Wood Works: Rhiannon Zickafoose Joins metrica

Welcome to “Wood Works,” a new monthly series profiling SBWI Alumni who are working at the intersections of carpentry, fine art, mass timber, and more. Follow along on our website or sign up for our newsletter to never miss a story.

Rhiannon working on her wall cabinet.

A Finisher Starts Her Career: Rhiannon Zickafoose Joins Metrica

Rhiannon has always had a passion for design. Her father is an architect, and she grew up knowing she wanted to do something in a related field.

After high school, Zickafoose attended community college, pivoting from an interest in fashion design to a track in mechanical engineering, with hopes of pursuing a bachelor’s degree in automotive design. But that path wasn’t quite the right fit, either. “Most cars are based off of each other,” she says. “There’s not too much creativity at this point.”

Rhiannon wasn’t looking at the trades at all until her older sister took up woodworking. “That inspired me to start looking at those kinds of careers for myself,” she says. She finished her associate’s degree in fine art and began researching what might come next.

“My sister was looking at a different woodworking school, a more well-known one,” she says, “but I found Sam Beauford, and the curriculum seemed really strong. It was comparable even though the school is small, and I liked the small class sizes. It’s definitely nicer because you can get better instruction that way.”

The program’s learning objectives combined with the overall energy of the school, made SBWI an easy choice for Rhiannon. “The campus, the location…it’s just such a nice-looking building,” she says. “I knew I wanted to go there.”

Building Her Skills

Coming from a design-oriented academic program, Rhiannon says the shift to a structured program focused on technique was ultimately beneficial, especially as someone new to woodworking.

“I definitely improved and learned a lot through that style of teaching,” she says. “And that’s not to say there wasn’t creative freedom inside each project. There was always a way to make it your own, even when working from specific plans and techniques.”

When asked what she enjoyed learning the most, Rhiannon points to hand tool work. “I preferred cutting dovetails by hand, even though we had the option to do them on the machine,” she says. A more surprising favorite was drawer making. “It was super tedious and kind of annoying in the moment. You’re so sick of this drawer not fitting,” she laughs, “but it’s so satisfying once you finally get it to work.”

At the top of her list, though, was the Windsor chair. “I anticipated that we would make a Windsor chair even before I started the program, so there was a big buildup to that,” she says. “It was really exciting. I just like chairs and couches. I’m someone who likes to lounge around,” she adds, laughing. “And I like the way chairs look.”

It was the combination of design and technique that Rhiannon came to appreciate most. “The process of making the chair, shaping the spindles on the shave horse and carving the seat , it’s a lot more meditative than cabinet making,” she says.

A Quick Launch

After graduation, Rhiannon went to work for metrica, a company she first encountered when representatives toured SBWI in the spring. “They were already interested in Sam Beauford students,” she says. “So before I had even graduated, I was already going through the interview process. By the summer, I was in the final steps before getting hired. It was really easy.”

Rhiannon says she intentionally chose a different role at metrica. “I’m actually not a woodworker there, I’m a finisher,” she explains. “That was something I asked for because I wanted to learn more about finishes and develop that skill.” She adds that she has the opportunity to cross-train as a maker or woodworker in the future. Her team primarily works on interiors and millwork.

Reflecting on her time at SBWI, Rhiannon says, “I think it was one of the best years of my life. It felt like instant friends.” She recalls late nights in the shop, gathering around the campfire, and heading out on the town together. “It was just so much fun. That’s not something you get at most schools, or most places in general. I definitely want future students to know how much camaraderie there is at Sam Beauford.”

Thank you Rhiannon for sharing your story, and congratulations on a great start to your career!