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Fort Bragg
Working his craft, teaching at 80
by Paul DeMark

Master wood craftsman and educator James Krenov could not have designed a better way to celebrate his 80th year.

While most people are probably content to celebrate their 80th birthdays thankful to be alive, reasonably healthy and still enjoying their hobbies and family, Krenov can view his as a "career year" in an already storied life.

For instance, on Oct. 31, 2000 - the day he became an official octogenarian - the James Krenov Fine Woodworking Scholarship, with more than $5,000 as seed money, was established in his name during a birthday party at the College of the Redwoods Fort Bragg campus. This is where he has served for nearly 20 years as the director of the internationally acclaimed CR Fine Woodworking Program.

CR President Dr. Casey Crabill said, "As a community college, we have a unique opportunity to offer students a chance to study with an acknowledged master of the art of fine woodworking. He's an educational treasure for CR and the northern Mendocino County community."

Earlier in the year, Krenov's fifth book on the art and craft of fine woodworking, Furniture by James Krenov and Students, was jointly published by Cambium Press and Linden Publishing. Krenov's first book, A Cabinetmaker's Notebook, published in 1976 while he was working in Stockholm, Sweden, made him famous around the globe. Many fine wood craftsmen and women point to the book as changing the direction of their lives.

For some, the 80th year milestone, coupled with all of the accolades and achievements of the past year, might signal a prime opportunity to slow down and retire. But Krenov still teaches two days a week and appears daily to work on his own projects in a separate corner of the one-story woodworker's shop. He has a sign on his door that says "Please Knock," and a steady stream of students do that, seeking his advice about their work.

During an interview in his home tucked away in the woods outside of Fort Bragg, located on the remote Northern California coast about three and a half hours south of Eureka, Krenov said he's inspired to keep working and teaching.

"So far I can still work and make cabinets," he says. "I still have a good eye. The students appreciate that I still do the work. I'm an incorrigible old enthusiast.

"I feel fortunate and thankful for the college for giving me the opportunity to run this program. How many times do people get to be 80 and feel they can be useful, still do the work and talk about it? Often it's 65 and you're out, you're on the scrap heap."

Paul DeMark is College of the Redwoods Public Information Officer.