October 30, 2017 at 4:31 p.m.
Woodworker's creations displayed at Grace Lodge
Woodworker's creations displayed at Grace Lodge
By Kayla Thomason-
Following his retirement as a carpenter, Clarence McKitrick spent about 10 years making art out of wood.
He made model construction machinery, detailed rolling pins with nine types of wood in one pin, ornate jewelry boxes, beautiful napkin holders, Christmas decor and much more. His wife painted the Christmas ornaments.
A single item could take up to a couple months to complete, he said.
"I always had a pattern and you just cut the patterns and put them together, but each pattern you cut had to be exactly perfect or it wouldn't go together when you were done, so you had to be real fussy when you cut that pattern," he said.
McKitrick made the creations primarily to give away as gifts, although he did sell some rolling pins.
"I sold them (the rolling pins), but they were expensive," he said. "It cost about $50 for the wood in this because I had to go to Milwaukee to get it and there's so many kinds (of wood used in it)."
There are about nine types of wood used in the rolling pin, and it took precise cuts to get a proper design.
"I started out with a square piece of wood and then I sawed it in two. Then I glued that board in, then I glued this together, then I glued this together, then sawed this way, then I glued this chunk and I kept doing that till I got them all in there, and then when I turned it on the lathe that's how they came out."
McKitrick's son, Dr. Larry McKitrick, was impressed with the detail in the jewelry box, which was created using a scroll saw.
"He had to drill 1,500 holes in it and then each time he drills a hole he takes the blade out of the saw, sticks it up through the hole, reattaches the blade, makes a little bit of a cut," Larry explained.
Of all the things he's created, Clarence said he enjoyed the construction machines models the most.
His passion for woodworking started when he was growing up, he said. After watching a carpenter work, he took industrial arts classes in high school and that solidified his desire to work with wood.
"It was fun to accomplish something and sit back there and look at it," he said with a laugh.
His finished products stay with his children, he noted, adding that at 92 he is unable to make more pieces.
Larry McKitrick loves his father's creations.
"We (Larry's siblings Dick McKitrick and Karen Wiegel) love it, we just think it's wonderful," he said, adding that several items are displayed in their homes.
The passion for woodworking carried down from Clarence to his son.
Clarence taught Larry woodworking when he was a little boy in 4-H, and when Larry got older he worked with his father when he was building homes.
To this day, Larry still makes cabinets and other things.
"I enjoy it, I enjoy woodworking, it's very relaxing and I just always think of him when I'm doing it," he said.
Kayla Breese may be reached at kayla@ rivernewsonline.com.
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