My name is John Olthafer and I grew up in the hilly farm country in southwest Wisconsin but have lived in Waunakee for more than 10 years now. I consider myself to be a combination of a woodworker, tinkerer, and artist. I love to constantly be working with my hands and dreaming up new ideas. You will find me most every weekend in my workshop scratching my head and making sawdust.

I started dabbling in making things from wood in my early teens. Often trying to build sensible items out of whatever impractical wood scraps I could find laying around on our family farm. Without proper materials or tools, this required me to be wildly creative. As the years went by, I began to acquire more and more tools and by trial and error, I self-taught some basic woodworking skills, eventually evolving to where I am today. I have a great passion for being creative and am always conceiving new designs that expand my knowledge and push my capabilities. The wood crafts that I conceive typically reflect my early years on the farm, my deep Wisconsin roots, and love of nature.
As I have expanded, I now offer my creations under the alias Lazy ‘O’ Wood Works. The namesake is in honor of my father who used the Lazy ‘O’ name for our family farm and his livestock trucking business. It is a throwback to where I came from and who I am.