Some people find woodworking therapeutic because while they do it, they become completely focused on the act of creating and forget about everything else. One such person is Dan Santos of Cape Cod, whom I read an online article about by Jen Ouellette. That may be why he has chosen to make woodworking his full-time vocation. Former civil engineer Dan Santos has found his true passion in woodworking, specifically in 18th-century American furniture.
Dan Santos is currently an airport commissioner in Barnstable, Massachusetts, and a full-time woodworker. Like everyone else, he got his start with easy woodworking. For him, it began in school when he built a bookshelf in a wood shop class in seventh grade. However, he considers himself mostly self-taught, learning from more than a thousand books. He also credits taking courses and asking questions. He turned to full-time woodworking after retiring from a career as a civil engineer.
Santos claims that, unlike his other work, woodworking is 100% positive. He says that he has had to deal with some negativity in his roles as a consultant, engineer, and airport commissioner. But, with woodworking, he is happy and his customers are happy. He adds that he does enjoy his work with the airport commission because he is performing a valuable service to the community. But woodworking is something that he always wanted to do and gives him creative expression.
Most, but not all, of Santos’ projects involve 18th-century American furniture. One of his favorite projects was a Windsor chair he was asked to reproduce by Winterthur Museum in Delaware as part of an educational exhibit. The original chair was a 1790 piece made in Nantucket. Other projects he currently has on hand include a lighthouse clock designed by Simon Willard, a dining table of curly maple, and the figurehead of a ship that needs restoration. He says he would most like to do a Newport-style Secretary, which is a large chest with doors and ornate woodwork.
Woodworking full-time has allowed Santos to focus on what he has always wanted to do. As for many people, it seems to allow him to be in the present moment and forget about real or imagined problems.
Check Out Great Bargains At Amazon
 |
Woodworking Basics: Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship List Price: Sale Price: $12.48  |
DescriptionBased on a two-week course in woodworking fundamentals offered at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Camden, Maine, this book takes a traditional approach to teaching, with the idea that learning basic skills is essential to craftsmanship... |
 |
The Complete Manual of Woodworking List Price: Sale Price: $13.25 |
DescriptionWith more than 1,800 drawings, diagrams and photos, this authoritative guide encompasses the whole art and craft of woodworking. Designed to instruct and inspire every woodworker from the beginner to the most exacting expert, it has become a classic... |
 |
The Big Book of Weekend Woodworking: 150 Easy Projects (Big Book of ... Series) List Price: Sale Price: $12.15 |
DescriptionEvery woodworker will want to own this colorful, information-packed, mammoth resource for weekend crafting. It's filled with 150 classic projects, and features an introductory section that walks readers through the various planning stages... |
 |
Woodwork: A Step-by-Step Photographic Guide to Successful Woodworking List Price: Sale Price: $26.40 |
DescriptionIn the machine age there is a particular pleasure in working with wood, which Woodwork celebrates, both in the easy-to-follow instructions for mastering the core skills and in the projects at the end of the book that demonstrate them... |
 |
Woodworking Tools 1600-1900 Sale Price: $9.99 |
DescriptionThis anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format... |
No related posts.