THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 22, 1996 TAG: 9605210155
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: EARNING A LIVING IN VIRGINIA BEACH
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 83 lines
JERRY WHITEHURST gave up a long-standing career in the telephone and computer industry to spin a little wood and give others a chance to do so, too.
Whitehurst opened the Woodmasters Club in April.
The club, or business, is in a cavernous building in the London Bridge Industrial Park, and people are invited to come in to do their own woodworking projects.
Whitehurst provides all the tools and the space - 5,100 square feet - for people to come in and build what most can't erect in their own back yards, garages or homes.
``The public can come in here and use the tools and build anything they want,'' said Whitehurst, 50. ``This is especially good for people who live in condominiums and apartments.''
Or, for people who don't have the money to invest in pricey tools.
Whitehurst has stocked his business with some $25,000 in tools, including every type of saw, sander, drill and woodworking apparatus you can think of.
There's a planer-molder saw, table saw, a joiner, band saw, drill press, pin router, shaper and scroll saw, a wood lathe, radial arm saw and compound slide saw. There are innumerable hand tools, too.
There's a room housing four tables or work benches with vise clamps for gluing and sanding projects. Two of them are padded so the wood doesn't get scratched.
Then there's a room for storing big projects so they're not damaged by others, a room where Whitehurst holds free classes on woodworking and a big room where all the saws are housed.
Whitehurst also has installed a duct system for collecting dust particles. He hopes to use a now-empty room for a retail store that will sell materials such as glue, stain, sandpaper and the like.
``I wanted to have every tool I could think of,'' said Whitehurst, a native and resident of Pungo. ``I've always wanted a complete shop myself and having all the tools makes the job much easier.''
Whitehurst makes money by charging customers a membership fee and an hourly rate. A one-year membership costs $200 plus $4 for every hour used; a lifetime membership costs $400 and the hourly rate. There's a special program for those who only want to work between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. That's $125 a year plus the hourly fee.
Whitehurst also charges by the hour, which is $12.
Customers are encouraged to bring their own materials, although Whitehurst will sell the wood he has stockpiled for some of his own projects. All customers sign a waiver that they are responsible for themselves. Anyone who wants to use the tools has to take a safety course given by Whitehurst.
``Every one of these tools is dangerous,'' said Whitehurst, who brings his dog, Sassy, a very large but very friendly malamute, to work every day. ``There's always someone in the shop to answer questions, lend a helping hand and to make sure things are done safely,'' he added.
Whitehurst has several customers already using the shop. One woman uses it for craft projects while another man designed and built a case for a saxophone.
Whitehurst himself built his home in Pungo. The three-story house was built all of wood, inside and out, and took him about a year to do. At the time he was running his own business, Diamond Communications, subcontracting work installing telephone and computer systems. Whitehurst ran that business for 20 years out of his home before he tired of it and decided to find something else to do.
In December, he placed a classified ad announcing that a new woodworking club was starting in the area with his phone number for those who were interested. He got enough calls to persuade him to open the business.
``This was the only thing I could think of that I really wanted to do,'' said Whitehurst, who added that he was sure others felt the same way. ``If they (customers) have the gumption to go for it - I have the shop.'' MEMO: The Woodmasters Club is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through
Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The
phone number is 631-9552. It's at 2413 Bowland Parkway (off London
Bridge Road in the London Bridge Industrial Park), Suite 102. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by CHARLIE MEADS
Jerry Whitehurst is the owner of the Woodmasters Club, a
self-service shop for woodworkers who pay by the hour to use his
tools.
Whitehurst shapes a block of wood into a bowl with a lathe. by CNB