Did you know the word table is derived from the Latin word ‘tabula,’ which means a plank, board or a flat piece?
I signed up to take the build a door harvest table workshop through Franklin Heritage at Madison Street Salvage in Franklin.
All the tools were provided — I just had to sneak away with the husband’s deer-hunting truck for a few hours.
When I walked through the doors, I had my choice pick of doors — except the Franklin College door with numbers on it. The Columbus lady who graduated from Franklin called dibs on it — nicely played.
I chose one door, then changed my mind, then again, to the point that one of the volunteer expert coaches, Mike Hill, suggested that “Marty, take the crazy lady.”
Each of the attendees received their own volunteer harvest table coach — Mike Hill got me, the crazy lady. Here’s what I found out throughout the few hours that I built my harvest table:
Mike and his wife Connie (a fellow volunteer) moved to Franklin five years ago. Someone suggested he was a walking billboard for Franklin. Mike noted: “I know more people here in Franklin in two years, than I did in 20-years living in a small rural town of 4,000 in St. Louis — I’ve never experienced anything like this.”
When I asked Mike why they originally chose to move to Franklin: “My daughter is a doctor of audiology here, (Carrie Hill, owner of Advanced Audiology) and the grandmother (Connie) wanted to be closer to her grandchildren.”
“We fell in love with our home on Water Street — built in 1851, which was all completely redone.” (Note to Daily Journal reporter Ryan Trares: I hear this would make a great feature article and please bring a photographer.)
Besides volunteering at Franklin Heritage, Mike drives veterans to the V.A. Hospital, is a board member for Franklin Heritage, is active in the Kiwanis, and head of the veterans committee at the Elks Club.
I also found out Mike’s grandfather was a finish carpenter.
Mike found out that I should have made better high school decisions — like taking a real shop class in high school, rather than the quickly outdated print class. Mike also found out that I’d used drills many times, but never with a square screw socket. I found out later that a Robertson, or square, was popularized for two reasons, and I quote, “it makes inserting the tool easier, and tends to help keep the screw on the tool tip without the user needing to hold it there.”
I probably should have read that fact beforehand, because for the life of me I was trying to hold the screw to the tip of the drill. I don’t like to brag, but I do believe I was the only attendee who perfected the art of reversing the drill and backing the screw out.
When I shamefully confessed that on two house-building trips in Juarez, Mexico, I was relegated to quit the nail-hammering team, since all my nails were going into the hardened wood crooked, Mike continued to be a great encourager.
“Hey, once you drive the drill bit into the head properly, you’re there.”
Thanks to Director Danny Causey and his crew of volunteers who obviously have a great time together. They are Mike and Connie Hill, Marty and Carolyn Williams, Dennis Norman and Bobbi Whittemore.
The harvest tables can be seen on the Madison Street Salvage Facebook site.
Janet Hommel Mangas grew up on the east side of Greenwood. The Center Grove area resident and her husband are the parents of three daughters. Send comments to [email protected].
