Tafel began his career as an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin along with Wesley Peters, John "Jack" Howe and Abram Dombar, among others. Tafel was considered the "unofficial guardian of the Frank Lloyd Wright School", despite the rift that had developed between Tafel and his late mentor when Tafel, after a 9-year residency, left Taliesin to pursue his own work and family. Tafel worked on several of Wright's most famous projects including Fallingwater, Wingspread, and the Johnson Wax Headquarters.