Zachary Tanenbaum: Local Youth Woodworker Shares His Talents

Charlotte Jewish News May 2022

By Alyson Traw

It all started with a drill and a toddler crayon. Local Jewish teenager, Zachary Tanenbaum, has been building and creating for as long as he can remember. His passion and craft have transformed from drills and crayons to woodworking and miter saws, with an entrepreneurial spirit driving his evolution.

Zachary, a native Charlottean, can make everything from challah boards to commercial letter holders with 50 slots, and he has his sights set on owning a cabinet shop one day, creating custom-made furniture pieces for customers. Zachary’s mother provides marketing support, sharing his wares in Jewish moms’ groups on social media while his father helps with tools. Even his younger sister assists with oiling the cutting boards he sells. Zachary is in the 8th grade at Davidson Green School, where the focus is on sustainability, science, and engineering — a perfect fit for him. His teachers and classmates support his endeavors, and he gives back to the school by creating and designing items for its annual fundraiser.

Nobody in Zachary’s immediate family shares his craft, and Zachary says he learned most of the skills he employs by watching YouTube videos and through trial and error. He dreams of using the proceeds from his sales to purchase a 3HP Sawstop table saw, which he described in detail as “very safe and very nice, all cast iron, weighs like 600 pounds.” His preferred brand of tools is Festool, which is only for serious woodworkers and makes for a Hanukkah wish list item considerably more expensive than the new iPhone. On weekends, Zachary can be found either working in his shop (he shares the space with his father, but he owns most of the power tools) or shopping at West Penn Hardwoods in Conover, North Carolina, where he finds wood scraps in the bins out front. The scraps provide Zachary with quality wood products at little to no cost so that he can maximize his profit margin.

Zachary’s favorite wood to work with is black walnut, which he describes as “luxury wood with the perfect density, not too hard or soft, sands well, and smells nice.” He used black walnut, along with acacia wood, to create his most elaborate piece to date — a portable ark used to hold the Torah for Temple Beth El. Zachary’s portable ark became especially useful during COVID, when b’nai mitzvah were held in homes and other non-traditional locations. He was able to weave his love of woodworking and Judaism into this especially meaningful bar mitzvah project that will benefit the Jewish community for years to come. It was beshert that his Torah portion mentioned wood.

His Judaica creations also include challah boards, yads, menorahs, and apple and honey dishes. Zachary’s coaster sets, cutting boards, and charcuterie boards make great gifts. Zachary says that repetition gets boring, and he is always eager to fulfill custom orders for customers. You can find a few examples of his work in his Etsy store, but his capabilities extend far beyond what you will find there. If you can dream it, Zachary would love to work with you to create it. If you are interested in supporting a talented, young Jewish entrepreneur, contact Zachary at woodworkdesignsbyz@gmail. com.

Zachary’s black walnut hand-crafted portable ark