Giving back
Hopes Woodshop giving back to the local community in Pawtucket RI. We worked with BVCAP Youthbuild to teach their students about woodworking and sustainability.
BVCAP Youthbuild
Starting in March 2013 Hopes Woodshop was asked to participate as a volunteer organization to help educate the participants of the Blackstone Valley Community Action Programs (BVCAP) Youthbuild program. I didn't hesitate, and accepted the responsibility of meeting with these students every Wednesday for the next 9 months.
Hopes Woodshop was just getting off the ground. We had our first real shop, a collection of used machines, and just enough to make it work.
A view from the first woodshop located on Manton Ave in Providence RI
Sometimes in life you need to take a leap of faith and trust that your doing the right thing. Even though it was hard, money was tight, and we struggled I had faith everything was going to be alright.
And once I was able to start really teaching and educating the students something in me clicked. I realized that the time I was spending with the students was the most important piece for me and them. We were forging a relationship based on our interactions with one another.
Flattening boards on the Planer for a tabletop
There was a profound message that I received after working with this group from Youthbuild. That message was "go out and do your best to educate the local youth with whatever you can and however you can. It can be something as simple as making an ornament that they can give to friends and family.
Hopes Woodshop ornaments
During our time together they:
- Learned the techniques and process of building tables
- Built cutting boards and ornaments
- Learned how to flatten and square up boards
- Built tops for desk donations
- Learned how to install vinyl replacement windows
- Visited the sawmill to see where our lumber comes from
It was a great time and we look forward to seeing each and everyone of them finding success now that they have finished the program!
Sliding barn door made from Black Walnut
Sliding barn door made from Black Walnut. Custom installation for home remodel in Rhode Island.
The search always starts at the Sawmill for me. Here you can see a fairly large amount of Black Walnut, all of which is from Coventry RI. The barn door was made from two large boards on the far left. We resawed one of the boards down to 3/4", which became the panel. The other board was ripped down the middle and cut into 4 separate sections to make the frame of the door.
By using the Festool track and router we are able to safely and accurately cut tight fitting panels.
Once everything is resawed, milled down to size, and square we are ready to glue everything together.
Here is a photo of the door installed. We used a black walnut header which we mounted the rail to. This gave us the structure and the style that we were looking for.
This hardware was purchased by the customer from http://www.realslidinghardware.com and their are many options to choose from. I found that these wheels were very quiet and would work well in many homes. If you are in the market for a sliding barn door and would like to learn more about pricing please feel free to contact us via out website. A special thanks to Nico over at www.thenicoworkshop.com for his help on this project as well! I may be big and strong but I cant do everything alone:)
The first post...
For those of you that have worked with us in the past, you have noticed we have a new website. For those of you who haven't worked with us, this is exciting!
We will be showcasing our work on this site that is complete and those pieces that are for sale. So please be sure to bookmark our site so you can keep an eye on our design.
Stay tuned for more in 2014...
Cheers,
Marc