John Welch

John Francis Welch is a woodworker and wood carver living in historic Lowell, MA.

Raised by parents with a true Yankee 'can-do' attitude, John Welch learned early to rely on his own two hands to make what needed to be made and to fix what needed fixing. He dabbled in woodworking throughout his younger years but that took a backseat to cars and motorcycles until 2009 when he bought his first home with his wife Kara. Impact wrenches and car jacks suddenly had to make room for an increasingly growing collection of wood working tools.

In the summer of 2013, with the intention of carving spoons as a relaxing hobby, John ordered a hook knife and a carving knife. An avid cook, John was looking for a way to combine his love of cooking with his love of woodworking. Over the next year his 'workshop' outgrew his garage and in September of 2014 he moved to a small studio at Western Avenue Studios in Lowell.

In July of 2021, he expanded to a larger shop and studio space in neighboring North Chelmsford, MA. The new location is once again a converted textile mill, and as fate would have it, John’s great-grandfather worked in this mill in the early 1900’s!

John’s wares can be seen by appointment in the John Francis Designs studio located in the Chelmsford Mills.