The Villages Daily Sun

THE VILLAGES — If anyone had told Lowell Patrick 30 years ago that he would one day be making harps, he would have had one response.

“A what?”

Patrick, a self-taught woodworker who lives in the Village of Alhambra, makes all types of wooden items, from clocks to cats to, well, harps. If you see a lamp or clock in his house, chances are he built it.

He moved to The Villages in 1998 and became a member of The Villages Woodworkers Club.

“I never did any serious woodworking until sometime after I was beyond the age of 50,” Patrick said. “I bought a wood lathe and taught myself how to use it; the same with a table saw, band saw and various other woodworking tools as time went on.”

He started with used scrap wood, then moved on to hardwood creations. Patrick said he had a knack for it.

Now, everything he needs to make a clock or harp is in his garage.

Patrick’s skills were honed with lumber he obtained before moving to Florida. He says a farmer friend from Idaho gave him an estimated 100-year-old black walnut tree in 1973 that was growing on his property. Patrick has the wood from that tree to this day.

“I cut the trunk and usable limbs into 8-foot lengths and later hired a person who had the equipment to rough-cut these walnut logs into boards of different widths and thicknesses,” Patrick said. “The 8-foot lengths turned out to be just long enough to fit crosswise from front to back in the large U-Haul we rented when we made the decision to move to Florida.

“We packed all of our belongings on top of this second walnut floor in the truck, which also towed our pickup,” he said. “The wood has lasted because most of my woodworking projects have been fairly small items rather than cabinetry and tables.”

Patrick is glad to have this wood because it has become expensive since he acquired it.

When it comes to harps, Patrick builds, strings and tunes them on his own. His first harps were smaller Celtic or folk harps.

“I decided to tackle this challenge after I found a place in California that offers detailed drawings of various sizes and models of harps and has all the necessary hardware, strings, tuning pins, etc.,” Patrick said. “Fortunately, all my harps have turned out well. They definitely are from ‘tree to tune.’”

Patrick has made seven harps. One features Celtic figures that he carved into it, using patterns he obtained from California, that make the harp unique. It is about 5 feet high and has 900 pounds of tension. He said the joints have to be strong and secure.

“Nylon strings are wonderful for harps,” Patrick said. “You can’t beat it.”

Another harp he still has is a mini-concert harp that he made last year. It is about the size of the Celtic harp, has 30 strings and a post he turned using a wood lathe. To tune these harps, Patrick uses an electric tuner.

“I couldn’t do without it,” Patrick said. “Three red dots and it’s in tune.”

He builds the harps to be strong and must allow the wood and strings to settle and stabilize before tuning the harp. Fine-tuning will be performed a few weeks after he makes a harp.

Patrick even plays the harp a little. Again, he was self-taught.

Patrick also has made a Swiss chalet clock; spiral candleholders; a cat, named Woody, resting on a ledge; a dulcimer; a mini-harp held by his niece’s Barbie doll; and a golf cart about the size of a toaster — all from wood. He will show his handiwork at the craft show in October at Savannah Center.

Patrick says he probably has made the last of his harps, and he would like to make an hourglass next.

“I just enjoy taking a rough piece of wood and doing something with it,” Patrick said. “I like a challenge.”

Sean Maxfield is a reporter with the Daily Sun. He can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9303, or sean.maxfield@thevillagesmedia.com.