Arnold Thorin has completed more than 20 designs, usually wildlife, out of wood. He is particularly fond of the pheasant pattern made from walnut, cherry, cedar and basswood.
By Jolene Farley
Arnold Thorin, Hills, has a sign on his door in the Tuff Village telling visitors where to find him if he’s not at home.
The sign, complete with hammer and nail graphics, reads, "Hey there!! I’m down in the shop. Arnold.
In his shop Thorin creates intricate wildlife designs and other projects from different types of wood.
Each piece in the design is cut out individually, sanded, then glued to a backing board. Spray varnish is used to seal the natural wood. Some designs require a little painting to set off the face or neck.
Thorin was able to continue his lifelong hobby, woodworking, even after moving into the Tuff Village.
He set up his shop, including eight major machines and miscellaneous tools and supplies, in a basement storage area.
"They got me enough room down there so I got to bring it all along," he said.
Thorin began working with wood "way down in the grades."
While attending country school, he completed a woodworking class. "Manual training was what they liked to call the class at the time," he said.
Thorin didn’t have the luxury of power tools back then.
"Dad encouraged me to keep going," he said. "We got our lumber out of peach crates or anything out of the grocery store that came in a wood box."
Thorin went on to become a machinist by trade, but he always continued woodworking.
He subscribes to woodworking magazines and finds his patterns, usually wildlife-related, in these publications.
"I’m not an artist," he said. "I’m a good copier."
Thorin admits he’s a "dumpster digger," and if he sees material he could use for his projects he asks if he can have it.
A morning walk netted him a good supply of walnut wood when a resident was cutting down a tree and was willing to let Arnold have the wood if he hauled it away.
"I got a nice big supply of it," he said.
Other woods he purchases at area lumber yards.
His favorite wood to work with is walnut. "It’s got a pretty color and it’s got a workable consistency," he said.
Thorin’s least favorite wood to work with is cherry wood. "It’s very hard, and you need real sharp tools to make it look nice," he said.
Thorin doesn’t sell his work, because he doesn’t want to work on a deadline.
He has been known to give his work away as a gift or a donation to different causes.
"I don’t want to get tied down making things," he said. "You have to be in the mood, if you aren’t it’s no fun. … I usually have two or three projects going," he said. "You move to another one if you get stuck."
Showing off the results of his hard work is the reward for Thorin, and he’s developed a reputation as the "handyman" around the building.
"I always say I like to do things like that to get my points in … cause if you stay on top of it, they’ll stay on top for you."