January 20 - A group of doctors with nearly 200 years of healthcare experience use their hands only to help and heal. woodworking
66-year-old Dr. from McCandless. Frank Kunkel shared his passion for woodworking with a group of retired healthcare professionals, including an orthopedic surgeon, a pharmacist, a neurologist, a general surgeon and others.
Kunkel built an 1,800-square-foot workshop on his property for woodworkers who come year-round to create items like cutting boards, shaker boxes, tables and personalized gifts.
"I created this lab 100% as a hobby," Kunkel said.
He discovered the art form decades ago when a former patient invited him to a woodworking day.
Raised in the Dorseyville area of Fox Chapel, Kunkel graduated from Fox Chapel High School in 1975 and earned a medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Kunkel is mostly retired and works three days a month to maintain his medical qualifications at UPMC.
"Whether I like it or not, I'm going to enter this new part of my life," Kunkel said of his mindset after a 40-year career as an anesthesiologist.
For men, woodcarving provides a social outlet as many adjust to post-medical life and retirement age.
"It's very difficult," Kunkel said of retirement. "It took me two years to adjust. I haven't taken a vacation in years. including holidays. "Most doctors work in their spare time."
For Mike Bowman, a retired orthopedic surgeon in Hampton, woodworking sessions create a stress-free environment where precision is important but not life-changing.
"If you have to do something twice here, nobody dies," Bowman said. “You can always buy another stick. You won't be able to get replacement legs."
Bowman, who specializes in hand surgery, particularly enjoys making oval boxes.
To make these unique boxes, which were introduced to America by the Shakers, an English religious group, in the mid-1800s, Bowman had to cut the wood into thin strips about an inch thick.
After repeated sanding and heat dipping, the wood shrinks to one-sixteenth of an inch and becomes so flexible that it forms an oval shape.
"It was Tupperware from the 1800s because they put household items in it and made it oval to save shelf space," Bowman said. “They had different shapes and the Shakers painted them in bright colors. I can't help myself because the cherry tree is so beautiful."
Men dedicate most of their work to friends, relatives and sometimes strangers.
Bowman recently donated wood products to her friend Debra Burgess and her husband.
"He's a Renaissance man, and we're very fortunate to have Mike's Shaker-inspired artistry," Burgess said.
Frank's wife Carol said she was "lucky" to have a "sweet" 39-year-old husband with excellent woodworking skills.
"Woodworking was a hobby that he really fell in love with," Carol Kunkel said. “Working in the carpentry workshop every day helped him improve his skills a lot. He enjoys learning different building techniques and methods, as well as working with interested friends and helping newbies.
Known for handing out cutting boards to anyone he meets during his daily three-mile walks in nearby North Park, Kunkel is described by the group as having a "generous nature."
When Kunkel thought his favorite Bloomfield restaurant, Smokin' Bruce, had an inappropriate cutting board, he supplied them with a custom solid maple cutting board.
When a neighbor needed a TV stand, Kunkel made one for him. He got creative by using a 3-foot piece of wood and building the table entirely out of logs.
Woodworking staples include a laser cutter, clamps and other clamps, glue, fasteners, table saws, and planes.
Their woodworking program is spontaneous.
"We do everything on purpose. A lot of the inspiration for Masam comes from social media,” says Kunkel. "And the music is always great."
In December, the group released more than 60 Shaker cases, usually covered in a matte polyurethane finish.
61-year-old Dr. from McCandless. Tim Jacob is a new carpenter joining the group.
"He (Kunkel) gives it his all, that's the kind of person he is," he said, adding that his first experience working with wood was lumber.
"My kids love them," Jacob said of the boards. "I'm trying to balance everything and it's driving Frank crazy."
Cutting boards vary in size and width and are made from cherry, solid maple and other woods.
Kunkel buys most of his trees from Facebook Marketplace.
His heated workshop is full of wood and tools. In workshops, background music is important and the atmosphere is relaxed, fun and informal.
"The joke is that I have to shop at Woodworkers Anonymous," Kunkel said.
Kunkel has no formal training in the craft.
"It's 99% self-taught, YouTube and interacting with other woodworkers," he said.
Attention to detail often comes to the fore during projects.
"Surgeons suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder," Kunkel said. "But it's part of the profession."
The men described Dennis Schilling, a 71-year-old pharmacist from McCandless, as the detailer.
Schilling met Kunkel two years ago through a mutual interest in leather work.
The men became friends, and Schilling helped Kunkel learn more about leather processing.
A lifelong student, Schilling enjoys building tables and cutting wood from select hardwoods such as walnut, cherry, maple and amaretto.
"It was a great learning experience because the woodworking I had done before was relatively simple and not as sophisticated as what we do now in Frank's shop," Schilling said.
Bowman said the group's woodworking styles blend harmoniously to ensure maximum productivity.
"Frank is very skilled in both woodworking and ceramics. Danny is very detail-oriented and precise, and I'm a very process-oriented, very hands-on person, so the three of us work well together, allowing us to deliver an incredible number of craft projects," Bowman said.
Tom Boerner, the only non-medical professional in the group and Kunkel's son-in-law, once worked as a longshoreman for singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson.
"Nothing for sale, but gifts are good," Kunkel said of their extensive woodwork.
A passion for woodworking provided the right outlet for the band.
"Everybody told me that. 'It's good to have a hobby so you can have a job when you retire,' and being semi-retired or retired can be difficult for a lot of doctors because you're so passionate about everything," Kunkel said. .: .
His wife endures a basement full of handmade tables.
"I'm so happy for him and for me that he found this great hobby," said Carol Kunkel.
Joyce Hantz is a TribLive reporter covering the Alle-Kiski Valley. Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, he graduated from the University of South Carolina.He can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com.
