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Wooden art

RC man feels connection to tools, wood

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Rusty Farrington, of Rockwell City, looks over a drill bit case he built based on the design of the antique one sitting on his workbench. He's also crafted a number of tool boxes and cabinets for his own use as well as many objects for family members and his own home.

ROCKWELL CITY — Rusty Farrington pulls a nondescript piece of rough cut wood from a pile in his workshop and places it on a wooden workbench he crafted from pieces of an old gym floor.

It’s not only rough; it’s far from flat.

Then he goes to work on it. The first set of passes with a hand plane reveal that under the rough cut surface, there’s actually some very beautiful grain. Using several other planes, each kept razor sharp, he works the wood down to a nearly flat surface.

What was a rough piece of wood, is now a potential piece of one of the many artfully crafted pieces he’s built.

He began woodworking for a practical reason.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Rusty Farrington, of Rockwell City, uses an antique plane on a piece of wood in his shop. Farrington also built the bench he's working on.

“Initially it was a matter of building frames for artwork,” he said. “Then I began watching New Yankee Workshop. I thought, ‘If Warren can do it, I can do it.’ I wanted to move past frames; it was just sort of utilitarian.”

His first efforts yielded a porch swing, and coffee and end tables. He would cut the pieces in his dad’s shop then assemble them at home.

Farrington uses a mix of power tools and a large collection of hand tools, most of them antique, to craft his projects. He said that he can achieve a greater level of precision with hand tools than he can with the power tools.

“I use whatever tool is going to be fastest and most accurate,” he said. “I can get a lot closer to dead on perfect with hand tools than I can with power tools.”

As his collection of tools grew, he found himself in need of a place to put them. The solution — hand craft tool cabinets, chests and a till for the planes. He’s also made a few of his own tools, including a wooden square, flatness gauge and a saw patterned after one made in the early 1800s by J. Flint.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen With a jewelry chest Rusty Farrington made as a gift for his wife Tina in the background, some of his antique tools rest on his workbench. Farrington crafted the small saw in the middle based on the design of the early 1800s saw in front.

Rusty Farrington

Hometown: Wayland

Current City: Rockwell City

Known For: Beautifully crafted wood work. Paintings, drawings and prints.

Fun Fact: Farrington is a safe woodworker with all digits intact. “I got ’em all and I plan to keep them.”

Farrington also likes to craft projects for his family.

“I built a wedding gift for my son last year,” he said. “I asked him, ‘Does she have a hope chest?’ So I built one for her out of walnut. Some of it was from Wes’ grandfather’s home, some of it from here in Rockwell City. I wanted to do something special for them.”

His son Brady is heading down the aisle in October.

“They asked me to build a hall bench,” he said. “I drew up plans for it, and I’ll be starting it this summer.”

When he builds a gift for a family member, not only is it a labor of love, he also makes sure that the wood in it is special like the lumber in the hope chest.

“I built a jewelry chest for my wife Tina,” he said. “The walnut pulls are from Tina’s folk’s home. Some of the wood is very special to her.”

He also extends that connection to the tools he uses. Some of his tools came from family members.

“I try to use them on anything that goes to family,” he said.

One of his recent projects is a replication of an old antique drill case for some auger bits he’s sharing with another woodworker.

“It’s bad for them to be banging around in a tool box,” he said. “It would be nice to make a case.”

Sometimes Farrington just isn’t happy with his first effort on a project. He will redo it until he is.

“I won’t give something where I wouldn’t have been proud to say I did it,” he said.

He also likes to see if he can make the original design better.

“I decided to recreate it, make some improvements,” he said. “It’s a prototype. I’m always reforming designs.”

He also feels a strong connection to his old tools. It’s not just wood that came from family sites.

“I like the idea that they had these in their hands,” he said. “That they were making something special for someone.”

Some of his favorite tools include wood-bodied planes. They even have a wood wedge to adjust the blade depth.

“They glide over the wood so beautifully,” he said. “They’re a joy to use. Wood does change with the seasons though, so you’re constantly adjusting them.”

Farrington has developed his own unique sharpening style for all his tools. He said that each wood craftsman does this. It’s a reflection of how they use their tools and largely personal preference. One thing you won’t find in his tool chests though are dull ones.

“Dull tools are dangerous,” he said. “I keep all my tools razor sharp.”

While he keeps them sharp, he doesn’t do his own saws.

“I have a guy that does a better job than I can,” he said.

In his professional life, Farrington is an art instructor at Iowa Central Community College. He’s also active in the Rockwell City community as a weather spotter and is active as a leader in Boy Scout Troop 94.

“It’s something I can do for the community while I’m here.” he said.

He also actively paints, draws and makes prints.

“They still interest me and I still have something to say,” he said. “I currently have work in process.”

His future plans include lots of time at the workbench.

“Some time down the road, I plan on retiring,” he said. “I would like to make fine objects for a living. I like making art. I love beautifully crafted objects.”

Farrington offers some advice for new woodworkers and those with a passive interest that want to get started.

“Pick a project,” he said. “There are all sorts of designs for beginners. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You can always fix a mistake.”

The one skill they will need?

“Learn how to sharpen your tools,” he said. “It’s so critical.”

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