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Wood Central members and memories

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Wood Central members and memories

10/9/21, 3:15 PM #1

Alan Young
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Registered: 6/22/05
Location: Ypsilanti, Michigan

Wood Central members and memories

Alan Young

Tim Grief's post below regarding age got me thinking. I've been here all but 6 months of WC time online. I found it after reading all the copies of American Woodworker I could find. And I mean the good ol American Woodworker that Ellis and friends ran back in the 90's and earlier.

It wasn't just the "content" of that magazine but for me an indescribable way the information was presented. Fine Woodworking was certainly a top notch publication when I started this craft - maybe 1992? so I would have been about 33 yrs old. At the time FWW was filled with excellent articles featuring top notch furniture makers. But for me FWW had an "unapproachable" feeling every time I opened it's cover. That was in contrast to American Woodworker where every article was presented with a great combination of clarity and magic. I always felt I could conquer a task that before was either a mystery or simply too complicated. There was an incredible "warmth" to the photography which to my senses was contrasted by a distant coldness to the FWW settings.

And speaking of the early days of WC or at least earlier days- It's always interesting for me to look at the mug shots page---noting especially the "RIP" section.

http://www.woodcentral.com/newforum/wcusr1/mugs2.shtml

Sadly several more of those faces have moved on. I am reminded of one of this site's most genuine characters-George Dart aka "The Col"

"The Col" was a regular contributor to Wood Central. He was retired from the US Air Force and was the master of puns. Eileen and I had the pleasure of stopping by his home and shop in Philadelphia on a trip out east in 2009.

I was fortunate to get to see several pieces George had made for his home where he and his wife Kathy had raised "Only" ten children. (Quotes are from George and uh not Kathy :^)

George had a well equipped and well organized Shop. Two rooms allowed George to execute pretty much any type of woodworking operation he desired.

This is the Power tool room aka the "Norm Room"

George had all his major power tools mounted on lockable casters which allows maximum flexibility of operation.

He also set aside an extended period of shop time to construct individual wooden boxes for small power tools.

After scouting out the Power tool Room he had me take of my shoes and bow as we entered:

THE NEANDERTHAL SHRINE

Here is where George has all his hand tools and associated accessories. As I witnessed in the "Norm Room" -organization was clear, clean and an apparent joy to behold. It was a great couple of hours that went all too fast.

Re: Wood Central members and memories

10/9/21, 11:14 PM #2

Ellis Walentine
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Registered: 11/26/00

Thanks for the memories

Ellis Walentine

I appreciate your kind words about AW magazine. Those days really were a high point for me and the rest of our gang. Ah, the memories. That cover you showed reminded me of my epic interview with Jim Krenov, and the 45 pages of transcriptions I had to distill to edit that article, and the beers JK and I shared overlooking the Ft. Bragg harbor. It was a blessing to have been where I was when I was, and to have been part of the salad days of that magazine. I'm eternally grateful to my old friend David Sloan, who foresaw the possibilities and invited me along.

My fondest memories are of the community of woodworkers I was fortunate enough to become part of in those years. From superstars like Dunbar and Klausz and Odate and Kirby and Krenov to all the other practitioners, innovators, designers, and thinkers who brought so much to the craft and who so generously shared their knowledge and experience with us. The makers, the inventors, the purveyors of the finest hand tools and power equipment. The experts in so many related areas of the craft. And, maybe most gratifying, the friendships and working relationships with some of the most articulate and entertaining journalists in the woodworking field. We really had a ball, and I think a lot of that joie de vivre came through in those pages. Maybe that's the essence of the magic you were referring to.

When Rodale Press decided to sell American Woodworker, it was clear that it was the end of the line for our kind of book, not to mention the writing on the wall for print publishing itself. So, it seemed perfectly logical to me to make the evolutionary leap into the infinite possibilities of the world wide web. AW had been the exclusive woodworking provider to America Online in its ascendancy, and my experience with this new medium convinced me that big changes were coming in the publishing world, so I grabbed my hat and took the leap. Jim Cummins, rest his soul, formerly associate editor of Fine Woodworking and a stringer for AW, was practically beside himself when I invited him aboard, and that's not easy for someone 6'-6" tall. The rest, as they say, is history.

What a history it has been. The endlessly entertaining Colonel Dart was but one of the amazing personalities who have brought their wisdom and good cheer to these pages over the past 23 years. You all are among them, too, and I'm grateful for your continued participation.

When I can't sleep at night, I think of where I'd like to steer this ship if I were 50 again. The world is a different place and woodworking plays a different role than it did forty or fifty years ago. The old road is rapidly fading. For now, let's keep up the conversation and enjoy the present. There are still a lot of stories to tell.

Ellis Walentine, Host