Village Squire, 1979-08, Page 30any kind of repair work and creates all
kinds of handy things.
When the children, Carolyn and Brian,
were small, he made a cradle for Carolyn
and a train for Brian. He also built a large
toy box. The lid of the box folded up and
the handle folded in. A side door allowed
the children to enter, and a drawer on the
other side acted as a step inside the box.
The children could sit on the step and play
with their small toys on the bottom of the
box. The toy box stood ,up to the demands
of two growing children and their friends
and is now being used by another family.
When Carolyn was in the hospital a few
years ago, Sam made a bed tray for her.
The lid opened to reveal space for crayons,
papers and books, and when the lid was
closed, she could work on the top. The legs
folded up, and on the side was a convenient
carrying handle.
The family enjoys camping, especially
since Sam devised a handy camping box.
The lightweight yet durable storage box
has a compartment for silverware and
space for dishes, pots and pans, matches -
all their camping needs.
To see all the furniture Sam has made for
the house takes a visitor into almost every
room. Seventy percent of the kitchen
consists of Sam's handiwork, including the
building of the cupboards. In the den is a
book shelf and room divider, which was
one of his first woodworking endeavours.
The den also contains ceiling to floor book
shelves and a round table, which are more
recent pieces of work.
The bathroom has a vanity with a
wooden frame around the large mirror. In
Brian and Carolyn's bedrooms are shelves
and desks, and Carolyn's room has a
window seat that conceals a heat duct.
Diane and Sam's room has a handmade
bed and night tables and a vanity with a
heart -shaped chair. In "Mom's room" is a
long work table for her typewriter, sewing
and other work. The guest room has a
small free form table, that has twelve
multiple angles and deviates from
traditional designs.
For other people, Sam has made china
cabinets, kitchen cupboards, spinning
wheels, three complete grandfather clocks,
children's toys, wall plaques and frames
for oil paintings. He also made 24 oak
spindles for a staircase bannister. using
three original spindles for a pattern, and he
repaired an antique bed made of cherry
wood. He also enjoys matching the wood
moulding in older houses.
In recent years, Sam took his small
wares to craft shows in Blyth and Saltford.
Some of the most popular items were
old-fashioned potato mashers for wall
decoration, earring bowls in various sizes
and all with lids, candle holders, ashtrays,
small plates, wall plagues. egg cups and
tops.
He will be too busy to attend craft shows
this year and will be forced to turn down
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28 Village Squire. August 1979
new jobs. Saying no is hard for him to do,
especially to "an oddball job that no one
else has been able to do."
"I like the challenge," Sam adds.
In spite of all he has done, there is one
thing he would still like to make - a violin.
He is now working on a seven
horse -power -windmill and is contemplat-
ing his largest project thus far - a
subterranean house. He hopes to attend a
three-day course in North Carolina this
summer on solar heating and subterranean
housing.
Through the years, Sam has collected
more than 40 different kinds of wood to
sustain his hobby including cherry, walnut,
maple. butternut. bird's eye maple and
rosewood. He also has maple from
Pennsylvania. In veneers. he has teak,
curly elm, bird's eye maple. walnut and
maple. He enjoys working with cherry.
walnut and maple. Although bird's eye
maple is tough to work with. it's one of his
favourites because it's not common.
He sometimes buys wood in rough state
or swaps with other woodturners. He tears
furniture apart and says he is always
bringing "some kind of junk home."
Among his collection are 75 year-old
sumac, walnut from two 75 year-old
organs and black willow. which is very
rare.
He can find a purpose for almost any
kind of wood. For example. he used wood
from a one -hundred -year-old well to make
a frame for an oil vaintine. The frame's
Continued on page 30
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