When a new child is born, many woodworkers will go out of their way to craft a cradle to hold the newborn. It’s seen as an honor and a privilege to build the first place where a new person can rest his or her head.

But, what happens at the end of that life? Building a coffin or urn to hold the remains of a beloved family member is no less of an honor or a privilege. And, just as with cradles, the woodworker’s imagination and sense of design can play a tremendous part in shaping that coffin.

Roy “Bud” Davis is a woodworker who truly takes this to heart. At his company, Bert & Bud’s Vintage Coffins, Roy builds classic, artistic and some way out there coffins for his pre-need customers.

For Roy, working with his hands is a family trait. “I come from several generations of people who worked with their hands. “My mother was an expert seamstress and also decorated wedding cakes and birthday cakes that rivaled those done by upscale professionals. Her father caned chairs and she had two brothers, one a master carpenter and the other a master cabinetmaker. On my father’s side, his father was a carpenter and his grandfather was a blacksmith. And believe it or not, my dad’s stepfather was an undertaker. But I can’t claim that I learned anything about woodworking from any of them.”

Roy’s first woodworking experience came in 1962 when he decided to build a cabinet to hold his hi-fi stereo components. While this was quite an accomplishment, he waited 30 years to get back into the craft. That’s when he started building half-scale coffins to commemorate the lives of lost family members. “While working on those commemorative coffins, I thought it would be a great idea to build my own coffin as a work of art and that led me to think, ‘well, why shouldn’t everybody’s coffin be a work of art?'”

Roy has yet to build his own coffin, but that hasn’t stopped him from building others. In fact, he started building classic ‘toe pincher’ coffins to sell to Civil War reenactors. “So far, I have sold only one to a reenactor,” he said, “but I have had a lot of clients who have ordered these for their own use.” And, no, Roy properly pointed out that the ‘toe pincher’ form isn’t just a European convention – it was the most popular style of coffins in the United States from colonial times into the Civil War.

Another event which has affected Roy’s business was the passing of Pope John Paul II in 2005. People around the world were moved by the solemn ceremony, and woodworkers were amazed by the austere coffin the Pope was carried in. “Who could pass up the opportunity to work on a piece with such simple but strong design?” In recent years, reproductions of the Pontiff’s coffin have accounted for about half of his sales.

While these time-honored designs have been a mainstay for Roy, some of his clients have requested interesting and unique designs. “I’ve done a beer bottle coffin for Maxim magazine that was offered as a prize in a nationwide contest; a steamboat coffin for a feature-length film for the Public Broadcasting system (it’s now owned by an actual Mississippi riverboat captain) a dollhouse coffin and a window seat coffin. I never want to shy away from a design or construction challenge.”

This bold design process also spills over into the cremation urns Roy builds. One design that truly stands out is a piece shaped like a martini glass. “It was made for the mother of a friend of mine. He and I had several conversations about her; he sent me photographs of her in her prime years and told me how she had been a prominent party hostess in Washington, DC in the 1940s and ‘50s. And, she loved martinis. That’s how the process usually goes for all of my urns and for the coffins, too.”

Many woodworkers might be anxious about building a coffin for themselves or their loved ones because they may not believe that they have the necessary skills to build such a specialized piece of woodworking. “A coffin is really just a big box. The joints have to be tight, construction must be sturdy, but the coffin should also look light and graceful.”

While Roy will build a coffin for any customer, the one thing he cannot do is provide coffins on very short notice. “If someone’s relative died suddenly, I wouldn’t be able to help them. I keep no coffins or urns in stock. A kit coffin or plain toe-pincher coffin takes 7 to 10 days to build. Some of the fancier ones can take a couple of months. I build the coffins one at a time in order of when the deposit checks come in. So some customers have to wait until I finish the orders ahead of them. Most often they only have to wait 2 or 3 weeks.”

To help address this pre-need requirement, Roy has built several coffins which can double as window seats, table bases or book shelves. A new model, built from the same style box as the Pope John Paul II replica, serves as a tall clock until needed needed for its intended purpose.

While some people may see this as a macabre practice, Roy considers it to be an honor to be part of the grieving and life memorial process for a family member. “A man described the funeral of his mother who was buried in one of my plain pine toe-pinchers. They filled her coffin half-full of aromatic red cedar shavings, placed her on them and covered her with a blanket made of her Irish clan tartan. Her grandsons carried her on their shoulders while a piper piped her to the grave. It’s very rewarding to play a small yet significant part in a beautiful ceremony like that.”

It’s been said that our youth are the greatest resource to build a strong tomorrow.  Just look into the bright, shining faces of a class of first graders and think what miracles of technology they will play a part in creating.

Unfortunately, for far too many of our young people, their futures look grim.  Raised in areas of the country where positive adult role models are hard to find, at risk youth can easily find trouble, which can rob them of the promise of their futures.  Instead of looking to their adult years with the promise of education and success, many may face prison as the lure of easy money through criminal activities steers them off course.

That’s where programs such as Living Classrooms Foundation’s Fresh Start can help get these kids back on track.  Living Classrooms, a Baltimore-Washington, D.C. based non-profit organization, helps youth achieve their potential by providing education and job training, using urban, natural, and maritime resources. The Foundation’s Fresh Start Program teaches carpentry and woodworking skills to serve as a springboard into improved academic skills, employability skills and sense of purpose and direction.

The program was founded in 1989 in cooperation with the Maryland State Department of Juvenile Justice.  Rather than arresting these youthful offenders, holding them in jail and retuning them right back to the same streets where they got in trouble in the first place Living Classrooms Foundation provided the space, tools, materials and – most importantly – the instructors to get the job done right.

According to Stephanie Region, Fresh Start’s Director, those staff instructors are the key to the program.  “The experience of our staff has traditionally varied over the years – we have had ex-military men as instructors from the Coast Guard and Marines, as well as artists and experienced woodworkers.  Currently our staff consists of men and women with art backgrounds and woodworking expertise, as well as experience in teaching and youth development.”  Region was quick to point out that the program doesn’t seek to merely supervise kids in a wood shop.  “It’s all about engagement with each student.  We empower them by putting them in charge of their success.  It’s tough for them at the beginning of the program, but they take to it quickly.  It’s always amazing to see these transformations.”

Members of Fresh Start are referred by Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services, and the training is rigorous.  The entire program takes ten months to complete, and exists in five stages.

•        Toolbox – In the first module, students build their own toolbox out of white pine, using only hand tools.  They become acclimated to the program and are introduced to the soft skills needed to succeed in the world of work.

•        Production – Students are trained in the safe use of stationary power tools.  They produce a line of outdoor furniture as part of a student-run business.

•        BOAT Building – Students are introduced to the business side of production.  They learn the basics of economics, marketing, and customer service.  Students also learn advanced computer skills such as website creation and maintenance, Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

• Work Study – This module focuses on part-time employment.  Students also complete activities preparing them for independent living and positive citizenship.

•        Internship – This module consists of full-time employment.  Students keep this job through graduation and beyond.

What happens after completion of the ten month program?  According to Region, “Fresh Start provides three years of aftercare and tracks data and statistics for all graduates during that period.  A testament to the relationship built between Fresh Start staff and our students is the fact that our graduates – even students that didn’t graduate for various reasons – keep in contact with us well beyond three years.”

The Fresh Start Program’s statistics are exceptional, with 75% – 82% of graduates still employed or continuing their education at the end of the three year period, and fewer than 13% of the graduates finding their way back into the justice system.  It’s not just citizenship and carpentry skills that are taught, either. Reading, math and writing scores also show an average of a grade and a half improvement at the end of the ten month program.

The results have been so impressive, in fact, that in December 2007, Living Classrooms Foundation received a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to replicate Fresh Start in two new locations.  In July 2008, Fresh Start opened a new site in East Baltimore and another in Washington D.C., and the new students keep on coming.

The bond between the program and its graduates remains very strong.  Stephanie cites that even graduates of the original 1989 class will drop in to say ‘hi’ or call looking for old instructors.   “More recent graduates will call to invite us to their weddings or housewarming parties when they move into their first apartment. That’s what it’s all about – establishing positive relationships that foster patterns of success and improved interpersonal relations. For many students, Fresh Start is the first place where anyone really believed in them – and the first time they believed in themselves. They never forget that and we don’t either.”

The Fresh Start Program gratefully accepts donations of tools to help keep the shop running.  Of course, given limited budget and transportation resources, Fresh Start asks that any donations be for small tools that can be mailed, or that arrangements be made to deliver larger tools in good working order.

New York City is known as the City that Never Sleeps. The incessant lights, activity and electronic chatter could lead one to believe that NYC is constantly on the move, flying away from tradition at warp speed.

If you think that’s all that’s at the heart of the Big Apple, you would be terribly mistaken. Find a good deli that makes its own pastrami the old-fashioned way. A green grocer sacking tomatoes and other fresh veggies on a street corner. And, after seeing the sights, be sure to stop in at Tools for Working Wood.

“What’s that?” you ask. Well, Joel Moskowitz, the owner of the tool shop in Brooklyn, owns and operates a company that’s moving forward by looking back. Back on April 1, 1999 – no, it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke – Joel opened the shop and started offering some classic tool designs for sale to the regular woodworker. Today, the company he founded is closing in on its tenth anniversary.

The company’s world headquarters is located in the Bush Terminal Market – a giant warehouse facility built in 1907 to service the Brooklyn docks. Now also known as Industry City, it is home to lots of warehouses and a fair number of woodworking shops. The surrounding area is known as Sunset Park and is also on the edge of Green Wood Cemetery – which is considered one of the most beautiful historic cemetery parks in the nation. Joel even gives direction from the local subway line. Just take the D, M, N or R line. And, don’t come too late. “The freight elevator stops running for the lunch hour and at 5 p.m. If you are still in the shop, you’ll have to walk down the stairs to get out.

Tools for Working Wood focuses on offering a core of high-quality tools for sale to woodworkers far and wide. “Sure, we stock the Festool line and some other power tools, but we love to carry the hand tools. We are very happy to be in the hand tool revival movement.”

For a guy who started woodworking at the local ‘Y’ back when he was seven, Joel has a keen eye toward the history, design and function of classic hand tools. In 1996, he and a partner founded the online Museum of Woodworking Tools, an online showcase of old woodworking tools from shops across the country and the world. “I love the way these old tools look, feel in the hand and function. In many ways, they can work just as fast – or even faster – than power tools and give the user more connection with the wood.”

This love and appreciation for hand tools – honed through the museum and the countless books he has read and antique tools he has handled – helped spur the development of the Gramercy Tool line. For those of you not from the Big Apple, the tools are named after the Gramercy neighborhood, a quaint, historic residential district just down the street from the Empire State Building on the island of Manhattan.

In these tools, the true art of the tool makers is brought to life. Whether in the hand-forged heads of the hold downs, the sinuous curves of the bow saw or the gleaming blades of the dovetail saws, every detail is carefully considered before it gets added to the final tool. “We make the tools here in the USA, and in New York City as much as possible. Our recently-added line of high-quality finish brushes is made entirely within the city.”

While these works of art are appreciated by such notable woodworkers as Frank Klausz, the clientele doesn’t just contain the luminaries of the woodworking world. “You might be surprised with the range of woodworkers we work with. Sure, we have the masters who need a specific tool, but we also get lots of beginners just starting out and some average professionals who need high-quality tools to get stuff done fast.”

New York City is one of the oldest and most storied cities in the United States – craftsmen have plied their trade in the city for the past 400 years. When asked what working in this historically and culturally significant city, Joel answered, “It’s great! There is a core of high end professional shops that help support our efforts, museums and libraries to help with research and there is a wonderful pool of skilled labor. Also I think NYC has the best overall customer service on the planet so it’s easy to learn how to do customer service. OK, we may be far from perfect, but at least we have good local role models to try to copy.”

And, that kind of historic thinking and return to the roots of the craft is what keeps Tools for Working Wood surging ahead into their second decade

The router is one of those tools you are not sure that you will need before you buy it, then you wonder how you ever got along without one after you get it.  There are scores of tasks a properly equipped and skillfully handled router can tackle. Of course, discovering everything a router can do is frustrating trying to learn on your own.  It’s easier if you have a knowledgeable guide along to point out the pitfalls and steer you in the right direction.

Pat Warner is just the kind of person who can help you along the way. You see, Pat is a big fan of the router, and has found a number of good uses for the tool. It’s amazing, considering his first experiences in the craft.  “As a small child, I knew I wanted to build with wood.  Back in the second grade, I made two small chairs out of pine and a few nails.  Of course, this wasn’t during shop class – I had been ushered out for causing a ‘disturbance’ and there were no witnesses to the fact.”

Turns out that this child prodigy had to wait another 30 years before he got active again in woodworking.  While learning the ropes on his own, he got his first exposure to the router.  “It was 1972, and I got a Craftsman 1 HP router with a 1/4″ collet.  I was hooked, but surprised to learn that this tool could do a lot only with extra cutters, jigs and other fixtures.”

Today, Pat runs a successful commercial website offering sound advice and jigs for sale, as well as writing such books as The Router Book, Working with Routers and Fast, Easy and Accurate Router Jigs.  Pat designs and builds jigs that put accuracy and safety first.  “My jigs are designed to give incredible control to the routing process.  While there is always an inherent risk with any power tool, by using the tool properly and with great forethought, you can significantly reduce that risk while gaining tremendous accuracy.”

Jigs such as the four-faced tenoning jig which I built are very clever and well thought out.  Warner offers this and many other completely built jigs for sale on his website.  “If you are the kind of woodworker who would rather be building furniture than laying out and building jigs, check out my site.  I’m pretty sure you can find the jig that will do the task you need.”

It’s not just jigs with Pat.  You can buy a series of replacement base plates that can make your router more versatile, and Pat even offers one-on-one classes at his southern California workshop.  “Students love to come to the sunny workshop to learn all about routing.  It sure beats trying to learn about advanced routing techniques by yourself in your northern shop in the dead of winter…”  Pat also works closely with router and router bit manufacturers to help develop and test their new products before rolling them out to the public.

One question Pat gets frequently is about how a router novice should acquire bits. “There are two schools of thought.  The first is to buy one of those huge mega sets of 100 or more super-cheap offshore router bits and learn on those. Understand that you may become frustrated with the quality  and end up replacing the ones you use the most.  But, that’s OK – you will learn a lot.  The other is to buy high-quality bits one at a time as you need them. Sure, you may drop some big bucks on a very high quality bit, however, you will enjoy the results for a very long time.”

Does Pat believe that the router is the only way to cut any and all joinery? “Not at all.  In fact, if you are comfortable doing a particular task with another tool  – and you get great results – don’t change.  However, if you are constantly scratching your head wondering how to do something better, chances are that their might be a router-based solution that will help to make you a better woodworker.”

What does this router guru find to be the most enjoyable part of his job?  “Well, it would have to be creating a new and unique jig that helps solve a problem.  Oh, and then going out and building something neat with that bugger!”

I remember when I was doing a video about how to shutter windows with plywood before a hurricane approaches.  I was given a draft copy of the video while my mom was down on vacation.  As I showed the step-by-step instructions, my mom turned to me and exclaimed, “How do you expect anyone to do this?  No one has all those tools!”

Oh, sure, I was using some clamps to hold a 2 x 4 in place so I could screw it down as a brace, but most of the tools I was using, I picked up at the local home improvement center.

But, when I needed to do more involved work, those basics at the local big box just didn’t cut it anymore.  That’s when you need to turn to a true woodworking supply company.  One place I have had quite a but of success buying from is Eagle America, located in Chardon, Ohio.

I had the opportunity to ask a few questions of Tim Walter, the company’s vice president – and the son of the founder and president.  “We are a family company and everything can trace back to my dad, Dan Walter.  He has always been one of ‘those guys’ – you know, the kind of guy who can fix anything in the house.  He took his love of home improvement and woodworking and combined it with a little marketing savvy and determination, and here we are today, 20 years later.”

Dan, and his business partner and wife Linda, took a big risk starting this little company two decades ago.  With a  mortgage, two young children and a dream, Dan and Linda had to follow the woodworking expo show circuit to make their sales in those early days before a catalog and the Internet.  “I think the fondest memories for me of the startup were just being a part of something new.  My brother and I used to help stuff envelopes and put labels on mailings at the kitchen table at night.  I used to walk to the office after school to help in any way I could.  There was an energy there, an excitement, that made things fun to be a part of as a child.  It didn’t hurt that we also got to travel and occasionally miss school.”  Tim paused.  “Ah, the good old days!  The shows really were a blast.”

Today, Eagle America carries tools, accessories and other sundries for woodworkers of any talent level or interest.  “Production shops are an important part of our business as you can imagine but the majority of our customers are woodworkers.  They may be weekend warriors, beginners, experts, cabinet makers, finish carpenters, or people who simply play around in their shop.  We enjoy novice woodworkers and the questions that they ask as much as we enjoy more seasoned veterans who bring a different level of perspective and critique to what we do.  The sum of all woodworkers and the feedback that they give us make us who we are today.”

Eagle America spends a great deal of time evaluating all of the tools they sell to ensure that woodworkers approve.  “We have a lot of woodworkers on staff and they are all involved in the product evaluation process.  We even survey local woodworkers from time to time to get their opinions on products before we add them to our line.  Everyone out there should take comfort in this, knowing that someone at Eagle America who is an actual woodworker has seen, touched and used all of the products we sell.”

It’s not only the woodworkers on staff that come up with all of the creative ideas.  Eagle America even offers rewards for new product suggestions that are adopted, developed and sold through the store.  “Our customers are very creative and provide us with a number of excellent suggestions.  Not all of them can be turned into products that can be mass marketed but each suggestion is taken very seriously and those that are made into products tend to be successful.”

While Eagle America is one of those quintessential family businesses, the ‘family’ concept goes far beyond just those blood relatives.  “Our staff is fantastic. We are blessed with the talent that we have on our team. From our warehouse to our call center to our Outlet Store and woodworkers on staff, the majority of them have been with us for a while which means they can handle almost every question that is asked or problem that may arise.  We take pride in making the customer experience as easy and enjoyable as possible.  If we are not meeting people’s needs, we want to know about it so we can do it better the next time.  That mindset is a part of everyone here at Eagle America since we would be nothing without our customers!”

Even though, as with any business, the folks at Eagle America are there to make an honest profit from selling quality products, there’s nothing quite like the reward of seeing how they can help woodworkers turn their visions into successfully completed projects.  “That is one of the best parts of what we do, seeing the woodworks of art that our customers create.  They use our tools to create beautiful works of art, wonderful pieces of furniture, things that can become family heirlooms for generations to come.  They are used to create functional pieces that simply do a very important job, like making shelving or storage bins for a garage.  Our products are used to solve problems. They are used to express someone’s creativity. They are used to make an idea in someone’s head come to life.  That is amazing!”

Sometimes, a breath of fresh air is needed to keep everyone on their toes.

The American Basketball Association brought the slam dunk and colorful characters to the old guard of the National Basketball Association back in the 1970s.  The Kennedy Administration brought a new youthful exuberance to the formerly stodgy office.

And, new groundbreaking woodworkers continue to keep the craft vibrant and inspirational.  That’s one area in which woodworker Amy Devers shines.  You may know her from her home improvement shows on the DIY Network and The Learning Channel, but she’s far more than someone who can teach you how to spackle a hole in your wall.

Amy comes to woodworking through academics. While taking classes at a junior college and sharing a crowded apartment with four other tenants Amy was visualizing multi-function pieces of furniture that would allow some privacy in the cramped quarters.  “At the time, I had no idea that furniture design was even a field of study, but then I found out that San Diego State University had one of the best furniture design programs in the country. As soon as I heard the words ‘furniture design,’ a switch flipped in my brain, and I knew that’s what I had to do.”

With her degree from San Diego State  – along with an Associates of Applied Science degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a Masters of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Technology – Amy unleashed her creativity.  With her strong background in fine woodworking, joinery, metal work and upholstery, she has created some very interesting pieces developed from a combination of materials.  “Wood on its own is challenging, as you know. But any time you add new and different materials to the mix the technical and aesthetic challenges are much greater. Marrying diverse materials requires a greater deal of sensitivity to transitions, textures, and balance. Of course there’s an additional learning curve to working with the new material, plus there are the physical aspects of the different materials to consider.”

After working her way into TV on several home improvement shows, the DIY Network offered her the opportunity to work on her own woodworking show called Freeform Furniture.  As with any endeavor, a TV show can come with its own set of challenges. “What I love about TV, besides meeting great people and the kick-in-the-pants fun, is the ability to teach and share my passion with a much larger audience. Least favorite aspect? It’s like doing what you love but with a gun to your head. TV always needs it faster, cheaper, and simpler. Woodworking and TV have very different schedules. It’s a struggle to keep the highest standard of quality under those conditions, but I always do my best. Honestly, if I were just doing this as a hobby I would have the latitude to be much more adventurous in my design. TV just doesn’t have time for too much experimentation, so it’s a good thing woodworking is not only my profession, it’s my hobby!”

Now a celebrity among woodworking circles, Amy says she hasn’t yet lost the luxury of walking down the street without being mobbed by adoring fans.  Her family has been exceptionally supportive of her work, but her interest in woodworking did catch her family a bit by surprise.  “I’d always been into typically girly stuff – fashion, make-up, boys you know, the usual. I remember one Christmas I totally threw my parents for a loop when a cordless drill was #1 on my wish list, and high-heeled boots, and lipstick were demoted to #2 and #3.”

While the rigors of producing a TV show do take their toll, woodworking still holds its charm.  “I love the sound of a happy machine. I love sharp blades and chisels. I love the smell and feel of wood in it various stages of being manipulated. I love a nice tight fit. I love the moment of assembly, you know, when you can finally put all of those parts you’ve been working on for so long together and they become a piece. I love complicated jigs. I love cranking the music and singing while sanding. I love searching the pages of the McMaster-Carr catalog for that obscure but perfect piece of hardware. I love the a-HA moment when I solve a problem that’s been bugging me. I love blowing off the dust and cracking a cold beer at the end of the day.”

What does the future hold for Amy?  Her vision not surprising in the generation that has come of age with instant communication through the Internet is to keep an open dialogue with her viewers.  “I’m interested in how people are incorporating greener practices, and the resulting pros and cons. I’d also love to know what your readers would like to see on TV. Are they satisfied with the old guard of TV woodworkers? Are they interested specific techniques, materials, and styles? Also, I’d love, love, love to hear from people with green, creative methods of re-using or recycling saw dust!”

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Amy can be seen on the DIY Network’s DIY to the Rescue, Freeform Furniture and Blog Cabin. She is also a carpenter on the long-running TLC Network program Trading Spaces.  To e-mail Amy, contact her at mail@amydevers.com.