Dale A. Carlisle Decoys
June Erla
Mrs. Fogg's Kitchen
JoJo Beads
KRT Woodworking
Crafts by Pat Masone
Joe Watts’ Burled Bowls
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KRT Woodworking
By Laura Jean Whitcomb
 In 1999, Kevin Turgeon was a recent college graduate when Christmas rolled around. “I didn’t have any money to buy gifts,” he says.
He did, however, have a degree in mechanical engineering and some experience with bridge building — model train bridges, that is. “I joined a student association, and we would build bridges and test them to see when they would break,” Kevin says. “My first serious woodworking project was when my father retired. We gave him a Lionel train set and I made him a bridge.”
This was the beginning of KRT Woodworking (www.krtwood.com). “Once people know you can make things out of wood, they give you requests,” Kevin laughs. His sister was the first, asking for a jewelry box. She loves leaves, so Kevin thought of a way to incorporate leaves into the design. “I’m not a carver, so it came to me to make the leaf. I scanned a maple leaf into the computer, marked the direction of the leaf veining so it would go in the same direction as the wood grain and used a scroll saw to cut it out of oak.”
A friend saw it, so Kevin made another. And the requests continued. In 2005, his sister read that Artisan’s Workshop in New London was looking for ornaments from local artists, so Kevin, who had always made wood ornaments for family members, made them for other people for the first time.
 Kevin’s maple leaf jewelry and keepsake boxes are the most difficult to make. The entire box (base and lid included) is in the shape of a leaf. On the lid is a detailed leaf cut out. The one he is making today has a fall theme: A yellowheart base, a padauk leaf and walnut trim.
There are three different assemblies — first the leaf, then the base, then the top (which incorporates the leaf). In his basement workshop in Franklin, he uses a 15-inch Delta bandsaw to cut the outside of the three pieces at the same time. It looks like delicate work, but “maintain a constant speed, follow the line and you’re okay,” Kevin says, while cutting a 6-by-6 block of wood down to size.
There’s quite a bit of precision work; several small cuts and turns with a scroll saw to delicately trim squares of wood into leaf patterns. He checks the direction of the grain (to make sure it follows the veins of a maple leaf) and sets the pieces aside to work on the base. One cut of a band saw gets to the center of the yellowheart block, and an interior circle of wood is removed to provide a home for keepsakes or jewelry.
 “Now I need to find something to do with the centers,” Kevin says, holding the circle in his hand. He adds it to his scrap bin, which includes beech, oak and walnut scraps. He tries to reuse wood whenever possible. “Candlesticks?” He sands the inside to remove saw marks, then glues it to the base.
The top, actually made of two layers of wood, is next. Kevin uses a drill press to create three pegs on the inside of the cover (to keep it in place). The decorative maple leaf is the last part of the jewelry box project. A small bandsaw trims the leaf, and Kevin checks and double checks with each cut to make sure it fits into the cover. The leaf sits down inside the top layer of the cover — a jigsaw puzzle of red leaf parts surrounded by a dark walnut trim. This looks to be the hardest part, but Kevin has it down to a science. “Finishing is the hardest part,” he says. “It’s an awkward shape, and you don’t want the oil/poly mix to run or show fingerprints.”
KRT Woodworking has expanded into wall art, mirrors, picture frames and even a chess set. He’ll also work on custom pieces for people who are looking for something specific, such as a jewelry box that would store mainly necklaces. You’ll find Kevin’s work at Artisan’s Workshop or you can e-mail him at kevin@krtwood.com
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