In this entry of the gallery we spend time with Leonard Worth. Leonard has been working professionally or semi-professionally
for the last 35 years and has built everything from guitars to houses. He started his woodworking career pretty much
out of necessity to survive while living on the coast in Bandon, Oregon. He had just given up sailing in the Scandinavian
merchant Marine and needed work. He was building a house, including a large shop at the time, and taught himself how to build the wood
sash windows and doors he needed.
His first small business was named "Wood Sash Windows and Doors". Since then he has built many custom sash windows and doors
of every shape and size. Some include his own stained glass panels (Tiffany style). He has built kitchen cabinets, book cases,
beds, music stands, tables, hutches, roll away mechanics tool boxes, built-ins, houses and more. He has even outfitted a couple
of the public libraries with fine White Oak furniture, including the Multnomah county library in downtown Portland.
Leonard currently has a small shop, "Underground Wood Works", which is conveniently located directly beneath his house
in SE Portland. He is somewhat limited to the size of pieces he can do and prefers small jobs. In fact, no job is too small for
him and he often gets calls from anxious people stranded at some builders supply wondering if he could possibly rip a
board down to three inches for them, or repair a drawer side for example. He has a can do attitude and often these small jobs
lead to other larger jobs.
Most of his work is done with machinery although he still likes to use hand tools. He especially likes designing special
jigs for particular jobs. His favorite finish is hand rubbed oil, then wax, but some pieces call for sprayed on marine spar
varnish or lacquer.
Leonard is self taught, and obtained most of his woodworking fundamentals from books by Tage Frid, James Krenov, Woodsmith and
Fine Woodworking magazine.
He is currently designing a few pieces for submission to some northwest area wood craft galleries, and taking new commissions
for custom woodworking and architectural millwork.
Library Desk
Quarter sawn White Oak
Oil and wax finish
60" x 36" x 22"
Bird Feeders
Deluxe Version
Goncalo Alves and wenge
Individual hand made shingles
Glass feed holder
Standard Version
White Oak
Solid .005 template textured copper roofs with custom patina
Glass feed holder
Lectern / Book Holder
Fashioned in the style of Sam Maloof
Honduras Mahogany
Tung Oil finish
BIRD AVIARY (or reptile cage)
This one is made of 3/4 inch Cherry, with Cherry hardwood
frames etc. all brass hardware, tempered glass front, powder
coated screens. 32 inches square, 18 inches deep. Varnish finish.
I still have seven of these left if interested. UNPAINTED !
ARCH TOP FRONT DOOR
Honduras Mahogany, w/ Lacewood
raised panels, one inch beveled glass, all
brass hardware, hand rubbed satin spar varnish.
This door included a laminated, seamless 7 inch
wide door jam, stop, and segmented int/ext casings
also made of Mahogany.
CHILDRENS STOOLS
Built along with some other furniture for the
Bandon public library these stools were made of
qt. sawn White Oak w/ sprayed lacquer satin finish.
14 inches x 11 high, angled box joints.
ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR
Built for myself fashioned after the Fender
Precision bass, made of Alder wood core, w/ flame
Maple back, and front, Ebony/Maple SM neck,
sun burst body, high gloss lacquer finish.
Photo by Mike Parr
FRONT DOOR
Andiroba raised panels with old growth vg Redwood
stiles, and rails, all brass hardware, my own stained glass,
copper grillwork on exterior side. 3.0 x 7.0 x 2 inches thick