A Community of Wood Enthusiasts

In my last blog post, I expressed my appreciation of wood and fine woodworking. The Museum’s winter exhibitions Boxes and Their Makers, and Think Inside the Box close after this weekend and we then shift our focus to the world of children’s book illustrator James Gurney’s Dinotopia where dinosaurs and humans live side by side. But that’s another blog topic.

As the wooden box exhibitions come to a close, I’m impressed by the public’s embrace of the exhibitions and appreciate the support and programs provided by the Wisconsin Valley Woodturners and other area woodworkers.

On Sunday, January 8, author and Wausau native Mark Duginske gave the first of his three programs that focused on band saw techniques and his portable lumber mill operation. Duginske shared tips on how to maintain and tweak the band saw to get its best performance. He discussed the use of jigs that he had made for the band saw to aid his craft. Many of the tips he discussed are found in his latest book, The New Complete Guide to the Band Saw one of nearly a dozen books and numerous magazine articles he’s written about woodworking.

Mark’s presentations proved so popular that we asked him to give a third program after receiving a call from an Auburndale high school teacher who asked to bring shop and art students to tour the exhibitions and hear Mark speak. In all, nearly 150 visitors came to the Museum for Mark’s programs. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised, given the rich history of lumber and woodworking in Wisconsin.

Before we shift our focus away from wooden boxes, I want to thank Mark Duginske, Roger Zimmermann, Pat Peckham and area artists who contributed to the exhibitions and the many programs. Their participation helped create a community of like-minded woodworking enthusiasts. It’s been great fun, and I look forward to opportunities to work together in the future.