Retired doctors combine creativity with camaraderie through woodworking

Jan. 20—A group of medical professionals with almost 200 years of combined service in the health care industry are using their hands for something beyond helping and healing: woodworking.

Dr. Frank Kunkel, 66, of McCandless shares his passion for creativity through woodworking with a group of retired medical professionals, including an orthopedic surgeon, pharmacist, neurologist, general surgeon and others.

Kunkel built a 1,800-square-foot workshop on his property to accommodate the woodworkers who get together year-round to create items such as cutting boards, Shaker boxes, tables and personalized gifts.

"I 100% built this workshop for my hobby," Kunkel said.

He discovered the art form decades ago when a former patient invited him for a day of woodworking.

Growing up in the Dorseyville area of Fox Chapel, Kunkel graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School in 1975 and earned his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Kunkel is mostly retired, working just three days per month at UPMC to keep his medical credentials active.

"I'm going to go into this new part of my life, whether I like it or not," Kunkel said of his mindset after a 40-year career as an anesthesiologist.

For the men, the woodworking sessions provide a social outlet as most of them adjust to post-medical life and lean into their retirement years.

"It's very hard," Kunkel said of retirement. "I've spent two years adjusting to this. I've gone years without taking a day off. Years. Including holidays. Most doctors work their (butts) off."

For retired orthopedic surgeon Mike Bowman of Hampton, woodworking sessions provide a stress-free environment where precision is important but not life-altering.

"Nobody dies if you have to do something twice here," Bowman said. "You can always get another piece of wood. You can't get a replacement leg."

Bowman, who specialized in hand surgery, particularly enjoys making oval Shaker boxes.

To make the unique boxes — introduced in America in the mid-1800s by the Shakers, a religious group from England — Bowman must cut the wood into thin strips, about one-eighth of an inch.

After multiple sandings and a hot soak, the wood is reduced to about one-sixteenth of an inch and is flexible enough to shape into an oval.

"These were the Tupperware of the 1800s because they put home goods in them and made them oval to save space when storing on a shelf," Bowman said. "They were made in different sizes, and the Shakers painted theirs in bright colors. I can't bring myself to paint mine because the cherry wood is so pretty."

The men give away most of their handmade work to friends, relatives and sometimes strangers.

Bowman recently gifted woodworking items to friend Debra Burgess and her husband.

"He is a Renaissance man, and we're so lucky to be recipients of Mike's Shaker-inspired craftsmanship," Burgess said.

Frank's wife, Carol, said she's "lucky" to have a "sweetie" of a husband of 39 years with excellent woodworking skills.

"Woodworking is the hobby he really fell in love with," Carol Kunkel said. "With daily woodshop time, he's really been able to improve his skills. He enjoys learning different techniques and ways to build, as well as working with interested friends and helping novices."

Kunkel, known to give away cutting boards to folks he encounters on his daily 3-mile walk in nearby North Park, is described by the group as someone with a "generous nature."

When Kunkel noticed what he deemed a lackluster cutting board at one of his favorite eateries, Smokin' Brews in Bloomfield, he gifted them a personalized hard maple one.

When a neighbor needed a television stand, Kunkel made one for him. He got creative with a 3-foot-long piece of wood, building a table solely from the log.

Woodshop staples include a laser engraver, clamps and more clamps, glue, jointer, table saw and planer.

Their woodworking schedule is spontaneous.

"We make things on a whim. Inspiration for my tables come primarily from social media," Kunkel said. "And the music is always blasting."

In December, the group cranked out more than 60 Shaker boxes, usually finished with a coating of satin polyurethane.

Dr. Tim Jacob, 61, of McCandless is the newest woodworker to join the group.

"He (Kunkel) gives everything away, that's the kind of guy he is," said Jacob, whose first woodworking attempt was a cutting board.

"My kids love them," Jacob said of the boards. "I try and make things balanced, and that drives Frank crazy."

The cutting boards range in size and width and are made out of cherry, hard maple and other woods.

Kunkel purchases most of his wood from Facebook Marketplace.

His heated workshop is filled to the gills with wood and machinery. In the workshop, background music is a mainstay and the atmosphere is relaxed, fun and informal.

"The joke is I should shop at 'Woodworkers Anonymous,' " Kunkel said.

Kunkel has no formal training in the craft.

"It's 99% self-taught, YouTube and interacting with other woodworkers," he said.

The topic of attention to detail often comes up during projects.

"Surgeons tend to be a little OCD," Kunkel said. "But that's part of the profession."

Pharmacist Dennis Schilling, 71, of McCandless is described by the men as detail-oriented.

Schilling met Kunkel two years ago through a mutual interest in leather crafting.

The men became friends, and Schilling has helped Kunkel to learn more about working with leather.

Schilling, a self-described continuous student, enjoys making tables and cutting boards using select hardwoods such as walnut, cherry, maple and osage orange.

"It's a great learning experience because the woodworking I did before was relatively simple and not as elegant as the work we do now in Frank's shop," Schilling said.

Bowman said the woodworking styles of the group blend together, resulting in maximum productivity.

"Frank is very artistic in both woodworking and pottery. Denny is very detail-oriented and precise, and I'm mostly process and skill, so the three of us work well together, allowing us to turn out a surprising amount of projects," Bowman said.

Tom Borner, the sole nonmedical professional of the group and Kunkel's brother-in-law, once made a valet for coasters for singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson.

"Nothing is sold and gifts are good," Kunkel said of their prolific woodworking pieces.

The woodworking hobby appears to be providing the right outlet for the group.

"Everyone told me, 'You better get a hobby so you'll have something to do when you retire,' and being semiretired or retired can be difficult for lots of docs because you tend to be fairly intense on things," Kunkel said.

His wife is tolerant of a basement full of handmade tables.

"I'm so happy for him, and me, that he's found this wonderful hobby," Carol Kunkel said.

Joyce Hanz is a TribLive reporter covering the Alle-Kiski Valley. A native of Charleston, S.C., she graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com