Meet Michael Ginn

Michael Ginn has been woodworking for over 15 years and has always been drawn to detail-oriented work: the kind that is difficult to do well, but deeply worth it when you get it right. What started as making pieces for himself, and for friends and family, gradually grew into something more serious as his interest deepened and his standards rose.

In the early years, he sold smaller pieces partly to fund better tools and partly to keep learning. That mindset still shapes Black Barrel Wood Co. today. Every project is more than the piece it becomes. It usually introduces a new challenge, demands a new skill, and pushes him further as a builder, designer, and craftsman.

His shop blends high-tech tools like lasers, CNC routers, and 3D modeling software with old-school hand tools like chisels and hand planes. That mix allows Black Barrel to be both precise and personal: modern where technology improves the work, traditional where the human touch matters most. The result is a fully featured wood shop built around care, curiosity, and a refusal to cut corners.

Clients come to Black Barrel when they want something thoughtful and built with intention: a dining table that fits the room properly, cabinetry that solves a real need, or a one-off piece that carries some weight, character, and permanence. Michael brings heart, patience, and years of refinement to each build because he believes good work should feel that way when you live with it.

He is also the founder and head instructor of Jitsu-Do Karate in Newmarket, Ontario, and there is a real connection between the two paths. The traits that help someone thrive in martial arts are often the same ones that matter in woodworking: patience, discipline, attention to detail, respect for fundamentals, and the willingness to spend years refining simple things until they become second nature. If you want the fuller picture of that side of his life, you can read his bio there as well.