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By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 10:28 p.m. EST, Nov 21, 2008
HUDSON: These are the tools of charity.
They're woodworking tools — saws and lathes, screwdrivers and sanders. In the hands of a small group of hobbyists at Laurel Lake Retirement Community, they're a means of giving to others.
The woodworkers recently used their talents to create benches for Keys Towers in Stow, an apartment complex for seniors operated by the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority. Now a couple of them are turning out toys for some of Summit County Children Services' littlest clients.
As Laurel Lake resident Dick Hein recalls it, the whole effort started with the renovation of the community's shared woodshop. Residents replaced outdated power tools, organized the equipment and installed a dust-collection system that carries away much of the sawdust.
''Once we got it fixed up, we said, 'Well, shoot, we've got to have projects,' '' Hein said with a chuckle.
A big opportunity presented itself in the form of a request for benches for Keys Towers. The idea was to place one outside each set of elevator doors so residents could sit or set down grocery bags and the like while they waited. The need came to Laurel Lake's attention through its participation in Second Wind Dreams, a national program that fulfills the wishes of seniors, said Susan Busko, Laurel Lake's director of wellness.
The Laurel Lake Foundation paid for the materials, and resident John Hocking took on the project initially. He modified bench plans he'd found on the Internet to fit the space and worked with the Stow Fire Department on the depth of the bench to make sure it wouldn't hinder emergency crews.
A series of delays dragged out the construction of the first bench, Hocking said. So after it was finished, he turned the project over to the shop's co-chairmen, Angelo DiMonte and Frank Green.
DiMonte and Green, both educated as engineers, focused their analytical minds on figuring out ways to streamline production. They built jigs to speed the process of cutting the lumber and to make the cuts more precise, substituted pocket screws for the more laborious process of gluing and clamping, and figured out a way to construct each bench in three parts that could then be assembled.
The two built the rest of the benches, with a couple of others pitching in on the finishing work. And with each bench, they tweaked the functionality and appearance.
''Each one was better than the other one,'' DiMonte said.
Thank you cards propped on a workbench in the woodshop are evidence of the Keys residents' appreciation.
''For the bench guys'' is written on an envelope. One card was signed by all the residents of a floor.
After the benches were finished, though, DiMonte needed another challenge. He knew about Laurel Lake's effort to cover a Christmas tree with hats knitted for youngsters in the care of Summit County Children Services, and he decided something needed to go under the tree, too.
He recruited Hein, and the two started building toys.
DiMonte's focus is making pine pull toys in the shape of bunnies, which bob up and down as they move. In true engineer's fashion, he's perfected the design, rounding the edges and improving the fasteners for the ears to make them more safe.
He's also teaching Hein how to use the lathe and helping him figure out how to make his own version of the classic ball-in-a-cup toy — a cup with a handle that's used to catch a ball on a string.
For DiMonte, the projects are therapy for the grief he's experienced since losing his wife, Mary, a year and a half ago.
After a lifetime of working with wood, ''I really don't need anything at home,'' he said. Instead, he likes working in the shop, doing maintenance and making improvements in addition to the charitable projects.
''This is my contribution,'' he said.
Green's motivation is similar.
''There are 168 hours in every week,'' he said. ''Our goal is to use at least some of them in a helpful session.''
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com.
HUDSON: These are the tools of charity.
They're woodworking tools — saws and lathes, screwdrivers and sanders. In the hands of a small group of hobbyists at Laurel Lake Retirement Community, they're a means of giving to others.
The woodworkers recently used their talents to create benches for Keys Towers in Stow, an apartment complex for seniors operated by the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority. Now a couple of them are turning out toys for some of Summit County Children Services' littlest clients.
As Laurel Lake resident Dick Hein recalls it, the whole effort started with the renovation of the community's shared woodshop. Residents replaced outdated power tools, organized the equipment and installed a dust-collection system that carries away much of the sawdust.
''Once we got it fixed up, we said, 'Well, shoot, we've got to have projects,' '' Hein said with a chuckle.
A big opportunity presented itself in the form of a request for benches for Keys Towers. The idea was to place one outside each set of elevator doors so residents could sit or set down grocery bags and the like while they waited. The need came to Laurel Lake's attention through its participation in Second Wind Dreams, a national program that fulfills the wishes of seniors, said Susan Busko, Laurel Lake's director of wellness.
The Laurel Lake Foundation paid for the materials, and resident John Hocking took on the project initially. He modified bench plans he'd found on the Internet to fit the space and worked with the Stow Fire Department on the depth of the bench to make sure it wouldn't hinder emergency crews.
A series of delays dragged out the construction of the first bench, Hocking said. So after it was finished, he turned the project over to the shop's co-chairmen, Angelo DiMonte and Frank Green.
DiMonte and Green, both educated as engineers, focused their analytical minds on figuring out ways to streamline production. They built jigs to speed the process of cutting the lumber and to make the cuts more precise, substituted pocket screws for the more laborious process of gluing and clamping, and figured out a way to construct each bench in three parts that could then be assembled.
The two built the rest of the benches, with a couple of others pitching in on the finishing work. And with each bench, they tweaked the functionality and appearance.
''Each one was better than the other one,'' DiMonte said.
Thank you cards propped on a workbench in the woodshop are evidence of the Keys residents' appreciation.
''For the bench guys'' is written on an envelope. One card was signed by all the residents of a floor.
After the benches were finished, though, DiMonte needed another challenge. He knew about Laurel Lake's effort to cover a Christmas tree with hats knitted for youngsters in the care of Summit County Children Services, and he decided something needed to go under the tree, too.
He recruited Hein, and the two started building toys.
DiMonte's focus is making pine pull toys in the shape of bunnies, which bob up and down as they move. In true engineer's fashion, he's perfected the design, rounding the edges and improving the fasteners for the ears to make them more safe.
He's also teaching Hein how to use the lathe and helping him figure out how to make his own version of the classic ball-in-a-cup toy — a cup with a handle that's used to catch a ball on a string.
For DiMonte, the projects are therapy for the grief he's experienced since losing his wife, Mary, a year and a half ago.
After a lifetime of working with wood, ''I really don't need anything at home,'' he said. Instead, he likes working in the shop, doing maintenance and making improvements in addition to the charitable projects.
''This is my contribution,'' he said.
Green's motivation is similar.
''There are 168 hours in every week,'' he said. ''Our goal is to use at least some of them in a helpful session.''
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com.
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