Relaxing hobby
Coach Walter Barnhill finds relaxation in making furniture.
Woodcraft eases rigors of job
When the last sweaty football
player has stepped off the gridiron
and has headed for possible after
the game celebrations, have you
ever wondered how the coach un
winds?
I mean, we all know that Tom
Landry spends his spare moments
selecting his chewing gum for the
next big game and brushing his hat
collection, but can we assume that
all coaches do the same?
Not all, says Walter Barnhill,
line coach for the Hoke High
Bucks. As a means of getting away
from the pressures of coaching and
teaching school, Barnhill works
with wood.
If time permits during football
season, Barnhill can be found in
his shop behind his home (which
he built), sanding, sawing or stain
ing a piece of furniture or country
shelf for his home.
"It's a good way to relax, to get
away from school and coaching,"
Barnhill admits. "When you're
out there working with wood,
you've got to keep your mind on
what you're doing. You can't be
thinking about anything else."
A practical person, Barnhill ex
? plains that much of his furniture
construction came* about "because
he felt that he could construct a
piece more cheaply than it could be
bought.
"We looked at some bunk beds
for our son Matt's room and I
thought, 'I can make that and I
believe it would be constructed bet
ter, too,' " he says in reference to
the sturdy beds.
The beds are several things in
one. Sitting in an L-shape, they
have drawers for storage, but best
of all for Matthew, they provide
endless opportunities. When one
Hoke
Arts Scene
By Sonya Falls
bed is not in use, it can be an ex
cellent desk, play area or hideout.
Bamhill has reproduced this
bedroom set for a friend who also
saw the value in such a well
constructed suite.
In addition, Bamhill has created
a bed and dresser for the spare
bedroom of his home.
"I think one of the reasons
Walter makes furniture is because
we have needed something," ex
plains his wife, Verna, with a
laugh. "When we were first mar
ried, we lived in an apartment with
a small kitchen. We needed a table
just big enough for two. so he
made one to fit in the corner."
This ability to see what is needed
and then build to solve the pro
blem extends to many of his pro
jects. Out behind the Bamhill
home, he has constructed a unique
.playhouse for. his son which is a
combination of swing, slides, lad
ders and ropes, a perfect set-up for
a small guy and his friends.
"Usually 1 can look at
something and get a general idea of
how to make it and have pretty
good luck with it. A lot of my stuff
is trial and error. That's why 1
don't use real expensive wood. I
learn by doing."
Verna, a country decor lover,
considers herself a lucky wife,
since she can often put in her order
for wooden crafts she has seen
someplace and Barnhill can
reproduce the item.
Country shelves and foyer
bench, as well as a lovely blanket
chest, attest to her husband's skills
as a woodcrafter.
Although his items are profes
sional enough, he has no desire to
sell his products.
"Everyone does crafts," he
says. "I don't have time to make a
bunch of things and go to craft
shows, which is what you have to
do to sell crafts. If someone wants
me to make something, I will, pro
bably not during football season,
but I'll get it done."
A native of Nash County, Barn
hill has often spent his summers
there working on building projects
and expanding his construction
knowledge. One summer, he and
his friends constructed decks,
fences and strangely enough, a
baptismal font for a church. All of
this on the job training has given
him a confident, sort of laid-back
approach to his hobby.
~ "Most wood working is com
mon sense," Barnhill conjectures.
"That's where the world goes
wrong a lot of times, not using
common sense."
That's good enough advice for
anyone, either on the football field
or in the woodwright's shop.
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