Bankers gain new skills in woodwork

Most days you will find Vicki Johnston helping customers at Bank of the Cascades Sisters branch. But she recently decided to set aside her computer for some bigger tools — like a panel saw.

Johnston and three of her banking colleagues are taking a wood-working class through Central Oregon Community College.

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to use saws and be self-sufficient,” said Johnston, while the noise of power tools whirred around her.

Johnston said when she saw the notice for the class in The Nugget, she “asked the girls at the bank and they said yes.” She hopes to gain skills to do “little projects around the house that my husband doesn’t have time to do.”

Instructor Jim Reiss says it’s not unusual these days to find a woodworking class half filled with women. Reiss says the women find it rewarding and he hopes they leave class thinking “that stuff’s not so tough.”

Reiss said his first lesson is safety. Students learn how to operate all the hand tools, power tools and equipment in the wood shop at Sisters High School. Then the students build a birdhouse with both power and hand tools. With those basics under their belt, students draw plans for their big class project.

“I open it up to let them build what they want,” said Reiss.

Using the skills acquired in the class, students select and construct a project based on their level of experience. Working every Tuesday evening for almost two months, students leave with new woodworking skills and their completed project. The class is designed for both the novice and craftsman. Reiss says some students come simply to have access to all the equipment.

Johnston is building a hutch for her desk. Her fellow banker Bonnie Clayton is tackling a 1940s style cabinet complete with drawers and glass doors.

“It’s fun to use the big saws and it’s really helping me to not be intimidated,” said Clayton. She added it’s important to use the precautions that Reiss teaches when using all the equipment. Clayton isn’t sure where her new comfort level and skills will lead — she simply wants to relax and have fun with the class.

The two newcomers to woodworking are glad to be in class with a fellow Bank of the Cascades colleague who already knows her stuff. Vault teller Regina Sankwich is using her off-hours to build a log home with her husband. From framing to wiring and tile to finish work, she is experienced with construction. However, she wanted to learn to use a lathe and has used her class time to make bowls and turn legs for a table.

“I wanted to learn something new,” said Sankwich.

Reiss has 25 years of experience in woodworking and teaching. Since 2003 he has been a cabinet instructor for the Heart of Oregon organization at Sisters High School.

He said his evenings instructing the COCC class go by quickly as he moves from one student to another helping them with the specific job needed for their project, whether it’s biscuit jointing or lathe turning.

Reiss wants students to be safe and have fun. He hopes they leave thinking, “I can do it!”