Meet Kimberly Wiman: communications specialist

A physical therapist by profession, Kimberly has always found joy in working with her hands. Carpentry speaks to both her creativity and her love for focused, embodied work. Some of her favorite moments in life are long afternoons spent in the workshop, immersed in the building process while surrounded by nature.

After moving to the Ithaca area in 2021 area during the pandemic, Kimberly jumped into a series of home renovations and quickly got hooked. Recalling a recommendation years earlier from her college roommate, she looked up Hammerstone and was delighted to find that its Trumansburg campus (the only campus back in 2021) was just a short bike ride from her home. That summer she enrolled in Basic Carpentry Skills 101 and had an unforgettable experience. The environment was unlike any she had encountered before: inspiring, challenging, and full of laughter. Every question she asked was answered was met with an in-depth, fascinating answer, leaving her more even curious than before.

Over the next few years, Kimberly gradually built up her own wood shop, bought and read many used books on carpentry, and continued to take courses at Hammerstone. After completing Rough Framing in 2021, she enrolled in most of the tiny house series in 2022 and returned in 2023 as a teaching assistant for those same courses.

Kimberly loves the entire carpentry process, from the imagination and analysis of the design phase all the way through the careful handwork that brings a project to completion. Her largest renovation to date involved repairing moisture damage across a 20-foot section of her home, replacing sheathing, insulation, windows, and framing. Her most ambitious woodworking project has been designing and building segmented garage doors, each composed of over 70 individual pieces.

Kimberly delights in teaching friends and family basic carpentry skills, like how to hang pictures on the wall or build simple outdoor furniture. Outside of the shop, Kimberly enjoys playing music, exploring the landscape, and traveling to see her friends and family in South America.

You can reach Kimberly at kimberly@hammerstoneschool.com.