Richard White, Wood Artisan

 

For Richard White, happiness is spending time in a small woodworking shop next to his home on Weber Street in Richwood.

The shop is a great place for solace. It sits a few feet at the tree line of a forested mountain, within earshot of cold mountain water crackling over rocks in the Cherry River. Sunlight streams through windows along one side of the building's length to bathe the walls in a bright glow.

Richard, a 1957 graduate of Richwood High School, has spent countless hours in his shop during summers and winters, surrounded by sanders, grinders, saws and other woodcrafter's tools. Music from a satellite radio keeps him company.

Using those tools, his keen eye and demanding standards, he has crafted desks, cabinets, bed frames, toys, and other items for his home, his child, grandchildren, and friends. The lustrous finishes beg for a passing caress of admiring fingertips.

His jewelry boxes delight the eye. For the last three years, he has focused on crafting unusual jewelry boxes fit for a princess of any age. Woodworkers know them as bandsaw boxes because, what else, a bandsaw is used to cut them into their basic free-form shape.

Richard's boxes meet the demanding quality standards of Tamarack, West Virginia's showcase for state artisans in all crafts, near Beckley. Tamarack has sold his products for about three years. He also sells boxes himself at the same price, about $400, Tamarack charges.

A jury of the state's top crafts people must approve Tamarack sellers. The jury accepted Richard's sample immediately. Tamarack officials say they can sell all the jewelry boxes he can produce.

Richard makes several styles of boxes from walnut, cherry, mahogany, oak and other woods. Each piece is hand sanded and finished. He puts his name on the inside the cabinet for each box.

Considering the time and cost for making a box, "I probably end up earning about ten cents and hour," he joked halfheartedly.

Woodworking a hobby, not a job. "This is a hobby for me, and I want it to stay that way," Richard said. "I retired from one job and don't want another one." He retired five years ago as an equipment operator for the West Virginia Dept. of Highways. Before that he worked for Island Creek Coal Company at a surface mine.

Richard has been a part-time wood craftsman since the early 1960s. He made most of the furniture for the house he and his wife, the former Billie Bennett, RHS Class of 1960, call home. Billie retired recently after 40 years with State Farm Insurance in Richwood.

They have lived in Richwood all their lives except for a two-year stint in Pennsylvania. Richard made most of their household furniture, including an oak roll top desk, cabinets, bed frame, gun cases (used for other things now), corner cabinet and blanket chest.

Of course there were toys for daughter Debbie and her children. His favorites include a rocking horse and small table-and-chair set. He has sold copies of those items to friends. He does not take special request orders for individual items people want him to build.

He started making the boxes after seeing examples in wood craft books. "I wanted to make something people could walk in, pick up and walk out of a store with," he said.

Richwood has long been known for its forest products. Richard is helping spread that reputation with his beautifully crafted jewelry boxes.

Christmas tree ornaments are Richard's latest product.

These are a few of the many ornaments he produces. Each is unique in its combination of woods and design. H uses no stains to color the wood. He sells them through Tamarack, West Virginia's showcase for state crafters, near Beckley.

Richard made this four-drawer jewelry box out of oak. The box is 6 inches high by 14 inches wide.

This six-drawer walnut box is 13 1/2 inches high by 16 inches wide.

Richard made this oak roll top desk to serve as Billie's work center. She wouldn't open it for the camera.

Richard has made a house full of furniture and countless toys using basic woodworking equipment like this router.

Billie's brother Joel built Richard's shop while he was between jobs and Richard was working full time. Richard says if you are going to build a shop, build it as large as you can because you outgrow a small one quickly.

Though not a woodworker herself, Billie is the inspiration for many of the products Richard makes. Translated, that means she tells him what she wants him to make.