, the woodworking led to a growing business in furniture making. Throughout the seventies and eighties he worked for, and with, some of the most prestigious design firms and architects in the city, building pieces for the rich and famous of Hollywood. He still does commissions for a few clients when time permits. (A few examples of his work are included in the website gallery).

In the late eighties, working with his machinist father, Rich conceived of and built the first Micro Fence Edge-Guide in response to a frustration he was experiencing with router operations. The concept was to develop a means of measurement that would improve the accuracy and efficiency of set-ups on the hand-held router. Rich and his Dad Jack Wedler worked on prototypes for several years before deciding to make and market the Micro Fence. It was a big decision to begin actually manufacturing the device, but in retrospect it seems to have been a sound one. Jack passed away in '98 and Rich has continued on with the development of the rest of the System that continues to evolve today.

Richard has written articles about woodworking, and articles have been written about him and his work in several trade magazines, i.e., CWB, Fine Woodworking, Furniture and Cabinetmaking (UK), etc.

By the way, it's Rich and some of his musician friends you'll hear playing one of his instrumental compositions on the new Micro Fence DVD.

Check out which shows Richard will be hosting, and stop by the Micro Fence booth to have a chat.