As I drove from DuPont to Issaquah on a beautifully sunny day in March I felt so excited to be able to hit the road again for a story. When I arrived at Timber Ridge I was blown away by the elegance and prestige of the community. I was welcomed warmly by Susan Cottrell, Director of Administrative Services and a member of the professional development committee. We exchanged pleasantries and then were off down a long, grand hallway decorated with a rustic and sophisticated vibe. Before I knew it we were in the parking garage heading towards a room with double doors.

The Sawdusters have been a treasure to the staff and residents of Timber Ridge. This group of woodworking enthusiast is happy to help out whenever possible. They will build a piece of furniture from scratch, sharpen knifes, fix walkers and maintain wheelchairs all for the enjoyment, especially since it keeps them busy with a hobby they love to do.

Susan said they have contributed to the community by building chair railings, risers for furniture, display cases, mailboxes for the staff, cabinetry, furniture refurbishing plus much more. “They are a fantastic group of gentlemen and the residents and staff really appreciates what they do,” Susan expressed.

I entered through the double doors and was greeted by the smell of fresh sawdust and four of the members, Dale Jordan, Bob Ploss, Don Korsch and Harold Sundquist. Dale, Bob and Don are three of the founding members along with James Pake and George Stutsman. After explaining who I was and why I was there it was easy to see all four were happy to sit down with me for an interview. Each of them sat causally either on a stool or on a workbench waiting for me and my computer to boot up. Before I knew it we were fully engaged in a great conversation filled with laughter and expression.

Five years ago, at an offsite location the founding members met for the first time and quickly realized that they all had the same hobby in common, woodworking.  Over the following months they kept in touch and developed a plan to inherit a dedicated space for a workshop at Timber Ridge. Dale worked with the executive staff at Timber Ridge for a space for the Sawdusters’ shop to reside. With a little negotiation Dale managed to get an 18 x 36 foot space in the parking garage.  In addition to gaining a space for their workshop they started to gather tools they had from their personal collection. Additionally, as luck would have it, a Kirkland family was having an estate sale that mostly comprised of a woodshop full of tools that the family wanted to get rid of. “We had the opportunity just as we were about to move in to pick up major pieces of equipment from an estate and we obtained everything we needed for very little and the rest from donation” Dale said.

During the interview I shared that I was very familiar with the woodworking world, especially the sounds that are created from all the tools. Growing up my bedroom sat above my step-dad’s workshop and he would work in there while I was at school, he would also work in there on Saturday mornings when I was trying to sleep in. I jokily said that I decided to take Home Economics in school instead of woodshop.

Dale was able to see the blue prints of the newly built Timber Ridge to start planning and organizing the workshop for optimal layout. What was even more surprising and caught me off guard was with a particular material that every decent workshop needs. “Dale has stock in pegboard,” Bob said with a grin on his face. Dale simply replied with a yes and he was able to retain the pegboard start the organizing process.

They organized the workshop very specifically to their liking and Bob put a lot of work into categorizing the entire workshop with every single tool they had and where it was in the workshop. I was really impressed with how every tool was displayed so neatly and every piece of equipment was placed so strategically, it takes a very organized mind to accomplish that kind of structure.

They purchased many more tools after they moved in and gradually overtime bought newer tools to replace some of the older ones they started with. “We took advantage of sales at local hardware stores when we wanted a new piece of equipment,” Dale said.

The most significant way The Sawdusters have obtained some of their tools and equipment is by donation. Everyone at Timber Ridge supports The Sawdusters by donating tools, equipment and even cash all anonymously. “We have been very fortunate to have such generous givers,” Dale said.

Since their early beginnings, The Sawdusters have had to replace some of the early equipment because it had ware and tare. “Over the years we have improved the shop until it’s the shop that everybody dreams of having,” Bob said proudly.

With about 26 members, the average age being 92, they each pay $50 a year to be a member, this helps the group purchase new tools or replace any when necessary. Though the group is mainly comprised of men, women are more than welcome to be a part of the group.  “Our monthly meetings are, at least for me, my source of humor—26 guys with approximately 2000 years of experience sitting around a circle deciding whether or not to buy a drill,” Bob said with sarcasm.

When The Sawdusters do purchase new equipment they assign one person to learn it then that member teaches everybody else how to use it. Also, safety is very important and before someone is granted membership with The Sawdusters they must take a safety test, sign a waiver and watch videos on equipment they plan to use.

With all of them having a lifelong hobby for woodworking it’s no wonder why they put so much time and effort into the group. And this group is as unique as its members, Dale was a school administrator, Bob was a doctor, Don was a Boeing engineer and Harold worked in the finance department for Boeing and they all grew up enjoying the art of woodworking.

“I have always been interested in manual things; wood, metal—it all fascinated me from a very early age,” Dale said about finding his hobby in woodworking.

“My father bought my twin brother and I a jigsaw when I was 10 years old and we made and sold jigsaw puzzles for a while and from then I kept up on my woodworking on an amateur bases,” Bob said about his interest for woodworking.

“I started in 8^th grade woodshop and was attached to it since then,” Don shared about his beginnings with woodworking.

It is a wonderful gift and opportunity that Timber Ridge has given to these gentlemen to carry on this lifelong hobby. It was easy to see that it keeps them young at heart.

The Sawdusters use their skill, talent and tools to provide many services to the residents of Timber Ridge including cabinetry making, shelf installation, additions on to furniture, furniture refurbishing and much more. Residents can fill out a work order form at the front desk and one of the members will take the job, the commitment from the resident is to cover the cost of materials. They have a formal consultation with the resident that requested the service to hash out the details and within days the final product is delivered. “We haven’t had anybody yet that was unhappy,” Bob said.

Dale has done a lot of shelf installing for residents and he gets great satisfaction out of a project well done for a guy who is a hobbyist woodworker, he said.  Don has built bookcases, TV stands and display cases for residents since coming to Timber Ridge and being a part of The Sawdusters. “I get a lot of satisfaction doing woodworking and I might not have come here if not for The Sawdusters,” Don said with heart.

While many of the members enjoy the woodworking, fixing, building aspect of the group, Harold enjoys the fact that he can flex his creative side by sculpting driftwood. “My biggest kick out of this whole thing is creating a piece of driftwood, working on it, placing it on display and showing someone my handiwork then them saying how much they like it,” Harold expressed with great modesty.

Harold was humbled by the acceptance he received from the group after joining. “I do something different and they accepted me and helped me get going and made it easy,” he said.

Whether you like to create a sculpture from wood, make cabinetry, refurbish a piece of furniture or keep a clean shop like Dale, there’s a place for you with The Sawdusters at Timber Ridge.

After the interview they showed me the North Shop, which they obtain a year after moving in. The North Shop, while well-organized like the South Shop, it was much smaller, but it is mostly for lumber storage and a few more tools. Then we were off to Dale’s, Don’s and Harold’s apartments so I could see more of their woodworking projects.

I had such a wonderful time interviewing The Sawdusters, it was a great opportunity to go out and visit one of our member communities. They say it gets better with age but if you don’t have a hobby to keep you sharp as a nail and straight as table saw then your golden years will just be more time on your hands.

Watch a video of The Sawdusters here.