John Belue, a Sun City resident and member of the Woodchucks Charter Club, enjoys spending time in the Millgrove Workshop, using the equipment available to grant his daughter’s wishes.
Belue said, “My daughter crochets, and she needed something to not only store her skeins of yarn, but also make it easy to pull the yarn through as you work. So, I started working on a design. I wanted a box shaped piece that would hold several skeins of yarn with a cover, and she could feed the yarn without fraying it.”
Belue worked as a tool and die engineer, a specialized role in the manufacturing industry, designing and creating tools utilized in manufacturing processes.
He designed this project, working on it and making changes to the plan with consideration not only to the functionality of the wood box but also the aesthetics.
Belue said, “I decided not to use a solid board to hold the yarn, but a box with dividers for each skein and wood rails. I needed to space the rails to accommodate the yarn. I made the hole to pull the line of the year through, but just pulling it through the wood hole would compromise the yarn. I added the metal grommet that allows the yarn to go through smoothly. It took me about a month and a half to design and complete it.”
This is not the first wooden project that Belue has made for his daughter.
“My daughter has always loved riding horses. She has always wanted a tack trunk. Equestrians use tack trunks to keep their brushes, wraps, and other equipment clean and organized. I did make her one, but it is about one-fourth the size of one. She keeps it on her desk.”
Belue will give the yarn box to his daughter after a show-and-tell at the next Woodchucks meeting, where he will share his design and process with other members.
Belue said, “This community is great. Del Webb has a lot to offer. I stay busy here, and the equipment in the woodshop is great, as are all the members who are always willing to help.”
