By Cynthia McFarland
Woodworkers Band Together, Sand Together for Charity
The hum and buzz of saws and other tools is music to the ears of the Plantation Woodworkers. The club, formed in The Plantation at Leesburg in 2009, averages 85 members — men and women.
Members use their skills to make all manner of wood items from charcuterie boards to furniture, bowls and much more.
“We try to help the community and have made signs and repaired benches. We also donate to various charities. We made cutout figures for the Camp Boggy Creek Gang and made doll cradles for Toys For Tots. Those are our two main charities,” club president Tom Kaderly says.
The club offers a virtual woodworker’s paradise — a fully stocked workshop and a 38-foot trailer with more tools.
“The club started so members who only had a few power tools at home could use a full workshop of tools, including some that many people wouldn’t own,” Tom says. “Everyone goes through a refresher course to be sure they’re safe on all equipment. Once they’re qualified, members can use the workshop anytime.”
George Kelly has lived in The Plantation for 32 years and been a club member since 2017.
“I like the patience required and that when you get done you have something to show for it,” he says.
George, a skilled woodworker, does safety demonstrations for using tools and also teaches members how to turn wood on a lathe—a machining tool used primarily for shaping metal or wood by rotating the workpiece around a stationary cutting tool.
“Last winter, I had seven students for the lathe,” George says. “I start them off building small projects. Then I’m around if they have questions.”
George is an integral member of the club.
“George does an excellent job of teaching turning. Part of the club is that we help one another,” Tom says.
“I do a lot of wood turning; George Kelly was my mentor,” says Barb Strewler, who joined the club in 2020 during the pandemic when it was the only club open in The Plantation at the time.
Barb enjoys making bowls and charcuterie boards with natural edges. Her typical routine includes going to the workshop several times a week.
In addition to making picnic tables and signs for the community, Barb notes that club members often fix pieces for other residents, such as turning a new spindle for the leg of a cherished stool.
Photos: Nicole Hamel
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"I fell in love with words early on and knew from fourth grade that I wanted to be a writer,” says Cynthia McFarland. A full-time freelancer since 1993 and the author of nine non-fiction books, her writing has earned regional and national awards. Cynthia lives on a small farm north of Ocala; her kids have fur and four legs
