Bailey Wood Products 6th Annual Fall Woodworker’s Fair
When: Saturday, October 20th 2018 – Rain or Shine
Where: 441 Mountain Drive, Kempton, PA 19529
Website: Baileywp.com
Admission: Free!
As with the previous Fall Woodworker’s Fairs, we at Bailey’s like to introduce our new vendors, many who happen to also be customers and friends. This year we have quite a few new vendors, as well as many returning vendors and woodworkers. Our first featured woodworker, is Evan Burkhart of EVANS WOODSHOP.
Evan Burkhart has been working with wood since 1972, and in the woodworking business since 1986. He has always enjoyed making colonial and federal style furniture. Lately, however, Evan has been doing a lot of natural edge and freestyle originals, and also some mid-century pieces. About half of his work is restoration. He is currently enjoying a nice mix of work but would like to be making more custom order furniture.When asked who had the the greatest influence on him as a wood worker, Evan cites woodworkers from a variety of disciplines. Around 1970, Evan met George Nakashima, one of the fathers of the American Craft movement, in his New Hope shop. He bought several rough natural edge slabs from him and made tables, and still loves that style of furniture.
He also met Lester Stevens, a sawyer in Wells, Maine. Lester managed and timbered 8,000 acres of white pine. Lester showed Evan his remote saw and planing mills, schooling him on the beauty of white pine; how to dry, mill and grade it with a whole chapter on knots!
Evan says that he has been inspired by two incredible woodworkers: David Ellsworth, a turner and Dayl Gable, who was a carver. As a member of the Lehigh Valley Woodworkers Guild, he has also visited Frank Klausz in his workshop. “Watching this master hand cut dovetails was a treat! I look forward to making many more contacts through the Guild.”
“This is an exciting time to be a woodworker,” he says. “The information and open shop feel of the internet allows anyone to visit wood shops worldwide. There are hundreds of talented men and women eagerly showing skills, tools and finished work to inspire. There are more tools, dust control, safety devices and how-to instructions than ever before.”
When asked what he would he would like to see in the future of woodworking, Evan believes that “There is a great effort to improve and remake hard to find hand tools.” Adding that, “Now that the highest quality hand tools ever made are available, I would like to see more people learn the basics, unplug, take off the hearing protection and listen to the wood before tooling up to do battle with it like I did.”
This is Evan Burkhart’s first Fall Woodworker’s Fair at Bailey Wood Products. He will be offering only new items that are his original designs and made for the Fair. The toys feature some commercial plan concepts and parts. Many of his pieces are made of recycled parts and reclaimed wood. Some feature printed fruit crate panels from the 1950s. There are dozens of boxes for gifts or storage, live edge benches of maple and walnut, live edge shelves, and wood art. He will be featuring two bedside tables and a lingerie chest crafted in a mid-century modern conception. These are made with a most unusual set-in style, construction, and wood selection.
Evan says that he is looking forward to the show; meeting fellow woodworkers and people who enjoy all kinds of woodcraft. Stop by at the Evans Woodshop Booth and make his acquaintance.
