BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It’s already mid-July.
In just five months, many of us will wish we had gotten a jumpstart on Christmas shopping or somehow had a direct connection to the big guy in the red suit.
But the men and women of the Lehigh Valley Woodworker's Guild don’t wait.
They don’t wish.
They just 'do.' And not only at Christmas time.
All year long, the talented hobbyists with hearts of gold hold "block parties," in which they head to member Tim Enot's home workshop and begin to transform donated, second-hand pieces of quality hardwood into beautiful sets of blocks for toddlers in need.
"They are extremely generous and are pleased to donate all we need."Lehigh Valley Woodworkers Guild President Don Midway
The wood is donated by Bally Block Company, in Bally, Berks County, renowned for its striking hardwood butcher block countertops and industrial-grade surfaces used in high-end commercial, celebrity and government spaces, such as the Pentagon.
On the second of every month, members head to Bally to pick up the otherwise discarded pieces of wood.
"They are extremely generous and are pleased to donate all we need," Guild President Don Midway said.
Then it's block party time.
'A very efficient process'
Gathered in one space but each at a station, the members get to work. One is at the planer, surfacing the wood to its final thickness. A team of two is cutting the blocks to three- and six-inch lengths, as well as triangles.
Then another packages the blocks into custom tote bags, to be distributed to other elves, make that Guild members, who will next round over the edges for smoothness on all sides.
"It's a very efficient process," said Midway.
"It's been quite a few years now. I think it’s a great organization, and we try to help them out whenever possible by donating wood to them, so they can make toys for the children."Bally Block General Manager David Ritter
Bally also sells second-hand butcher block pieces. While members shopped and had a conversation there with employees once, a discussion opened up about the possibility of donations.
"It's been quite a few years now," Bally Block General Manager David Ritter said. "I think it’s a great organization, and we try to help them out whenever possible by donating wood to them, so they can make toys for the children."
Ritter said Bally kiln-dries its own lumber, including hard maple, ash, walnut, cherry and red and white oak. Guild members get a combo of things, "butcher block tops that are already glued together, so they either cut them apart, or glue pieces together to fit whatever they're making."
Surely elf-approved, the toys then are delivered by guild members to medical and other places that care for children.
Guild members aren't allowed to personally witness the children receiving the toys, but they say they don't mind. It's joyous to them just the same.
And many of the crafters are parents and grandparents. They understand the wide-eyed sense of wonder the toys elicit.
"I have four granddaughters who each have a tote put away for them in the attic," said Jack Davis, whose little brown racecar is a popular piece.
In addition, said Midway, many other members work solo at their own workshops making cars, trucks, rocking horses — and even rocking dinosaurs, which have become popular.
'Just touches my heart'
Some members also frequent the Fabrication Lab at Northampton Community College's Fowler Family Southside Center, the large, multi-faceted innovation and maker space that offers top of the line woodworking tools for public use.
"They’re wonderful ... good guys. I admire what they do for the children."Amy Rotzell, senior assistant at the Fabrication Lab
"They’re wonderful," the lab's senior assistant, Amy Rotzell, said. "Good guys. I admire what they do for the children.
"There's a lot of time and effort that's put in, and they always share the thank-you notes from the nurses and the facilities where the toys go, and it just touches my heart."
Rotzell said the group works mainly in the woodshop, using the SawStop table saw, planer, joiner and ShopBot, a computer numerical control, or CNC, machine, a 4x8 bed where a drill bit comes down. That’s what cuts out the train cars.
CNC modernizes manufacturing and provides efficiency, accuracy and consistency in cutting wood — and the intricate details in the train wheels and dinosaur and horse cutouts.
The group doesn't take requests for toys, "but we also don't turn anybody down," said Midway.
The Fabrication Lab is available for public use.
'Just beautiful, quality pieces'
Kelly Burke is an administrator with the VNA St. Luke's Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP).
NFP pairs nurses with expectant mothers, guiding them through pregnancy, childbirth and up until babies are 2 years old, at which point the toddlers and mothers "graduate" and are ready to venture out into life.
"It just so happened that we've been using the blocks so heavily, that we reached out to say, 'Do you have any that can hold us over until Christmas?' They showed up with 15 tote bags full of blocks and a bunch of these little puppy cars."Kelly Burke, administrator with the VNA St. Luke's Nurse-Family Partnership
The blocks in particular are a valued program addition and are given by nurses to the children as second birthday gifts as the children leave the program.
"They give us a big haul of blocks at once, and we use them throughout the year," Burke said. "It just so happened that we've been using the blocks so heavily this year, that we reached out to say, 'Do you have any that can hold us over until Christmas?'
"They showed up with 15 tote bags full of blocks and a bunch of these little puppy cars. So we were just not expecting this, and we're overjoyed, because we had very few items.
"Now this will get us to Christmas and the end of the year."
"We have so much respect for these individuals," Burke said. "It's just so sweet, and the blocks and cars are just beautiful, quality pieces that you don't often see these days."
The Guild was formed in 1996, according to its website. Woodcrafter Dave Dreher placed a newspaper ad to gauge interest. The first meeting was held in the basement of a church.
"At one of the first meetings, a couple of guys showed up very quietly sitting in the group," its website states. "These gentlemen were ... writers and woodworkers for American Woodworker Magazine published by Rodale in Emmaus.
"They pulled in Fred Matlack, Bill Hylton and Ellis Walentin who were absolute luminaries in the woodworking world at that time. The association with these folks helped the Guild thrive and bring in new members."
'Have a wood-burning fireplace'
New members continue to join.
Every first Tuesday of the month, the steering team meets to plan upcoming lumber-related activities and field trips. A favorite is to Bonsall Bats in Perkasie, Bucks County
"They make bats for everything from Little League up to guys in the World Series," Midway said. "Fantastic."
Every third Tuesday, members meet in the classroom at the Allentown Woodcraft store in the Parkway Shopping Center at 1543 Lehigh St.
Neil Brown, who owns the store with his wife, used to be a guild member.
"I love woodworking," Brown said, "and they're all about it. They'll bring a speaker or we schedule someone. Every now and then they do show and tell, or a brag and grab.
"And if you have a problem, you bring it in. With all their experience, they can help you solve it. It's a great set of people."
Anyone is welcome to attend a meeting. No experience needed; it's learn as you go. Guild members are willing and eager to introduce the trade and keep the love for it growing, all agreed.
Members proudly show their exquisite wood inlays, birds, bowls, and other pieces, revealing a true passion for their work. Davis makes beautiful traveling machines — boats, cars, and all the parts are separate and individually attached to allow for movement. A handsome little brown roadster, for example.
"That is such a big hit that I can't believe it," said Davis.
Making the others chuckle as they stood around trading jokes and stories, the most senior member of the group had a final piece of advice:
"And if you're a beginner, I think the most important tool you can have is a wood-burning fireplace."
Just kidding, Santa! A good-natured bunch of elves, indeed.
