Carving out a hobby

during retirement

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

WEST NEWTON -- A trio of wood carvers displayed their carvings and demonstrated their skills Sunday as the Harkin Store's six-day-a-week summer schedule draws to a close.

After the Labor Day weekend, the store goes to a weekends-only schedule until it closes in mid-October.

Carvers Richard Crumb of New Richland, Morrie Gresch of Springfield and Charlie Olsen of Stewart all have something in common; they are pursuing wood carving as a retirement hobby, and they don't make big pushes to sell their carvings.

Crumb, 79, a retired farmer, is the most prolific of the group, having produced an estimated 1,000 pieces "or more" since he took up carving. Seventy-six-year-old Gresch, a retired railroad station agent, has done about 100 carvings since he picked up the chisels and knives 25 years ago.

Olsen, youngest of the three at 59 and a farmer who was forced to retire because of a disability, has been carving for over 30 years. He numbers his carvings "In the hundreds."

While Crumb started carving "just for something to do" in retirement, Gresch and Olsen had an interest in art which then led them into wood carving.

For Gresch, who had begun painting with oils more than 30 years ago, the push came from seeing his son, Mike, taking up carving.

"My dad always said, 'Never let your kids out-do you,'" Gresch reflected.

Because of his art interest, however, Gresch needed to see what his subject looked like before he carved it. So, he started modeling the subject in clay before committing it to wood. When the model was to his liking, he'd then trace around it onto a block of wood.

"After Mike saw me doing that, he started doing it the same way," Gresch said. "So, that was something he learned from me."

But Mike Gresch of Marquette, Mich., who is spending a couple months with his dad, is once again teaching him a new trick, using a wood burning set to indicate feathers on birds.

While the technique provides a more realistic look, "it takes forever to do it, and it's frustrating as all get-out!" Mike Gresch said.

Gresch also considers himself more of a "purist" carver than many other carvers today.

"I use mostly knives and chisels to rough out my carvings," he explained. "A lot of them use [power] tools to do a lot of it. I'll use one occasionally, but for the forming of the sculpture, I just use a knife or chisel."

He also uses only basswood for carving because it's one of the easiest woods to work.

"I once tried maple, and that wood is so hard that it was almost impossible to carve," he said. "I learned my lesson and have stuck with basswood ever since."

Olsen uses either basswood or butternut, but Crumb is most adventurous in using different woods.

"Butternut is my favorite wood to use," Crumb explained, "but I'll also use basswood and even black walnut. It takes a long time with walnut, though."

Crumb can usually turn out a finished carving in about five days unless the carving is complex.

A carousel horse, called "Black Beauty," which took second place in the Midwest Carvings Show at Blue Earth this year, had to created from 12 pieces of wood.

"With all the curves, you end up working against the grain on a single piece of wood," Crumb explained. "So I had to use shorter pieces so that I always working with the grain."

His carving of a Chinese ring-neck pheasant took first place in the wild bird division at the Midwest show. His elaborate carving of "Woody," a male wood duck standing in front of a hollowed out log took second.

Rather than having a fancy studio, all three prefer working in a spare room in the basement.

Gresch's advice to would-be carvers is pretty clear and concise.

"When you take up carving," he admonished, "get your own room and don't let the girls in. They just try to clean it up, and you never know where you're at."