Building Community at Taylor Glen's Woodworking Club

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, the woodworking shop at Taylor Glen hums with activity.

Residents work on various tools, coming together to make a shared project shine. Around them, tools hang neatly on custom-built organizers, lumber is carefully stored and conversations flow as freely as sawdust once did.

But if you ask members of the woodworking club what they're most proud of, their answer has little to do with the shop itself.

"Well, the fact that it's brought a lot of people together," club member Joe Gibbs said.

That sense of connection is at the heart of the woodworking club, which has grown to 16 members and become a gathering place for residents who share a passion for building, creating and learning from one another.

A Shared Interest Sparks a Transformation

Many of the club's members moved to Taylor Glen around the same time and quickly discovered they had something in common.

As new residents moved into the expansion cottages and villa homes, they shared their interests and woodworking kept coming up.

Before long, a group began making a plan for the community's woodworking shop. Inspired by ideas gathered during a visit to another woodworking space, they set out to transform the workshop into a place that could be used and enjoyed by more residents.

What they found when they arrived was a space with untapped potential.

"About half of the floor space that we had here was piled with lumber and equipment and fasteners, and it was a mess," said Joel Sherard.

Over the next several months, members rolled up their sleeves. They cleaned, organized and redesigned the shop from the ground up.

"We've come a long, long way," Gibbs said.

The club built lumber storage racks, cleaned up sawdust, sorted years' worth of hardware and established safety procedures. Club member Jim Kuly designed the space and came up with creative storage solutions like the French cleat tool organizers. Don Rose took on the painstaking task of organizing screws, bolts and other parts, while Ron Kruse began training members on equipment and safety practices.

"We highly believe in safety," Gibbs said.

Today, the workshop is bright, organized and welcoming. Fans work to keep club members cool in the summer while the doors stand open to let in the sunshine. It’s a place the members call home, but also an asset to the entire community.

Giving Back Through Craftsmanship

The club's mission extends beyond woodworking for woodworking's sake.

At the moment, all of their projects are designed to benefit Taylor Glen and enhance life for fellow residents.

One recent project involved restoring aging benches around campus.

"I went to the manager, and I said, 'Is there anything we can do for you guys — kind of payback for having for all the good things that Taylor Glenn's done for us,' and he said, 'Yeah, fix these three benches,'" Kuly said.

The group is also building cornhole boards for residents to enjoy and developing plans for the community garden, including compost bins, accessible raised garden beds and other improvements.

"We want to make sure that we do projects for the Taylor Glen community," Kruse said.

The members take pride in knowing their work will continue serving others for years to come, providing a lasting legacy.

"And if we leave something here that we built, all the better," Kruse said.

More Than a Workshop

While the projects benefit the community, members say the greatest benefit is something less tangible.

For some, woodworking provides a sense of purpose and routine.

"I’ll tell you what it’s for for me, it’s something to look forward to every week," Kruse said. "There's a period where we can get away and not think about anything else, but working on wood.”

For others, it's about the socials connections and time spent with others.

"That's why I'm here," said Joel Sherard. “It’s the social aspect of it. I know squat about these machines."

He credits Kruse for helping him learn: "He's my instructor. He's my mentor."

The combination of shared interests, teamwork and lifelong learning has helped create a close-knit group even though most are relatively new to Taylor Glen.

"It's a great opportunity to get together," Sherard said.

A Place to Belong

What started as a desire to improve a woodworking shop has become a source of friendship, purpose and community for 16 residents. Together, they've created a space where people can share knowledge, contribute to the community and enjoy doing something they love alongside others who feel the same way.

As the club continues to grow, members hope new residents will pull up a chair, learn a skill and become part of what they've built together.

"The goal is to be self-perpetuating," Kruse said. "There'll be other people in here hopefully."

Judging by the laughter, collaboration and sense of pride filling the shop each week, that future already looks well underway.

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