Jimmy Carter's shop

[gwyneth]

C-Span2 ran a three-hour feature on Jimmy Carter during book weekend, and about midway through he started talking about woodworking.

They showed his shop from a few angles, too. I came into the room too late to see it all, but I did notice a Delta planer and a DeWalt radial saw.

He said that when he left the White House, they took up a collection to give him a Jeep, but he asked them to give the $7500 to Sears and buy the stuff for his workshop. (Can you imagine what kind of tools you could buy for that in 1980? Even today, you could assemble a not-too-shabby collection.)

The former president said he'd made about 150 pieces of furniture since leaving office. The shop looked like nobody else ever came in to tidy it...there were even some packages that hadn't been opened. It definitely didn't look like a show shop.

Lots of axes, what were probably some old, old farm tools (his family has been on part of the land since the 1830s), and a lot of stuff that went by too quickly for me to note.

He's coming out with a woodworking book next year (the only woodworking book by a Nobel winner?)

[Pappy]

President Carter is known well for his work with Habitat For Humanities, not as a fundraiser or spokesman but out there on the sites with a hammer in his hand.

Couple of years ago there was a piece he made in either Wood or Woodsmith. No big fanfare or article about what a former President made, just a piece from fellow woodworking hobbyist.

[Ken Weaver]

When we visited Plains last year (went to his Sunday School Class) we went by the home compound several times. The shop is out behind the house, the kind of structure that I wish I had. The whole thing is very unpretentious and I would have loved to see how he had it set up. Fat chance!

I first met him when he visited SAC Headquarters at Offutt AFB when he was President. Very likeable and what you see is what you get. After SS class he and his wife posed for pictures, but they have a strict routine that moves the crowd through with no time for conversation (as you could understand).

Would be a real trip to walk through his shop with him, there was an article about his work in one of the magazines a while back and it really sounded like him.

[ChrisD]

I hope this link works. It shows a persimmon cabinet that the president made that had a pre-auction estimated value of $100,000 (the image may show up on the page as "CarterCabinet_8_md.jpg"; you have to click on it):

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworki....aspx?id=24944

In addition to woodworking, he also paints and in fact did the cover for a civil-war-era novel that he wrote.

What a talented guy!

[SARGE..g-47]

I had the distinct pleasure of being in a seminar at the old Highland Hardware back in the 80's before it moved across the street to it's current building. The seminar room was in the basement with excuvated "red dirt" walls and a bleacher built into the slope on one side. The seminar was given by Tage Frid (his 2nd coming to Highland), but the most well known name was one of the class by the name of Jimmy Carter.

I have run into President Carter and Miss Rosalyn several times over the years at Highland Hardware on Saturday afternoon (have spent a lot of Saturday afternoons there in the past). He still drops by when in town for Habitat for Humanity or Carter Center to get some sandpaper and look around at what's new. Got a inside friend that tips me when they know he's coming.

Several years ago he paid a surprise visit to a Sam Maloof seminar that I was attending at Highland also. He just popped in and apoligized for his sudden disruption and "sat a spell".

President Carter will not be remembered for his presidency as much as his never ending actions to aid man-kind. As stated, he does not just promote, he swings a hammer with everyone else on Habitat projects on-site. He has a degree in nuclear physics and Navy time in the nuclear field.

Regardless of what your opinion of his Presidency, every other faucet of the man is hard charging and dedicated to world peace and humanity of the masses. He and the gracious Miss Rosalyn are what I relate to when I see the word "pure" and "dedicated to others"!

Regards...

[gwyneth]

President Carter will not be remembered for his presidency as much as his never ending actions to aid man-kind. As stated, he does not just promote, he swings a hammer with everyone else on Habitat projects on-site. He has a degree in nuclear physics and Navy time in the nuclear field.

Regardless of what your opinion of his Presidency, every other faucet of the man is hard charging and dedicated to world peace and humanity of the masses. He and the gracious Miss Rosalyn are what I relate to when I see the word "pure" and "dedicated to others"!

Beautiful way to put it. Without getting into politics, he has clearly helped more humans since he left office than most of us would dream is possible.

C-Span2 reruns stuff frequently, and I'm trying to find out at what point during those three hours the shop was shown--not as good as seeing the inside in person, Ken, but better than just seeing the outside!

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Like Pappy, I saw one of his pieces lumped in with other woodworkers hand made hand tools in a magazine this year. According to the blurb, he likes to work with traditional 1800s tools and hand makes a lot of them.

[gwyneth]

One of his books discusses his childhood and it went into detail about the machines and tools used in the rural South before all of it was electrified.

Very interesting contrast to today, not because of the technology per se, but the way kids learned useful things and were expected to produce. Even six- and seven-year olds were routinely exposed to things that would be considered insane today.

By contrast, even the concrete playgrounds and rusty swings of the 50s and early 60s look risk-free.

[TB Roye]

Although we are far apart politically, I admire the man for the way he has and does live his life. I have seen stories of his woodworking and he does simple, functional work, much like he probably grew up with on the farm. He is one of the few politicians I would like to meet and talk to.

Tom

[gwyneth]

I suppose wood-working machinery would be very relaxing, compared to the stuff on 50s-era nuclear subs, and wood would be very predictable compared to some of the world leaders he's worked with.

[Ed62]

This is one man I've admired because of his work helping others. Who ever heard of a President of the United States swinging a hammer for someone else when his term was over. It just doesn't happen every day.

Ed

[gwyneth]

At least five years ago, I read a great article, slightly cynical, about what our former presidents do with their lives, time, etc., and Carter came off by far the best. As the author put it, he's in a class by himself among that group (though this was before the 1st Bush-Clinton charity, I doubt that the author's opinion would change much.)

What's especially great about the furniture is that even his hobby raises funds for good causes.

C-span.org has downloadable podcasts of at least some of its programs: somebody with more advanced computer technology than I've got might be able to get the Carter show and extract some pictures of the shop.