Dan Palmer turned a lifelong interest in art and a degree in environmental sciences into Palmer Woodcraft, a business specializing in custom, high-performance windows and doors. What began as a temporary carpentry job after college quickly became something more.
Dan loved the creative process and began to see carpentry as his calling. The builder he worked for was on the cutting edge—for the late ’90s—of building science, which helped him envision a career path that blended craftsmanship with environmental responsibility.
After traveling for a couple years through Australia, New Zealand, and Asia—picking up carpentry work along the way—Dan returned to the U.S. He worked briefly as a finish carpenter on the Oregon coast before moving to Portland, where he spent more than 15 years with eco-conscious builder Hammer & Hand, helping to found and manage its custom workshop.
Over time his focus shifted to windows and doors. He learned by trial and error, taking apart the worst-performing windows and doors on projects and dissecting them to better understand their failures and to improve them.
“It’s a combination of art and science that I really appreciate.”
– Dan Palmer, Palmer Woodcraft
Although his work approached the high-performance standards of European models, Dan was limited by the hardware available in the U.S. That changed after a client challenged him to reach passive house levels of performance. He toured several European workshops, connecting with suppliers who could provide the hardware and gasketing he’d been missing. With access to these components—and upgraded European machinery and tooling—he began producing windows and doors that rivaled top European units.
“I could get close before,” he recalls, “but this finally let me match what was available in Europe, with an aesthetic tailored to North America.”
In 2021, Dan moved back to New York and founded Palmer Woodcraft. Today he focuses on high-performance windows and doors, often for historic homes. From the outside, the designs faithfully replicate the original details, while beneath the surface they incorporate advanced performance features like triple seals. “It’s a combination of art and science that I really appreciate,” he says.
— Jennifer Morris, editorial assistant
From Fine Homebuilding #340
Keep Craft Alive is our campaign celebrating those who have chosen to passionately pursue a career in design, building, and remodeling. Find out more and show your support by visiting KeepCraftAlive.org, and use #KeepCraftAlive to share your passion for the cause.
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