When Harold Lawrence is not at his computer working on another novel, you can find him working on one of many woodworking projects in his well-equipped backyard shop.
The former church minister explained he initially got involved in the venture after visiting a friend in LaGrange.
“He had just moved into the community with his wife and had a tiny lathe. He was making tops, and I said, ‘I never could do that, I wouldn’t know where to start,’” Lawrence recalled. “He said, ‘Sure you can,’ and he set a block of wood on there and said, ‘Start with that.’ That was in 2005.”
Lawrence wasted no time in setting out to explore the possibilities. He bought a lathe to get started, which led him to the conclusion he wanted to learn more than he had been shown.
“I started going to people who were more professional. I pretty much learned how to do this from people who did it vigorously and sold their stuff,” Lawrence said. “Many of them were very helpful. I learned techniques. I learned safety; you can get killed on one of these things if you’re not careful.”
Lawrence noted that when he retired from the ministry, he decided to build a woodworking shop using the same strategy he had used to learn his trade.
“I went to 10 to 25 people with shops,” the woodworker recalled. “I asked them ‘What do you like most about your shop? What would you change?’ And, I built one.”
Lawrence wanted enough space for his woodworking endeavors as well as storage of his literature and amenities that would be safe and efficient. As one example, the 30’X30’ building features waist-high electrical outlets, instead of at floor level.
“I’ve got self-contained heat and air units rather than air conditioning and heating. They’re in the wall,” Lawrence stated with a smile, “You know where I got the idea? Putnam General Hospital.”
Lawrence said he began by making bowls and studying wood, learning all he could about the woodworking system.
“It opened up a whole new doorway for a guy who never worked with his hands, except painting. I did paint some.”
Lawrence acknowledged he does not have the necessary educational or practical background for woodworking.
“I don’t have an engineering brain,” he admitted. “I’m not a numbers person. I can’t measure for a four-legged stool. I can make a three-legged one, because you can make it out of balance and it still works,” he added with a chuckle.
Lawrence said his desire to learn more about the woodworking trade is what helped him get to the point he is today, with so many different products in his shop.
“I just had this thirst to learn more and more and more about it,” he said. “In a few short years, I’ve gotten fairly decent with it. I ‘ve paid off this shop with it … and the books.”
Lawrence likened woodworking to writing, in one sense at least.
“There’s always something to learn in this kind of stuff. It’s like writing; there’s always some word that either has escaped you, or you have been using it wrong and didn’t know it.”
Turning to the results of his labors, Lawrence listed many items he has made over the years with his inventory of tools and equipment: vases, bowls, boxes, and ornaments, just to name a few. The ornaments include several types of small ones for Christmas decorations, all of which are for sale.
The woodworking artist illustrated various projects he has undertaken, including one with pieces of double-sided tape glued to little staves. Once it is rounded and every other piece of the tape removed, it collapses, with the result shown in the photo. Lawrence made it in 2005 and called it “The Lost Wood.”
To make the vast array of wood items requires a considerable amount of equipment, as well as a huge number of tools. Lawrence confirmed “the biggest expense is the tools,” and estimated he has spent more than $10,000 on them.
The results, though, speak for themselves. Lawrence demonstrated how a top is made from a block of wood and 15 minutes later he had converted a small block of wood into a perfectly configured top that will spin for more than a minute. Refer to the QR code to watch the video.
Lawrence took the top from the lathe, set it on a table. and gave it a twirl.
“This is for you,” he said, handing it to this writer, who now spins it several times a day at home.