About Ron Anderson

Born into a family of woodcraft men in beautiful rural North East Missouri, I was helping my father (Well known furniture designer & builder Don Anderson) and Grandfather (Hugh Anderson, also well known furniture builder) in their shop as soon as I was tall enough to reach the tools. They were master craftsmen, making the most beautiful furniture, mantle clocks, grandfather clocks, and many other items. I was always and still am in awe of their talents and abilities. Whenever they would make a mistake, or find a flaw in the wood, they would say “This is an opportunity, not a problem. If you can’t fix it, feature it.” They would then come up with a way to highlight that area with a carving or molding.

After a few years in the Army, I have been working and turning wood for about 50 years. During that time I have sold pieces to universities, galleries, and individuals in all fifty states and more than thirty eight countries around the world.

I have continued the family woodcraft tradition and almost exclusively build fiber working tools. I try in my own humble way to continue to contribute to my family's traditional art, creating my own wooden pieces. I build wooden geared clocks as a hobby.

Origins of Fancy Kitty

In 2001, my wife and I decided we were going to build spinning wheels. So, we proceeded to take spinning lessons from the local wool group. After taking the lessons, this person asked if I could repair her drum carder. I thought, "What the hey, I'll give it a shot!" and I took her ancient carder back to the workshop.

We did manage to repair/rework/rebuild the carder back into operational condition, and during this process I thought to myself, "I can build a better carder." That was the beginning of Fancy Kitty Products. Several thousand products and a multitude of wonderful customers later, we're beginning to think it wasn't such a bad decision.