By Janet Wight

Long-time St. Anthony Park resident Jack Neely has been honing his woodworking craft for the past 20 years.

It all started when he began making wooden toys for his grandchildren. Using wood from maple trees that came down at his cabin, Neely crafted dozens of pieces of toy machinery including trucks, fire engines and digging equipment.

“In some ways I made them for myself, I guess,” reflected Neely. He was often asked where he found the plans for these toys.

(Jack Neely. Photo by Ann Sisel.)

“I never started out with plans.,” Jack said. “The fun is just doing it without thinking it through too much.”

In more recent years, Neely has snagged curbside castoffs, (including a unicycle and scooter), and built engaging wooden figures to fit them.

“I look at it as just a bit of whimsy. We all need a little whimsy in our lives,” he said. “It doesn’t take a great deal of talent.”

“The process of figuring out how to make something is as important as the outcome,” he added. You just have to like doing it.

A few years ago, Neely decided to design a “musical fence” for his backyard. He went to nearby Murray Middle School and asked if he could trace all of the instruments. This led to his themed fence decor which includes a keyboard, saxophone, violin, trumpet and a few guitars, among other instruments.

Creating tangible items is what Neely enjoys.

“I think (wood)working, like carving, painting or any craft work gives the person immediate satisfaction, and it lasts, versus pressure washing one’s deck!”

Neely indulges in his woodworking hobby year-round down in his basement.

“You gotta have something to do in the cold Minnesota winters,” he said. “Being in the basement, listening to Garrison Keillor ‘Prairie Home Companion’ tapes is a great way to spend an evening. What better retirement could there be?”

Neely has been known to source scrap wood by dumpster diving. “You cannot believe the amount of good wood that is thrown away on construction projects,” he said.

Jack’s favorite woodworking tool is his 1950s bandsaw. He uses it to cut many different thicknesses of wood and also to make curved pieces.

Neely and his wife Raita have lived in St. Anthony Park since 1964 and in their current home since 1967. Originally from Nebraska, they moved to the Twin Cities in order to be close to the Shell Lake, Wisconsin, cabin they inherited from Neely’s grandparents.

Prior to his retirement 30 years ago, Neely’s career included stints as a juvenile probation officer, adult probation officer and school social worker.

The couple has two children and five grandchildren, all who live locally.

Looking back, Neely said he was influenced and encouraged by his Irving Junior High shop teacher. He still has a cutting board that he made in that woodshop class.

Jack’s father acquired a versatile Shopsmith tool when Neely was a child, which also piqued his interest in working with wood.

Another source of inspiration has been his cousin Ann’s husband, Wayne Sisel, who is also a skilled woodworker.

Jack’s advice for fellow woodworking enthusiasts is straightforward: “Do whatever makes you smile. Don’t worry about other people’s expectations. If it’s fun for you, it’s good enough.” 

Janet Wight lives in the Como neighborhood and is a regular freelance writer for the Bugle.