Posted on September 27, 2007
My good friend John. I really do miss him. I miss the always interesting talks I had with him regarding woodworking and politics. John was the owner of Waiawa Woods in Waipio Gentry Industrial Center, and in my opinion one of the very best high end furniture maker on the islands. John’s shop was where many other good furniture makers came to chat, exchange ideas, or have them sand some pieces of wood on his wide belt sander or resaw Koa for guitar making. John had all the tools and machinery every hobby and professional woodworker dreams about, from the 36″ band saw driven by a 10 HP motor, to the very big Powermatic scrollsaw and the cyclone dust collector. As one can imagine by now, John shop was always spotless and whenever you entered the shop you could smell the fragrance of Sugi Pine or camphor wood and spot somewhere on a working bench some beautifully carved pineapples that will end up decorating some bed posts. John’s work was fairly fast and always very precise and sometimes I wondered, with all those people coming to pay him visits, how he finds the time to finish his projects. John was really liked because contrary to many other artisans, he loved sharing ideas and experience, even wood if you needed some, and never ever gave you the impression to know more than you do. John moved to the West coast a few years ago with his family, and today, same as I do every few months, I called John and like usual, had a fantastic talk, covering topics like woodworking, family, politics etc. Just like in the old days. John’s daughter is already 10, a fourth grader. I remember John’s joy the day she was born. And now, when I drive past John’s old workshop where there used to be the sign WAIAWA the WOODWORKS, I always catch a pinch of camphor and sugi pine scent in my memory. Take care, John.
