January 2002 Woodworker of the Month

JANUARY 2002
WOODWORKER OF THE MONTH

David K. Eller of Las Vegas, NV

If you've never checked out the Sawdust Studios part of Woodworkers Auction
then you may have wondered if there really is a woodworker behind this site.
There certainly is, his name is Dave and I finally convinced him to be our
January Woodworker of the Month. He probably secretly just wanted to be
the one to introduce the New Year.

To the left you see where Dave spends most of his time, when he isn't busy being a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He's got his Master's Degree in Social Work, but he insists he's still working on his Master's in Woodworking. That's probably because he keeps finding new things to learn and try.

Dave spends as much time as possible in his shop. That's him at his chop saw. I might have convinced him to be Woodworker of the Month, but nothing could convince his to lose the hat. He says he and the hat have been through a lot together and it's all about character. I'm not sure if he meant himself or the hat. Probably both.
Dave's favorite wood is walnut and about a year and a half ago he found a stack that had been stored and allowed to age for 25 years. Really beautiful stock which he has almost used up already.

Not long ago, Dave was fortunate to be able to rescue a set of antique woodworking tools. A young man's Grandfather died, leaving a lifetime collection of quality woodworking tools. They've been lovingly cared for. But the Grandson, not being a woodworker, had no idea what to do with them other than to sell them. Thankfully this beautiful set fell into the hands of another woodworker.
Just to the left you see Dave using one of the vintage woodplanes from the collection and just above are more of the collection on shelves in Dave's shop. The set had chisels, gouges, planes, brace & bits, and assorted other pieces. Most were of British or Scottish manufacture.
One of Dave's very next projects will be to build them a home. A place where they can be displayed as the unique collection that they represent.

Dave began woodworking in 1979 out of boredom. He had ended up in the hospital and when he was released, he faced a long recuperation. In his Chicago apartment, he found some scrap lumber that someone had left behind. We all know that a woodworker can always see something in a piece of wood and Dave saw a miniature pool table. Once his friends saw the completed project they wanted one like it and were willing to pay for it, so Dave decided there might be something good to this woodworking thing. He also reasoned that if he could build miniatures, why not full size furniture? No one's been able to stop him since. For quite a few years he made his living at woodworking.
The talent for woodworking seems to run in the family. Dave's Uncle Jim was our September 2001 Woodworker of the Month. The table that you see Dave polishing, is the result of using his Great Grandfather's inlay techniques. You can see some of Grandpa's work and another of Dave's projects in the Amazing Projects section.
The jewelry box on the right was made especially for his daughter's graduation. He's very proud of her and she seems to be following a bit in his footsteps, since she is studying Interior Design.
Dave also has a son who is a craftsman who designs and makes Celtic and Gothic jewelry and medeival armor.

GO TO DAVE'S PAGE TWO TO SEE MORE OF HIS WORK

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