Wood you carve with me?

On most Thursday afternoons, upstairs in Trinity Lutheran Church, one will find eight or so individuals poring over their wood sculptures as they laugh and talk with one another. As they carve away at their hunk of wood, they manage to find something beautiful. 
This handful of individuals are the Southern Minnesota Woodcarvers. They meet most Thursdays of the year from 1 to 3 p.m. 
Each of them carve different subject matters, different styles and different types of wood. Some are known for their wooden Santa Clauses, gnomes, wild life reliefs, tiny boots or animal sculptures. Many of their creations will be on display at the Steele County Free Fair in the Fine Arts building. 
The individuals that gather regularly are Nancy Turnball of Owatonna, Gerry Berg of Blooming Prairie, Earl Smith of Owatonna, Norm Bang of Owatonna, Myron Spindler of Hope, Earl Wheeler of Owatonna and Tom Gray of Owatonna. They gather together to carve on their own projects and receive carving advice from one another, though they laugh that it is more of a “social hour.” 
“We do this for fun. Its 50% carving and 50% social,” laughed Nancy Turnball. Many of them view carving as a creative outlet and weekly social activity. 
The group was born eight years ago when Whillock Woodcarving had a store in downtown Owatonna. The store hosted classes and sparked an interest in many people’s creativity. Many of the current Southern Minn. Woodcarvers found their interest during those classes.
“I was new to the town at that time. Woodcarving had always interested me, so I thought why not try it out and meet some new people,” said Turnball. She said that while Whillock Woodcarving only lasted about a year downtown, the group decided to continue to meet weekly. 
A couple of the years, the group has made ornaments and donated them to the Festival of Trees event that advocates for developmental disabilities. Many of them also make an annual, handcrafted, Christmas ornament to gift to family members. 
Many of the members remember why they started carving and laugh about how they all took a liking to carving soap in high school art classes many years ago. 
Tom Gray still remembers the first thing he carved. “It was 30 years ago… I bought a book and a few tools and I carved a mule. A somewhat blocky mule. I still have him today,” remembered Gray. He carves a little bit of everything and has even carved a cake topper for a family member’s wedding. 
Myron Spindler began making wood carving tools before he even carved wood himself. Many in the group use at least one of his handmade knife tools. Spindler is known in the group as “Santa King,” for he carves and sells many Santa Clause figures of all shapes and sizes. 
Spindler is also known to carve often and quickly. “We think he carves in his sleep,” said Turnball, when he revealed that he created four welcome signs over the week. 
Norm Bang is a retired high school industrialized arts teacher from Owatonna High School. He was an experienced wood worker, but he did little carving in the fine arts. He enjoys creating caricatures and gnomes. Bang is the comic relief of the group, as he often makes deadpan remarks that receive chuckles from the other carvers.
Turnball has turned towards smaller projects since she has noticed her hands becoming more and more fatigued. She has a reputation in the group as the “Conversion Queen,” for she will always begin a project saying it will be one thing which ends up becoming something completely different. For example, she has carved a few tiny wooden shoes, and transformed the little shoes to be canisters for pin cushions. 
The group is complimentary and excited about one another’s work. As one talks, another will remind them of another beautiful project they created. 
There is a lot to know about wood carving, from the different styles of carving: carving tools, woods and safety. All in the room wore some sort of glove or protection on their hand, and explained that it is for protection from the carving knife. 
“Your strokes should always be going away from you, but your hands get pretty sore,” explained Gray. He wears a rubber thimble on his finger to protect from blisters or cuts.
When it comes to painting or finishing works, each has a different approach. Some apply multiple thin layers of acrylic paint to give their piece an aged look, while others might apply one thick layer. Some leave the wood as-is or use stains. 
Earl Smith commented that his wife often paints what he carves. “It’s something that we have in common, so I really enjoy it,” said Smith. 
The group is grateful that they have the space at Trinity Lutheran Church in Owatonna, and they always sweep their wood shavings at the end of each session. 
Each Southern Minnesota Wood carver will have pieces on display in the Fine Arts building at the Steele County Free Fair, so feel free to stop by!