About Us 

A middle-aged man and woman smiling outdoors in a wooded area. The man wears a dark zip-up hoodie, and the woman wears a red and black plaid shirt. They are close together, with the woman’s hand resting on the man’s chest.

Whittled began long before it had a name.

Ken Norman was first introduced to woodworking in 1970, when two years of junior high wood shop gave him enough confidence to build a one-of-a-kind pool table that sold for $400 at the school fair. That project sparked a lifelong love for making things out of wood.

Ken and Nicky married in 1995 and soon became a family of five, raising daughters Caetlyn, Carly, and Cameron. For years, the dream of building a woodshop stayed close by. Ken collected tools, took on small projects when time allowed, and kept imagining what might be possible someday.

In 2020, while the world slowed down, Ken and Nicky decided it was time to invest in the woodworking dream. Ken discovered CNC carving, a craft that brought together his 35-year career in IT, his engineering mindset, and his rediscovered love of wood. After hundreds of hours learning the process, Whittled grew into a veteran- and family-owned wood carving business here in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Our mission is simple: create beautiful hardwood pieces that honor people, mark meaningful moments, and become lasting reminders of the places, service, faith, and family stories worth remembering.

We love working with clients on one-of-a-kind custom designs, and we also offer finished pieces through our online shop. Our catalog includes hardwood maps, military tributes, faith-based carvings, serving pieces, wildlife designs, and gifts that can often be personalized with names, dates, or other meaningful details.

We also create seasonal pieces throughout the year for occasions like Valentine's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and other meaningful moments. Check back often to see what's new, or join our newsletter to hear about new releases first.

Check out our full list of products.

Shop Our Products
Two people working in a workshop with electronic equipment; the woman in the foreground has long dark hair, glasses, a red and black checkered shirt, and is wearing headphones, while the man in the background has a shaved head, glasses, a gray jacket, and is smiling at a computer monitor.
An elderly man wearing glasses, a black jacket, and gray cargo pants operates a yellow DeWalt chop saw outdoors. The man appears focused as he cuts a piece of wood. The background features blurred trees and fallen leaves on the ground, indicating a park or forest setting.

FAQs

  • The answer to that question somewhat depends on the design, but the largest item we can currently make is 40” X 30” X 4”

  • First - we recommend only kiln-dried hardwoods as they work much better for detailed 3D carvings. We typically keep maple, walnut, mahogany, and cherry on hand but can use any type of hardwood you prefer (dependent on availability at our supplier)

  • Well, there are a lot of variables to this answer - items in stock will ship next business day. Personalized and custom orders will depend on how long the design process takes, how large / detailed the design is, and type of wood selected. As a general rule, you should expect 3-5 weeks for custom orders from receipt of your design to arrival at your door. These carvings have remarkable depth and detail, but it can take many hours, sometimes even days, on the CNC machine to create. Then, we make sure that finish we apply has had ample time to cure before shipping. We think of ourselves more like a crockpot than a microwave. It may take longer, but it sure “tastes” better!

  • Absolutely! While a sign would be a custom order, the carving process usually takes far less than a 3D carving. The only limit is the sign cannot be larger than 40” X 30”