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Here's My Woodworking!
By Ross Roepke
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I’ve built over 250 pieces of furniture and an unknown number of boxes from off cuts in the past 24 yrs since retirement.
I got started at 8 yrs old building a wagon out of parts for an old swing and an old wagon. I took manual training in HS and built several items. Then I made my own tablesaw from a motor, mandrel and plywood and was able to build simple pieces for our early home. Next, I bought a used Mark V Shopsmith on my military pay and built second generation furniture for our home. Then, over the years, I accumulated a shop in my garage and started building nice furniture for our home and for our church where I was head of the building committee. I built church furniture and accessories because we were short $50,000. I was able to provide almost all of the items that we were short.
After I retired at 68, I built furniture for my children who were setting up their homes, cabinetry for a daughter's business and more furniture for our church. I've also been making gifts for charity auctions for the past 20 years. Typically they bring $400 to $1000. I try to do this for 4 or 5 charities per year. I have won two civic awards and have gained some acclaim as a woodworker in town.
I'm an engineer and build furniture without drawings. Sometimes I have to make sketches to see how parts are to fit and develop a sequence. I establish the size of the piece of furniture and build the pieces to fit. I may start with a photo in a magazine or catalog. I normally build a piece of furniture in a week. I have some elaborate pieces that have taken a month.
Now, I only build small projects like boxes, small tables and accessories, like a step stool and jewelry box that I made for an upcoming charity auction.
I read several magazines for ideas. They provide lots of pictures of furniture and methods. My favorite is
Fine Woodworking
and I have built several of the items pictured in it. I seldom reproduce precisely but get ideas and concepts from them. I'm artistic but not really an originalist. I know what I like.
I've had a great life building furniture. I'm in a club, Tennessee Valley Woodworkers. Most have taken up turning or carving so there aren't many who build furniture any more. I've had to refuse to become a bowl turner in order to remain a furniture maker.
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