About Jim

Jim Richard Vollmer (b. June 7, 1957) earned his Master’s degree in Computer Science from UCLA just as the tech world was beginning to boom. Naturally, the busts soon followed—because what goes up must come down. In the final stretch of his professional life, Jim worked in cybersecurity, where he could see another downturn looming. So, in his mid-50s, with encouragement from both his first and second wife (yes, both), he began to dream of retirement—and of woodworking.

He started taking classes at Cerritos College, where he discovered a passion not just for woodworking, but specifically for woodturning. That's when the bowl-making began. This late-in-life artistic pursuit has continued to evolve—his pieces becoming more intricate and refined with each passing year.

People often ask if he sells his work or accepts commissions. The short answer: not at this time. On the one hand, Jim is incredibly proud of his creations. On the other hand, he's also very shy. If left to his own devices, he’d be perfectly happy to keep his bowls in a labeled box in the garage, never to be seen or admired.

Fortunately, with gentle nudging from both Wife 1 and Wife 2, Jim is now open to sharing his work and even answering questions—like the ever-popular, “What kind of wood do you use?” His honest reply: “Scraps. Whatever I can find. Sometime … found wood. Sometimes ... plywood.”

A big part of Jim’s woodworking joy also comes from the woodshop itself, which he designed with care and precision. His tools were lovingly selected and arranged in the new garage, completed in 2018. Wife 1 and 2 occasionally worries about what will happen to these prized tools someday, but Jim reassures her: “There’s always a market for good tools.”