Meet the Family Behind Naylor Woodworks
Two people, one crazy dream, and a whole lot of sawdust.
We're Chris and Tammy Naylor, the husband-and-wife team behind Naylor Woodworks LLC, nestled in the beautiful mountains of Hancock County, Tennessee.
Our story didn't start in Tennessee, though. It started in New York — or as Chris affectionately calls it, "New Yorkistan."
How It All Started
For as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted out of New York. I wanted wide-open spaces, freedom, a little more conservative way of life, and enough land that if someone wanted to find me, they'd have to put some serious effort into it.
Then life introduced me to Tammy — the love of my life, my partner in crime, my biggest supporter, and occasionally known as "Tammy Poopy." Don't ask. It's an inside joke, and she's probably going to kill me for putting that on here, truth being told, she finds it more hilarious than I do.
Together, we raised our blended family, built a life, and started dreaming about what came next. We traveled through several states looking for that perfect place to eventually call home, but something always kept bringing us back to Tennessee.
We traveled down to look at some properties, including one we'd been discussing with a local realtor. Unfortunately, that property was already under contract — something our realtor hadn't quite had the heart to tell us before we made the trip.
The property we really fell in love with checked every single box. Beautiful, secluded, peaceful, and exactly what we'd been looking for. There was just one little problem — it was more than we originally wanted to spend. So, back to New York we went. Again.
Eventually, I told Tammy it was time to either shit or get off the pot. We moved some investment money around, called the realtor, and told her to make it happen — and make it happen fast. Within days, we had a signed contract. Tennessee, here we come!
When Life Changes the Plan
Originally, our plan was pretty simple. Buy the land, design and build our dream timber-frame home, work until somewhere around age 62, retire, and enjoy the mountains.
But life has a funny way of reminding you who's really in charge. Between 2017 and 2018, Tammy became ill and was eventually diagnosed with an incurable medical condition. Suddenly, retirement started looking a little different.
While Tammy might not have been dwelling on it, I certainly was. The thought of spending our healthiest years working toward a retirement that might not look anything like we'd imagined weighed heavily on my mind.
I started asking myself a pretty simple question: Why are we waiting to start living the life we've worked so hard for? That's when the idea of retiring early started becoming a serious conversation. Except our version of retirement wasn't exactly sitting on the porch drinking sweet tea.
It meant walking away from two good jobs, steady paychecks, security, and everything familiar to turn a little side hustle into a full-time family business. Sounds perfectly reasonable, right?
From a Hobby to a Full-Blown Obsession
With Tammy dealing with fatigue and the challenges of her illness, I found myself spending more time in the woodshop. And anyone who knows me knows that when I have time to think, things tend to get expensive.
What started with woodworking eventually led to a hobby CNC machine. I quickly discovered that I loved the creative side just as much as making the finished product.
Then came a small laser engraver.
Then more designs.
Then more customers.
Then more ideas.
And, naturally, more equipment.
Before long, our little hobby had grown into a shop equipped with a MillRight Power Route XL CNC, Thunder Laser Bolt Plus CO₂ laser, xTool F2 Ultra MOPA fiber laser, a commercial Hotronix IQ 360 hat press, and enough materials, hats, leather, wood, and other customizable products to keep the creative wheels turning.
What began as something to occupy my mind had become something we genuinely believed could support our next chapter.
Six Years in the Making
None of this happened overnight. We spent years planning, saving, dreaming, and wondering whether we were completely out of our minds.
Our timber frame home also had to be put behind us, with the change in plans, we knew a timber frame was to expensive, so we build a single story conventional home, around our timber frame design in Tennessee in 2021, built our new workshop in 2024, watched our youngest finish high school, and eventually sold our home in New York.
After years of traveling back and forth, we were finally ready to make Tennessee our permanent home. We traded the security of good jobs, familiar surroundings, and being close to family and friends for a chance to build something of our own in a small rural community we'd fallen in love with.
Was it risky? Absolutely.
Are we a little crazy? Probably.
Would we rather give it a shot than spend the rest of our lives wondering what might have been?
Every damn time.
Where You Come In
Today, Naylor Woodworks LLC is more than a woodworking and engraving business. It's our dream, our creative outlet, and hopefully our ticket to enjoying the next chapter of life together.
We love creating things that are different. Whether it's a personalized gift, a custom engraved hat, a patriotic design, something for the outdoorsman, or something with a slightly twisted sense of humor, we put our creativity and pride into what we make.
We're a small family business in a small Tennessee community, and we know that making this dream work depends on people like YOU.
Every order, every recommendation, every shared post, and every person who supports our business means more to us than you probably realize. You're not just buying something from our shop. You're helping two people who decided to take a chance on life, chase a dream, and see where the road leads.
From our family to yours, thank you for being part of our journey.
And if this whole thing doesn't work out, I've already told Tammy she'll have to start working the corner.
So please, folks... buy something. LET'S KEEP TAMMY HOME!
Shop Now— Chris & Tammy Naylor
Naylor Woodworks LLC | Hancock County, Tennessee
Big Dreams. Small Town. A Little Sawdust. A Lot of Heart.