April Art Display: Sawdust for Sanity
Calling all bird overs! Stop in and treat your eyes to some beautiful, unique handcrafted birdhouses and birdfeeders by local craftsman, Dann Becker at our Kingsville Branch for the month of April.
Dann has donated one of his birdhouses for a draw being held in branch!
“My Grandfather had a well-equipped hobbyists woodworking shop in his basement. My brother and I spent many hours down in that shop with Grampa Seebach, pounding nails into scrap wood and with our Grandfather’s guidance, we learned how to use his woodworking hand tools.
“Many years later, now based in London, my partner Mary Lou and I retired, I had promised her that upon our retirement, we would re-locate to a town closer to her family in Windsor. We chose Kingsville, moving here in July 2022 – and we love it here. Kingsville, as you know, is located on a major bird migration route.
“My retirement gift to myself was a complete set of modern woodworking shop tools. Somehow over all the years past, I have managed to keep a dozen or so of my Grandfather’s hand tools. I still use some of them today. We get a lot of enjoyment feeding the birds through the winter and also from watching the young fledglings grow and take flight each spring.
“I started building birdhouses and feeders at the start of COVID for something to do. My first creations were quite simple, little more than 7 or eight pieces of wood jointed together.
“Today, 157 birdhouses later, I try to incorporate a different wood working technique or idea into each new birdhouse that I construct.
“Many of my creations now contain between 75 and three hundred individual pieces of wood joined together using procedures found in fine furniture construction.
“With each new build, I continue to practice and refine the skills that my Grandfather taught me 60 years ago. Sometimes, I swear, that I can feel his hand guiding mine when I grip one of his planes or chisels and slid it across a piece of wood.
“Please contact me if you would like a custom crafted birdhouse or feeder for your yard.
Dann Becker – Retired, Hobbyist Woodworker, Crafter of Birdhouses and Birdfeeders
