01940 Winter 2018_V3

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BUILDING A SECOND CAREER Gary Green in his home workshop PHOTOS: OWEN O'ROURKE BY THOR JOURGENSEN At an age when many people think about retiring, Gary Green decided to cap off a successful real estate development career by going back to school to study woodworking. The son and grandson of men who made their livings working with wood, Green enrolled in Boston's North Bennet Street School with a commitment to elevate a lifelong interest in woodworking. "I dabbled in it part-time. I loved it but I never had time for it," Green said. Studying from 1994-96 at the premier artisan and craft school taught Green to appreciate woodworking. He believes fine furniture making is an artform pursued at an extremely slow pace, requiring an unerring eye for detail and a certain amount of patience to inform every cut of a saw and stroke of a carving tool. Green, 81, took the lessons to heart and learned the intricacies of "riving," "vine and berry inlay," and the differences between a Philadelphia sack back and a Connecticut high boy. The historic Allen Breed House on Summer Street, where he lives with his wife, Abalin, showcases some of the 150 pieces Green has created over the past two decades. His two-room shop is located steps away from the home's kitchen. It is stocked with more than 150 carving tools, specialized saws, and oversized boards Green buys from a Pennsylvania sawmill. your space? How will you reclaim www.moynihanlumber.com BEVERLY 82 River Street 978-927-0032 headboards accent walls NORTH READING 164 Chestnut Street 978-664-3310 PLAISTOW, NH 12 Old Road 603-382-1535 kitchen islands 100% RECLAIMED WOOD FROM NORTHERN MAINE PEEl & STICK | VARIETY OF COLORS & LENGTHS
His smartphone stays in the house when he walks into the shop. Chairs like the continuous arm Windsors and the distinctively designed sack back can take 13 days to make. Big projects, such as a formidable-looking Connecticut bureau, can take up to six months. "You've got to be so patient. The challenge is often to get new wood to look like old wood," he said. An Illinois native, Green spent his early years in construction and project management with his father, who produced prefabricated homes. Green's grandfather operated a sawmill in the Adirondacks that turned out wooden ammunition boxes during both world wars. A developer for more than 30 years, Green was involved in high-rise projects that helped shape the modern Boston skyline. "I used to say I always made money. Now I make furniture," he said. Wood crafting is at the center of his life. He rarely misses spending five hours a day on a furniture project. The work often begins with Green spotting an interesting piece of furniture in a magazine. He then applies his practiced eye to convert what he sees into detailed dimensions for a project. Gary Green with one of the pieces he is building. Taking his cue from late-18th, early- 19th century American and European styles, he cuts no corners when it comes to his creations. He crafted one ornate chair with ball and claw feet. To make a set of Connecticut drawers, he employed a detailed technique that involves dipping small pieces of wood into hot sand to slightly scorch them and then gluing the pieces to produce a threedimensional fan effect. Drawing on his North Bennet training and occasionally turning to Beverly master woodworker Philip C. Lowe for guidance, Green learned to "rive," or split wood pieces, to create chair backs and build a Connecticut highboy chest complete with Queen Anne slipper foot legs and a secret drawer. "I'm still learning. The most fun I have is flipping through a magazine and seeing something and then the creative process begins," he said.
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