Sawdust in the blood
Story and photos by Jenny Harnish
Lonnie Withrow has spent a lifetime carving tools , utensils , furniture and cutting boards from wood .
L onnie Withrow has sawdust in his blood .
He grew up on a farm outside of Lewisburg in a time when kids learned to use tools at a young age .
“ Every country boy in those days had his pocket knife – that was his first woodworking tool ,” he said .
He made pop guns out of elderberry branches , slide whistles out of hickory trees and toy violins from pieces of corn fodder . “ We made our barn sheds and chicken coops and pig troughs .”
Today , at 86 , working with wood is his escape and what is keeping him alive . “ It keeps my mind and my hands busy . I am so happy when I dream up something , go to the stockpile and choose a piece of wood and go to the tools and turn that idea into an actual piece of something whether it ’ s a rolling pin or a board .”
After graduating from high school he went to work for the United States Department of the Navy in D . C . He lived there for 10 years and served in the Army special forces . He married and had two children .
“ I never did like being away from home . There ’ s no swimming hole or neighbor to go visit ,” he said .
He eventually came home to West Virginia and worked as an engineering technician for the Division of Highways until retiring .
“ I retired , and I came home with a table saw ,” he said . “ I found out I really liked making sawdust , and hopefully
Back when he was growing up on a farm just outside Lewisburg , Wilson started carving wood with a pocket knife – his first wodworking tool .
40 � SOUTH � SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER ’ 24