Ron Aylor

An unplugged woodworker from Virginia, residing in Lilburn, Georgia, with my bride of 21 years. Upon discharge from the U.S. Army in the late 1970s I became a firefighter for the Richmond County FD in Augusta, Georgia. I then went on to work as a Draftsman in the cabinet industry during the mid to late 1980s before becoming a Funeral Director in 1993.

I am fortunate to have been raised by a father possessing the highest level of common sense in the world. Unschooled and mostly self-taught, Dad worked as an automobile mechanic, providing our family with everything we needed and just about everything we wanted. Thanks Dad!

Dad had a way of finding those vehicles that everyone else had given up on and said were nothing but worthless junk. Sometimes, using nothing more than a pair of pliers, 9/16” wrench, battery, and a can of gas, he'd start it up, and albeit rattling and smoking, drive it back to the shop. Then, after spending some time connecting this, tightening that, tapping out a few dents, he'd spray on a fresh coat of paint and sell it to one of those naysayers for a sizable profit. Go Dad!

Having come from modest beginnings is perhaps the reason I chose the minimalist approach to woodworking. Growing up in Virginia, surrounded by so much of our colonial history, is another. I use no power tools and very few hand tools, compared to others. My tools are by no means candidates for the next cover of Fine Woodworking magazine, nor are they emblazoned with the name of the latest woodworking guru; they're just tools! Don't get me wrong, my tools are clean, sharp where need be, and do what I demand of them. My dad taught me early on that knowing how to use a tool is more important than the tool in and of itself.

I realize this approach is not for everyone, but my shop is my sanctuary. The quiet I experience is deafening. Nothing quite compares to that little click as the auger bit protrudes from the backside of the work piece.