Pinder Branches Out with Whatley Woodworks

Those who have frequented Sam & Jeff’s since their opening on Jan. 12, will have noticed the beautiful table tops their drinks and good eats sit on while socializing with friends and family.

Jerry Pinder, of Nashua, made those tops by hand for the establishment and that’s not his only skill. As the sole owner and member of Whatley Woodworks in Nashua, Pinder custom and hand-makes a variety of woodwork including cabinets, furniture, trims, handrails, doors, closets, the list goes on.

The man of many talents has learned all of his skills and trade through experience. As soon as he could hold a hammer, he helped and worked with his grandfather. After graduating from high school, he got a job as a laborer, then a year later he started working with a log crew. After working as a foreman, he decided to broaden his horizons into cabinetry and furniture. His work has been featured in magazines such as Architecture Digest, Mountain Living and Big Sky Journal. Pinder and his crew’s work even had a feature photo on the cover of Timber Homes magazine.

After moving to Nashua last June to be closer to his in-laws, he decided to start Whatley Woodworks as a way to bring quality products to the community. “I like to build stuff with heirloom quality that will last a lifetime,” said Pinder. He is very proud to say that he has never used a cnc woodworking machine to make his cabinets, and is proficient in the full overlay method of installing cabinets, where the doors and drawer fronts cover the face frame completely. In appearance, a full overlay cabinet design is very much like a frameless cabinet design. He admits he is a stickler for evenness, so he makes sure when building a full overlay cabinet, all you are able to see is the drawers themselves, and none of the cabinet or frame.

If custom projects don’t keep him busy enough, he recently added a shop to his 19 acres of property on Whatley Road, which inspired the name of his business, to allow him the ability to work on all of his projects. He is a husband of 10 years to Cara and has two young kids, Everet, 5, and Fallan, 2. He also helps his father-in-law, Kent Morehouse, by making the plaques used for taxidermy.

To check out all of Pinder’s creations, visit his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Whatley-Woodworks-1883180205285990/. He also provides free estimates to anyone in the Northeast Montana area for those who want to remodel, upgrade or just need a change of scenery in their home. He can be contacted at 406-599-1357.