WOOD Magazine – October 01, 2019

(^6) continued on page 8 WOOD magazine October 2019

SOUNDING BOARD

YOUR VOICE

As a woodshop teacher, I’m required to do all kinds

of professional development but none of it has

anything to do with woodworking. I think it’s good

for woodworking teachers to challenge themselves

and change up the projects. So, when I saw on

Instagram a guy named Jason Thelen, who makes

amazing hollow wooden stand-up paddleboards, I

called him and asked if I could come work with him

for a week to learn how to build them. He agreed,

and it was money well spent.

At the start of the school year, I showed my

classes the boards Jason builds, and they were

Hover your phone’s

camera over the smart

code to see video of

the students building

boards, or visit

woodmagazine.com/

paddleboards

From left to right, Alyssa Fiantaco, Andrew Johnson, Blake Felton, and Mateo Szpytek show off a few of the

stand-up paddleboards they and their classmates built in woodshop class at Henry Ford II High School.

excited! The students worked in small groups

designing and building the boards, and Jason has

been an excellent mentor to my program. We are

also building skateboards and snowboards; check

us out on Instagram @henryfordiiwoodworking.

The first board we built was donated to a suicide

prevention auction and it sold for $1,500. Another

of our boards went to Kristy Petrillo, host of HGTV’s

Cabin Reno show.

—Chris Davis

Henry Ford II High School

Sterling Heights, Mich.

Shop students build boards

Timely arrival, untimely departure
As a U.S. Marine stationed at MCB Quantico, Va., I’m
learning woodworking through a volunteer program
where we build shadow boxes, displays, furniture,
etc., from hardwood harvested on base. Dr. Todd
Holm, one of my mentors, runs the program.
On February 3 of this year, I received a copy
of issue 257 (November 2018), which contained
plans for the Contrasting Corners Dovetailed Box.
I’ll always remember that date, because my father
passed away unexpectedly that same evening. In
keeping with his wishes, my father was cremated,

so I built this urn for him using those dovetailed-

box plans as a guide. My box measures

7 1 ∕ 2 ×9^1 ∕ 4 ×11^1 ∕ 2 ". I used zebrawood for the sides

and walnut for the corners, and inlaid the letter

“M” in brass on the front.

This was a challenging piece, and I think it

turned out well. Our family is proud to have this

piece honoring my father’s memory, and I couldn’t

have done it without your help. Thank you.

—Capt. Joe Masini

Quantico, Va.