Page 37 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 121

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #121 February 2023 37

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Woodworking, a Dear Hobby for Tim Labrecque

By Christine Ouellet a solution is just awesome. It is so
much fun to do things with wood, it’s
oodworking is more than a literally playing with wood.”
Wpastime for Cornwall BMR “I watch videos to learn the
Manager Tim Labrecque: it is a technique. I started with the coat
passion that he discovered only a few racks, and then I saw a video about
Photo Submitted hobby of mine.’ better and better, so I started to make
years ago and he qualifies it as a ‘dear how to make a clock. And I got

chopping boards. My first chopping
Mr. Labrecque recalls how it
board was very basic, now they are
started five years ago when his wife
was shopping for two coat racks
turning.”
for her home. Given the exorbitant very intricate, with weaving and
market price, he decided that he could In terms of equipment, he started
try building it himself. There was a with a table saw, a miter saw, and a
big advantage in working at BMR in hand saw. As he sold a few pieces,
that he could ask questions to a whole he was able to save money and use
slew of professionals, learn from it to purchase more tools. He says, Photo Submitted
them, and also research information “One thing I like about this hobby is
on tools, techniques, and products. that it doesn’t cost me anything. So,

He humbly admits: “I was not a when I sell a piece, I use the money to
handyman before I started working a buy more wood and more tools. I am in the picture. “My favorite piece was sanding, glued the pieces together,
BMR, eight years ago, I could not do starting to get good tools to do more a chopping board for my mother-in- cleaned it all up, and oiled it. He
fancy work. I just got a second router
anything at home, then I started to talk law: it is walnut with a weaving of thought it was so nice he should keep
with contractors and I learned how to for Christmas from my wife, one that different colors in the middle. Right it, so I said no, lets sell it and we can
install hardwood floors, ceramic tiles, sits on a table and a handheld one for now, I am working on a Chess set made do another one.”
build fences, and I thought: ‘O My when I want to do smaller things.” from maple and walnut, purple heart, He dreams of other projects and
God! I am starting to really enjoy this, He uses local hardwood such and yellow heart where everything is admits that he hasn’t done much with
and I started to work with wood and as maple and walnut that grows cut off on the table saw.”
live edge yet. But he would like to
make some projects.’” abundantly in the area and is easier to He initiated his son. “My eleven- do a live edge table with a river in
He describes himself as a patient obtain. He discovered exotic woods year-old son wanted to make a the middle where you put the two
and meticulous person, inquisitive that have amazing colors such as chopping board and I told him you pieces side by side and pour epoxy
in nature. “It is so relaxing for your purple heart, yellow heart, wenge, could design it and sell it, so we in the center. His aunt has a booth
and ziricote, a black very dense wood,
mind because you are concentrating sat down at the kitchen table, and at the Christmas show in Cornwall
on this piece of wood that slowly which is worth almost five times the he designed it. It got him off his and his artwork will soon be on sale
reveals all its beauty and I started to price of walnut. computer for a while. We came up there. Tim Labrecque has found
do more intricate stuff. I design it or He describes a chopping board he with this: 1/3 walnut, 2/3 cherry his retirement project even if it is
sometimes copy it from a picture, made with ziricote in the center and with a squiggly line in the middle of years down the road: for now, he is
and I come up with a plan. For me, some purple wood on the side on it. I helped with the table saw and he practicing, but when he retires, he
thinking about it and coming up with maple in the center that you can see helped me with the planer. He did the knows what he will do.