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Peninsula man fulfills lifelong dream of becoming woodworker
By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal
Published on Monday, Jun 30, 2008
PENINSULA.: Seventy-nine-year-old Grover Miller points to the shelves inside his woodworking shop, a converted red dairy barn.
There sit his latest creations, all built with painstaking, realistic detail in the past few months.
The 1929 Model A's rumble seat opens.
The bulldozer has working, movable tracks.
And the digging bucket on the backhoe goes up and down.
There are also a firetruck, pickup, tractor and semi. Even more vehicles, including model trains and a canal boat, sit among the miter, reciprocating saw, wood lathe, router, band saws and other tools.
These wooden, intricate masterpieces aren't for sale, though.
Miller — a man known for his generosity and public service in the village — gives them away. To his family. To the village. To nonprofits. To business associates.
''You could sell them for a fortune,'' he said during a recent visit to his workshop, behind his house along Riverview Road in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. ''I don't need [the money]. Giving them away is more fun than selling them.''
For about the past five years, Miller — a self-described jack-of-all-trades, former village councilman, one-time fire board member and current board of zoning appeals member — has spent a few hours a day working in his woodshop fulfilling a lifelong dream.
While growing up, he always admired relatives who were carpenters. So he promised himself that if he had enough money one day, he would buy woodworking tools and take up the hobby.
The success of the A-1 Concrete Leveling Co., which he founded more than 25 years ago and is now franchised in 26 states, afforded him that opportunity. So the one-time dairy barn became the woodshop.
First, he focused on furniture, including tables, a cherry dresser and a grandfather clock.
Now, he's moved onto model toys, with some so intricate in their detail that they are destined to be collectibles on display as opposed to being played with in a sandbox.
Asked how long it takes to build one of the models, Miller chuckled: ''I don't measure time. At my age, you're living on borrowed time anyway.''
Sometimes, he goes by patterns. Other times, he'll build a model through memory or a photo.
And even though his wooden models appear perfect, they don't always turn out that way.
''That's why we have a woodburning stove,'' he joked. ''It's a challenge to make a lot of these components.''
Miller is anything but a simple handyman.
A Navy veteran and mechanic by trade, Miller holds three U.S. patents — the latest for a leaf baler that attaches to riding lawn mowers.
The headquarters for A-1 Concrete are next door to the woodshop. His office there includes framed Akron Beacon Journal articles about the business, his patents and a photo of him during the Korean War.
Already, he has donated a model firetruck to the National Park in thanks for the park providing some land for the Valley Fire District. He also has built a train for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. And the canal boat is now at Village Hall.
With seven children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, Miller makes sure each receives some of his handiwork tailored to their personalities. The young kids often received rocking horses. The girls have received jewelry boxes.
''We are always waiting to see what we'll get for Christmas,'' daughter Lisa Marshall said.
Her house is filled with her father's work.
''He's always keeping his mind busy,'' she said. ''He's a thinker and he's a problem-solver.''
Village Mayor Richard Fisher recalled that he remarked one day that he'd like to have a canal boat for Village Hall, since Peninsula history revolved around the canal.
''And bingo, we got a canal boat,'' he said. ''He's a talented guy.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
PENINSULA.: Seventy-nine-year-old Grover Miller points to the shelves inside his woodworking shop, a converted red dairy barn.
Get the full article here.
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