Teacher shares creative art of carving wood

You start by looking at people's faces, the whole point is that the width between the eyes is the same as one eye width, the bridge of the nose doesn't come to a sharp point, it is rounded....

Things you do not think about until you must. A time when you are carving Santa Claus's face perhaps.

John Meckler, a retired English teacher who now volunteers as a woodworking teacher, put on a demonstration at the Paradise Center for those interested in learning how to carve a wooden Santa Claus last Saturday.

From as far away as New York, aspiring woodworkers joined Meckler in learning his craft while whittling away on a piece of 2 1/2-inch basswood with a Flexcut knife, Meckler's choice blade for such work. As the students focused intensely on their project, Meckler instructed with clarity detailing the step-by-step process.

"You have to understand your knife and know where your knife tip is going," Meckler reminded students as they chipped away at facial formations. Prior to digging in, he explained the knife cuts for whittling, so everyone understood what cuts were to be implemented and why.

The stop cut, used to create a hard line at the end of another cut, was used to draw definite lines outlining the face from Santa's hat. The push cut, holding the wood in one hand and pushing the blade away from the body, was seen when students wanted long, fine lines along the body of the sculpture. The v-shaped cut was implemented when a deep groove was desired where the two cuts meet up. Lastly, the paring cut was introduced. This cut requires students to cut toward their thumbs (like peeling potatoes). It was highly recommended that students wear a pair of protective gloves for safety and that the wood be laid down on the table when carving for stability.

The atmosphere was filled with silliness, as adults in the student role can sometimes be. Lots of jokes were presented, such as, "They can sew fingers back on." In response, Meckler added, "You do not paint these until they are done. So if you get blood on it, you broke the rule." According to Meckler, he really has not had a bad accident, only very minor nicks, in the 35 years he has been woodworking. He has spent the last 10 years teaching Plains High School students the fine art of carving.

Now that Meckler has mastered this skill, with no instruction from anyone other than himself, he continues to "gift" newlyweds and newborns with name plates of exquisite beauty. "I don't sell because it then becomes a job and I want it to be a hobby," Meckler said.

He uses various types of wood for carving, including poplar, lodgepole, white pine (if it is not infected), aspen and basswood. In this medium he will create anything ranging from ducks to dogs, from birds to dragons, and wizards to Santa Claus and snowflake ornaments.

When Meckler was asked what his favorite thing to carve was, he gave an honest answer, "Wood." Then fessed up and stated that wizards and Santa held a special place in his heart as did wood chipping.

Ray Stoner joined his friend Bo Ellis, both of Hot Springs, in beginning what they hope is a new tradition for them. "It's just been delightful. I would recommend it to anyone," Ellis stated in reference to the carving class, which was sponsored by the Sanders County Arts Council.

Karen Thorston of the council said that if Meckler is willing to teach again next year, they will offer it.