Dos Pueblos High School student Xander Doherty, at age 17, achieved national recognition for his woodworking skills and became the first person in Santa Barbara history to attend the Association of Woodworking and Furniture Suppliers) Freshwood. In the national competition held July 25-28 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Doherty won first place in the rocking chair category and also won the audience award.
In the spring, Santa Barbara County held a student woodworking contest in which Doherty submitted a walnut rocking chair as his main entry. The department won Best in Show and many other awards, including first entry into the national competition and bragging rights at the end.
Freshwood at AWFS is the largest woodworking facility in North America, and Doherty is one of 20 high school students in the country shortlisted for the competition.
He first discovered woodworking early in seventh grade at Santa Barbara High School and took "carpentry" as an elective while choosing a class. "At first I thought they were going to give us a chisel and a hammer and cut it out," Doherty said. "To my surprise, the shop was filled with power tools, and after doing a few small projects, I realized I loved woodworking and haven't stopped building since."
Doherty's favorite part of his woodworking job is Doherty's creativity: taking natural materials and using your imagination to shape them into the shape you desire. Being able to say "I did it" after a project is finished is another aspect of woodworking that Doherty loves.
"I like to solve problems that arise when building a design or changing parts to improve a design," said Doherty.
Patience comes with imagination when working with wood. “You can imagine anything in the world, but nothing can be built without hard work and patience. He explained: 'You have to have an imagination to build something, but you have to look at a piece of wood and see all the possible structures that can be made from it. Not all parts of the building will be attractive and you will have a hard time getting good pieces.
After school, Doherty intends to find the best trade school and learn all the skills and knowledge of woodworking. He then plans to continue his business, Zander's Woodworks and custom furniture for years to come.
Doherty currently owns his small woodworking shop in Santa Barbara and sells work on his website, including custom orders.
Dos Pueblos student Zander Doherty (right) competes with construction technology teacher Chris M. Malka Credit: Please
