Anderson Twp. woodworker to teach classes | Eye on the Eastside

By Lisa Wakeland ? lwakeland@communitypress.com

Ajax Alexandre still remembers the first item he made out of wood. It was a brace he made to keep the extension cords neat in his family?s home.

He later moved on to other pieces like a bookshelf for his music which helped jumpstart his woodworking hobby. Alexandre, an Anderson Township resident and online community editor at Popular Woodworking Magazine, said his fascination with woodworking began with ?The New Yankee Workshop? TV show with Norm Abram.

?I watched that as a kid and I got hooked,? he said. ?The tactile quality of working with your hands is what I liked about it.?

It was during a fine furnishings show in Providence, R.I., that Alexandre was inspired to take his woodworking past a hobby. After speaking with some of the show?s participants Alexandre said both he and his wife had the same realization: ?Those are the most happy and content people that I had ever met.?

He enrolled in a furniture design program at the University of Massachusetts six months later and taught at the Rhode Island School of Design after he graduated.

Alexandre

Now, Alexandre will share his knowledge and passion for woodworking during three teaching sessions at the ?Woodworking in America? trade show, conducted Friday, Sept. 30, to Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center.

He will teach classes on liquid joinery, which is how to sculpt organic shapes; making pieces out of plywood; and the right tools for different projects.

?I think a lot of people who are going to be (at the show) already have the bug a little bit and I?m hoping for them to just get a little more confidence in what they try,? he said.

?(Woodworking) might seem a little more intimidating ? but a lot of it is doable without expensive tools. It?s really not as complicated as it seems. It?s very easy to do if you take the time to learn.?

Alexandre also wants to teach woodworking skills to a younger generation and recently started a nonprofit organization called Legacy Arts. It?s an after-school program for children ages 7 to 18 and is located near Findlay Market in Over-The-Rhine.

It will start with basic projects like building a bird house and get progressively more complicated, he said. The students? work will be sold to help sustain the organization.

More details

? The ?Woodworking in America? trade show will be 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 1; 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, One West Rivercenter Blvd., in Covington.

Daily admission fee is $10 at the door or $8 if purchased online in advance. Visit the trade show website for more information.

? Legacy Arts is a nonprofit, after-school woodworking program in Over-the-Rhine for children ages 7-18. Visit the organization on Facebook, email legacyarts.otr@gmail.com or call 274-8459 with questions.

Posted in: Arts, Community

Tags: Anderson Township, Hamilton County

Source: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/eyeontheeastside/2011/09/21/anderson-twp-woodworker-to-teach-classes/

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