{"id":900,"date":"2021-08-31T20:18:01","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T20:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8009\/stories\/?p=900"},"modified":"2022-02-21T16:40:49","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T16:40:49","slug":"the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"The Woodworkers of New England Forestry: Robert Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At New England Forestry, we spend our careers growing trees to provide the lumber future generations will need. Now we\u2019re celebrating the end result, seeking some of the best wooden DIY projects out there. We started with our own employees, holding the first-ever New England Forestry DIY Contest. Today, we feature the work of Robert Hall, our IT Manager of Real Estate and Marketing Systems.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Robert Hall\u2019s favorite DIY wood projects combine dark woods like cherry with layers of navy, sea blue and white epoxy. It\u2019s not only beautiful but could also serve as an artistic symbol of his woodworking roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The son of a minister who also was one of the first Habitat for Humanity employees, Robert has been honing his craft since his childhood days spent in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Now a resident of Florida, his projects seem to reflect the unique characteristics of the two regions, forest and sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all began in Grandpa\u2019s workshop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy grandfather was the woodworker and he really enjoyed doing it. He worked for Oland in Brevard, North Carolina, in the pulp and paper industry, so that was neat to do the same when I came to New England Forestry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among his grandfather\u2019s many woodworking projects included crafting all the gavels used by the town\u2019s judges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where I got my love of woodworking, from going down to my grandfather\u2019s basement. It was good male bonding time if you will, with my grandfather and my father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As fate would have it, Robert wound up inheriting a 40+ year-old cut of cherry wood found in his grandfather\u2019s attic after he died, which he used to create a wood\/epoxy river desk (pictured below). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Robert's
Robert’s DIY Wood\/Epoxy River Desk made use of an old cut of cherry wood.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Robert\u2019s family history as Habitat for Humanity trailblazers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Robert\u2019s building skills were enhanced by his family\u2019s involvement in the early days of Habitat for Humanity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would say my dad was the glue that held Habitat together for a while. He was a Baptist minister who took a pay cut to work for the non-profit and acted as a calming force for the early leadership, reminding them that what they were doing was the Lord\u2019s work and we needed to make this happen. So I did a lot of work in the photography lab but also working on the houses and that kind of stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story behind Robert’s prize-winning charcuterie boards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Robert made charcuterie boards out of cherry wood procured from unwanted fallen trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy ex-wife\u2019s father had a cherry tree fall on his property from a neighbor\u2019s. It was a vacant lot and a bad storm had come through, so he called the neighbor up and offered to take care of it, and the neighbor agreed he could have the wood. So we cut it up and had it milled. I took the majority of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two layers of epoxy were used to create an ocean effect on the wood. Each board is unique, with the cracks and knots giving them character. They were finished with a food safe oil and a coat of wax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Four
Robert’s DIY charcuterie boards combine beautiful cherry wood with epoxy fashioned to look like ocean waves.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How Hand Tools Give This Craftsman His Edge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One thing that intimidates many aspiring woodworkers is the thought of investing in expensive power tools. However, for Robert it\u2019s the hand tools he\u2019s come to enjoy most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI use machines, but I do mostly hand tool work now. And part of the reason is to slow me down and to really feel the wood and know what\u2019s going on. You get more connected to the piece than if you were just running it through machines. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven the act of sharpening the blade to prepare for the cutting of the wood is part of that whole process of sharpening my edge\u2014not just the tool\u2019s edge, my edge too. Really getting in there and making sure everything is just right. That ‘zing’ you feel when you run the tool over the wood…it\u2019s so wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Woodworking offers Robert relaxation, creative space, and the opportunity to share his love of the craft<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When asked about the biggest benefits he gets from woodworking, his response was three-fold:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe relaxation I get from it is obviously great. But I think for me, just being able to create something with my hands is just so rewarding. And I really love when other people take it, and I know they are using it in their life. I don\u2019t keep a lot of pieces I make, I like to give them away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To illustrate the point, Robert described a piece he hand-made for a friend, which is one of his favorite projects to date. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLike the table with the crosses on it (pictured below). There was so much that went into building that piece and it was literally done all by hand with no power tools. Everything was cut with a hand tool: embedding the crosses, the dovetails on the drawers, the pull for the handle for the drawer, absolutely everything was done by hand. And it is still in a good friend\u2019s home, and just to know it\u2019s in her house and she gets joy from it is so rewarding to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Robert's
Robert made this table completely by hand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Robert\u2019s Advice for Aspiring Woodworkers: Keep it Simple and Learn from Others<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On tools: \u201cI have accumulated a lot of tools over the years but I still come back to just a handful I use most of the time. For me, it would be a # 4 1\/2 plane, a good saw, and most importantly a good bench and good vice, and that\u2019s really all you need to get started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert also suggests using other people\u2019s creative ideas for inspiration to create your own designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo give an example, that kerfing plane (pictured below) came from Tom Fidgen, but I made it my own using my grandfather\u2019s piece of wood, and I added some other things in terms of design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Robert's
Robert made this kerfing plane by hand. The tool is used as a guide when sawing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t be afraid to fail! You have to waste wood to make something beautiful. There will be waste that comes off of that wood but you\u2019re getting rid of what you don\u2019t need to really show the beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert also heartily recommends the books and classes on woodworking with hand tools from Tom Fidgen\u2019s The Unplugged Workshop. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On behalf of the entire New England Forestry team, congratulations to Robert. He won the Small Indoor category in our employee DIY Contest!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can read more of our DIY stories featuring talented woodworkers here<\/a>.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At New England Forestry, we spend our careers growing trees to provide the lumber future generations will need. Now we\u2019re celebrating the end result, seeking some of the best wooden DIY projects out there. We started with our own employees, holding the first-ever New England Forestry DIY Contest. Today, we feature the work of Robert Hall, our IT Manager…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[53,2,50],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nThe Woodworkers of New England Forestry: Robert Hall | New England Forestry Stories<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At New England Forestry, we spend our careers growing trees to provide the lumber future generations will need. Now we\u2019re celebrating the end result, seeking some of the best wooden DIY projects out there.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Woodworkers of New England Forestry: Robert Hall | New England Forestry Stories\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At New England Forestry, we spend our careers growing trees to provide the lumber future generations will need. Now we\u2019re celebrating the end result, seeking some of the best wooden DIY projects out there.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"New England Forestry Stories\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-08-31T20:18:01+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-21T16:40:49+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Woodworkers-of-rayonier-Robert-Hall.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1135\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"757\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"neforestrydistribution.com\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"neforestrydistribution.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/\",\"name\":\"The Woodworkers of New England Forestry: Robert Hall | New England Forestry Stories\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-08-31T20:18:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-21T16:40:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/74f5dbc913b44a1efdefd107e16e460c\"},\"description\":\"At New England Forestry, we spend our careers growing trees to provide the lumber future generations will need. Now we\u2019re celebrating the end result, seeking some of the best wooden DIY projects out there.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Meet New England Forestry\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/category\/meet-rayonier\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Woodworkers of New England Forestry: Rob…\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/\",\"name\":\"New England Forestry Stories\",\"description\":\"Stories about Sustainable Forestry, the Role of Land Resources in Our Lives, and the People Behind New England Forestry\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/74f5dbc913b44a1efdefd107e16e460c\",\"name\":\"neforestrydistribution.com\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"neforestrydistribution.com\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/author\/tiffany\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Woodworkers of New England Forestry: Robert Hall | New England Forestry Stories","description":"At New England Forestry, we spend our careers growing trees to provide the lumber future generations will need. Now we\u2019re celebrating the end result, seeking some of the best wooden DIY projects out there.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Woodworkers of New England Forestry: Robert Hall | New England Forestry Stories","og_description":"At New England Forestry, we spend our careers growing trees to provide the lumber future generations will need. Now we\u2019re celebrating the end result, seeking some of the best wooden DIY projects out there.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/","og_site_name":"New England Forestry Stories","article_published_time":"2021-08-31T20:18:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-02-21T16:40:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1135,"height":757,"url":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Woodworkers-of-rayonier-Robert-Hall.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"neforestrydistribution.com","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"neforestrydistribution.com","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/","url":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/","name":"The Woodworkers of New England Forestry: Robert Hall | New England Forestry Stories","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-08-31T20:18:01+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-21T16:40:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/74f5dbc913b44a1efdefd107e16e460c"},"description":"At New England Forestry, we spend our careers growing trees to provide the lumber future generations will need. Now we\u2019re celebrating the end result, seeking some of the best wooden DIY projects out there.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/the-woodworkers-of-rayonier-robert-hall\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Meet New England Forestry","item":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/category\/meet-rayonier\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Woodworkers of New England Forestry: Rob…"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/","name":"New England Forestry Stories","description":"Stories about Sustainable Forestry, the Role of Land Resources in Our Lives, and the People Behind New England Forestry","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/74f5dbc913b44a1efdefd107e16e460c","name":"neforestrydistribution.com","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"neforestrydistribution.com"},"url":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/author\/tiffany\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=900"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1045,"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/900\/revisions\/1045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neforestrydistribution.com\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}