Jasper’s Jakub Sebela wasn’t always interested in woodworking.

When he was young, growing up in a tiny town in the foothills of the Czech Republic, Sebela wanted to be a mechanic. He thought woodworking was too messy.

“I wanted to be clean,” the 32-year-old said. “I didn’t like the dust.”

But his parents saw young Jakub’s aptitude for sketching and painting and working with his hands. They encouraged him to go cabinet making school, dust be darned.

He listened, but school was strict. Talking was discouraged. Listening to music while working was not allowed. To limit distractions, students weren’t even allowed to wear a watch.

“We were working only with hand tools—chisels and hammers, and sometimes a planer,” Sebela recalled. “It was hard.”

But he persisted. Now, a decade later, that discipline has paid off. Sebela’s talents are on full display in his highly detailed carvings, in his wood furniture and kitchen implements, and in his one-of-a-kind projects, such as guitars, paddles and even the odd rifle stock. His company, Jakub Sebela Woodworking, is busy. His hands, which were trained to work without the help of machines, are full. And he can listen to all the music he wants.

“I appreciate it today,” he said.

But Sebela’s journey from suffering student to budding business owner wasn’t exactly straightforward. To make sure his skills as a woodworker would be saleable, he enrolled in a commerce program, and after graduating, gained experience working for a soft drink company.  Then he went to Scotland. To save money, he worked as a housekeeper, then a server. In 2016, Sebela made the move to Jasper.

“I thought ‘why not Canada?’” he said.

Sebela was recruited by a local hotel, then when his temporary foreign worker permit expired, he got a working visa through Papa George’s Restaurant. Not long after, he started with local carpenter Steve Brake. He was gradually getting back to his field. 

But it wasn’t until his girlfriend, Petra, noticed his interest in other artists’ carvings that Sebela was pushed to start woodworking again. He thought he could only make chairs. She knew different. She pushed him to carve.

“My first [carving] was terrible,” he laughed. “The face was all out of proportion.”

But Petra didn’t give up on him. Sebela sold his second carving for $300.

“That was amazing,” he said.

Then an opportunity to sublet a small space in the industrial park came up. He balked. He needed machines. A business license. Customers. It was daunting. Again, Petra provided the encouragement.

“She said ‘don’t be scared, just do it,’” he recalled. “It was the best support I’ve ever had in my life.”

That was just over a year ago. He scaled down his work with Brake’s construction company and focused on his business. Orders came trickling in. Last summer, he set up at the Jasper Farmer’s Market. More orders came in.

“I wanted to let people know I’m here, I can make more than just wooden spoons,” he said. “I want to build that trust with my customers.”

With each project, that trust is taking shape. Sebela has built desks, plant stands, coffee tables and beds. He’s created cutting boards, wine racks and knife stocks. Furniture is his bread and butter, but the aforementioned Fender guitar is, in his eyes, “the best thing I’ve ever built.”

Today, Sebela has designs on bigger, more classic projects. His dream build? A traditional church door, hand-carved in the 17th Century French tradition. 

“I remember looking at those as a kid with my dad,” he said. “I can imagine doing that someday.”

His dad, who has passed away, got him into woodworking, but it’s his mom to whom Sebela attributes his positive attitude and energy. And even though he didn’t like dust, when he reflects on his life journey, Sebela is grateful that he’s making a living doing what he loved doing as a child.

“I’ve always wanted to be in the forest making things out of wood,” he said.

Bob Covey// bob@thejasperlocal.com