Woodchuck members brought back ribbons from the Illinois State Fair, which took place this year in mid-August.
The awards were quite notable.
Ed Cuttle won the prestigious “Best of Show” Best Exhibit in Crafts for the second year. Mike Shortridge, Vice-President of the Woodchucks, said, “When Ed won last year the ‘Best of Show’ we were excited, but this year’s win validates the workmanship, quality and beauty of the submitted pieces.”
Cuttle’s submission won Best of Show in Crafts and first place in the blue-ribbon category. His vase had 158 segments and 228 pieces of wood.
Cuttle said, “This vase, with my first attempt at using epoxy resin, features a ring of mahogany and cut circles into each segment. These were small cubes rather than a circle. I poured into each a light green mix of epoxy resin. Working with the resin was a little tricky, but I worked with it until it held the wood in place, making it appear floating in the wood vase.”
Cuttle shares his knowledge and technique with fellow club members.
“I periodically hold workshops for our Woodchuck members on the segmented turning technique I use. I currently have six members in the tenth Basic Segment Workshop. I also offer special workshops for other various turning techniques,” he said.
Anna Rana has produced a beautiful piece under Cuttle’s instruction.
“Ed is a fantastic person,” she said. “Not only is he a talented woodworker, but he is genuinely dedicated to the club. He is an amazing teacher. He has his shop in his house, and I don’t see him working on any projects in the Woodchucks’ shop, but he is there often, assisting, teaching, and guiding. If you tell him, you need help, he’ll drop whatever he’s doing at home and come to the shop to help. He is selfless, talented, and dedicated. He’s also our tech guy. I made a segmented bowl Ed teaches in his class. I was able to do this under his guidance. I started woodworking less than a year before I made this.”
Rich Escallier, another Woodchuck member, also submitted entries to the fair. He shared a fun tradition they have started, where they place a bet on who wins a higher place. The prize is a soda of one’s choice. This year, Ed won the bet and got the soda, adding a fun and competitive element to the fair experience.
Escallier submitted a beautiful cutting board with a grooved portion made for crackers.
“I made the grooves with a table saw. The piece has contrasting light and dark wood. The piece earned a blue ribbon in the fair,” he said.
Escallier’s second submission was a valet tray, showcasing his versatility in woodworking techniques. The tray was made using stacked cut pieces and sand shading, a technique in which veneer is darkened by being burned in hot sand. This method creates a natural gradient effect, adding a unique touch to the tray.
The third piece submitted by Escallier was a tea box. Escallier said, “I made this box for [my wife] Judy. There is an inlay of ebony. The technique used is grain wrapping around all of the pieces. You have to plan for this technique. I got the ebony from a guitar maker who had gone out of business. It was a little tricky to get the hinge to work. The medallion was my design.”
Talent runs in the family, and Judy Escallier, a talented woodcarver, also submitted a few pieces to the state fair. She received a third-place ribbon in woodcarving on the whimsical chickens.
“I used watercolor to add the coloring to the wood. We have a very talented group of woodcarvers in our group,” she said.
Cuttle encourages other Woodchucks to enter their work in the Illinois State Fair competition next year.
“There are other Woodchuck woodturners as well as other Woodchucks with various woodworking projects that produce very nice works,” he said. “I continue to try and get them involved with the State Fair options.”
