2010-2015
With my retirement from full-time work at CCHIT in 2010, it was time to rewire — an opportunity to explore new pursuits and rediscover old ones. With my newly completed workshop ready, I immersed myself in woodworking, something I’d always enjoyed but never had the time and space really needed.
I started with smaller projects, such as bird feeders, cookbook holders, and jewelry boxes, then built my bandsaw skills by helping my grandson Ryan fabricate a custom subwoofer enclosure for his car. But before cutting up expensive furniture hardwoods, I needed more confidence in my designs. Fortunately, along came SketchUp, Google’s free computer-aided design (CAD) software. It was immensely satisfying to design a furniture piece in CAD, preview and refine its appearance on screen, then finally mill, assemble, and finish the project. There are some examples in the gallery below.