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55605 "J.DAVID WACHNICKI" <shaves@n...> 1999‑01‑07 Bio and Hello
Hello. My name is Dave Wachnicki.

I feel as though I am writing to many friends. Some of you may already
know me through Mike Dunbar"s chair classes, my "Make a Shave with Dave"
classes or my other handtool classes. At the suggestion of Patrick
Leach(who wondered why I was not on the list and thought that I may have
something to contribute), I have subscribed and now submit my bio.

I am a professional woodworker who was sidetracked for a decade
practicing dentistry. I grew up in a woodworking family in Connecticut,
myself being a fifth generation woodworker. I cannot remember a time
when I was not in a shop or working with wood(cabinets, arch-millwork,
boats). I learned cabinetmaking at an early age but spent most of the
time watching, helping or endlessly sweeping up the shop. My dad
discouraged me from going into woodworking as a business. Later, after
many years in his own woodworking business, he left to work as a
restorer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I went on to
college (St.John'sU-NY), then dental school (University of Connecticut).
I practiced general dentistry and occasionally taught clinical dentistry
at my alma mater. (I did make all the cabinets in my office.)

Shortly after graduating dental school, I attended one of those
travelling woodworking shows to see classes and products. Growing up
with the concept of woodworking as a means of putting food on the table,
I thought it curious that so many in attendence were interested in
woodworking as a pastime. I was familiar with taking continuing
education classes for recertification in dentistry, but in
woodworking-now that was a novel idea. Classes in something fun! I came
to realize that my training in woodworking was that of the ages-old oral
tradition where the apprentice learned beside the master. Fortunately
today, woodworking classes and discussion forums provide the necessary
information and exchange of ideas allowing interested persons to learn
and enjoy this activity without apprenticing oneself out or reinventing
the wheel.

Several years into my practice, I had an untimely encounter with
gravity. I fell off a roof. The recovery time allowed me to reflect on
lifestyle changes. I moved with my family(wife and daughter) to New
Hampshire. On one Christmas, my wife presented me with a gift
certificate for a chair class with Mike Dunbar. Life was about to change
as I rediscovered woodworking in the form of Windsor chairs. (It was
also a good thing that my wife had a decent job.)

After sackback (chairmaking 101), I took several advanced chair classes
at Mike's shop and enjoyed returning for the reunions with classmates.
During the next year, I would stop by the shop and visit to either help
out, show off new projects, see the guys or talk chairs. A lot of fine
people pass through those classes.

I became involved with wooden spokeshaves at these chair classes. This
interest led to many a spokeshave being bought, sold, collected,
repaired, restored and fashoned new from antique cutters. From these
classes I also became interested in designing and building Windsor
chairs and settees patterned after the Philadelphia style. Two of my
chairs appeared on covers of Mike's "The Windsor Chronicles" (Philly
highback-vol.2,no.4; Philly highchair-vol.3,no.3). These may still be
seen online somewhere in the American Woodworker archives.  In another
issue of "The Windsor Chronicles" (vol.3,no.4), I published an article
on how to make duplicate turnings look hand turned.

One day Mike and I discussed holding a class on making wooden
spokeshaves using the patterns and process I had worked out. Here,
students would make a spokeshave that they would then use in their chair
class on the following day. We ran a trial class and Mike was so
impressed (He was also a student in that class-talk about pressure!), he
dubbed me the "Shah of Shaves". Being a modest guy, I accepted the title
with some embarassment. This popular class became known as "Make a Shave
with Dave". This class was the basis of my article in American
Woodworker (#67) on making a spokeshave. Many galoots out there have
attended a "Make a Shave with Dave" class to learn the process,
including the "list legend", John Gunterman. Other hand tool classes I
developed and taught at Mike's shop were: Sharpening(scary sharp), Hand
plane workshop, and Carving for Windsor chairs.

For the past two years, I have had the honor and privilege to work and
teach chairmaking beside Mike during his regular scheduled classes.
Assisting in these classes and meeting the students from near and far
was a great and unique experience. A highpoint for me was collaborating
on the design and development of the sackback settee class.

The next year holds some personal changes. I intend to be a frequent
visitor to the Mike's classes but I will not be available to teach full
time. I have become sidetracked on my way to building Windsor chairs, as
have other chair class alumni. A classmate and good friend, Fred Emhoff,
also started out wanting to build chairs but has become busy making
spoon bits and tapered reamers. For Fred, a few requests turned into an
avalanche. (He occasionally takes a chair class just so he can make a
chair.) I am keeping busy making my reproduction wooden spokeshaves and
teaching my  woodworking classes. It pleases me to have made so many
spokeshaves for professional and recreational woodworkers. Proud owners
of a Dave's Shave include Mike Dunbar, Leon Robbins(Crown Tool), Dan
Faia(Instructor-North Bennett St. School)and many galoots. Even Norm has
one. Yep. Norm's shave, however, has an electrical cord attached to it.
(This was presented to Norm as a gag gift when he was at Mike's shop
taping a segment on steam bending for the "New Yankee Workshop".)
Currently I am in the process of scheduling my classes for the coming
year and will be happy to post the dates as they become available. For
now, you may visit me at my new website:   www.ncworkshops.com

Respectfully submitted,
Dave Wachnicki



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