milkcrate by Tom Gazda

frames

slate coasters

candle holders

glass whiteboards

concrete coasters

album shelves

pencil cups

milkcrate salvage
Tom Gazda
I'm not a fan of the term "maker" - so I just say I'm a guy who makes stuff. Some of that stuff is shown below, and a lot of it is based around old wood. I've always loved the patina of old framing lumber - the rich browns of the wood's surfaces, the lathe lines, the black spots from the oxidation of the nails, the saw marks, and the wear and blemishes from being worked. I love it, I could look at it all day. I think it's crazy that wood with so much natural beauty and character just gets thrown out in the trash. Well, I pull it out of dumpsters and make stuff out of it. And the frames and my photography paradoxically work together for a unique look.

email Tom

The photos and frames below are all by me (except where noted.) The wood is lumber I've pulled out of dumpsters in Albany NY. All glass is salvaged from old storms windows and yard sale picture frames.

snowfence #6

W. Lawrence St.

hubcaps

snowfence #7

Chosen for Albany Center Gallery's 45th Annual Photography Exhibit Select Show, Fall 2023

Vermont woodpile

Glass Pony snowfence

Saugerties Pipe

Kalapacki Beach

snowfence #12

Saugerties

snowfence #5

gift for my lifelong buddy Oyster

Commission frame of Egon Schiele's "Small Tree in Late Autumn" print

Off-Broadway (back of McGreevy's)

COMING SOON

1977 Albany found photo series framed in lumber salvaged from Albany buildings. Examples below.

Ray's Bar (1977) [vintage found photo, photographer unknown]

Overview of the Process

Desk Pencil Cup

Desk pen holders from beefy 3x4s salvaged from 78 Clinton Ave (built 1860s). I love the character to these particular pieces of lumber.

wood from 78 Clinton Ave Albany (built 1860s)

Roofing Slate Coasters (available in my Etsy store)

I have a strong attraction to slate, specifically roofing slates. They exist at the confluence of my geology background and my love of salvaged materials. These 100+ yr old salvaged roof slates have such great texture and patina. And it was really cool to learn how to use an old time slate cutter while making these.

Porcelain Insulator Candle Holder

Album Shelf (available in my Etsy store)

I've always been a huge fan of physical music so it's great to see vinyl making a comeback (though there's something annoying about hipster vinyl collectors...) Display your records in style with these cool album shelves.

Record shelf installation video

Photo Holders

Simple photo holders made from scrap pieces of hickory from a local Albany NY furniture maker.

"Washed Away" by Glass Pony Album Cover

Photos for the front cover and back of Glass Pony's 3rd album. Vinyl copies available here.

To help celebrate the release of the CD I framed a print of the cover photo to be raffled off for charity. The band selected Mission for Marcus as the charity and Marcus's uncle just happened to win. The picture to the right shows the family with the photo.

Salvaged concrete coasters (available in my Etsy store)

Pulled out of a dumpster in the Warehouse District in Albany, I cut these concrete cylinders into coasters. I like the cross-section of the aggregate, the noticeable swirl marks of the concrete saw and the unique glass-on-concrete clink sound when you put a glass on these.

Glass Whiteboards

While I didn't build the wooden screenprinting frames below, I did make painted glass whiteboards out of them. The glass is salvaged from old triple-track storm windows; the backing cardboard salvaged from the neighborhood recycling night.