It’s not every man that spends his days discussing the Civil War and his nights sharpening his ax. For Ryan Prod, however, the schedule allows an easy means of pursuing his two passions: teaching and woodworking.
Ryan is a history teacher in the North Woods of Wisconsin, and when he’s not revealing the secrets of military leaders, you can find him chopping trees and crafting wood. A man with historical knowledge than can work with his hands? We call that a double-threat.
So what came first, the love of teaching or the passion for working with wood? Ryan dates his passion for woodwork back to elementary school. Notably, he learned how to use a chisel and a knife because he wanted to build race cars and design forts. Before long, he was skilled enough to make personal accessories for his plastic army men.
I chatted with Ryan to get a behind-the-scenes look at his Etsy Shop, Ryan The Woodsman. Admirably, he’s interested in the challenge that each new project presents. He likes deciding to build an item, and then contemplating the best wood, design, and tools for creating a quality product.
Ryan’s most daring project to date was a massive 8ft x 8ft cedar arch that he made for his brother’s wedding. Being nosy, I prodded to see what his dream project would be, and his answer was inspiring: a replica of the tree house from Swiss Family Robinson.
A tree house in the middle of the woods sounds like fun to me. Until Ryan’s taking guests at his Swiss Family Robinson replica, you can view his work at his Etsy Shop, Ryan The Woodsman.
-Jennifer Prod, http://www.apartment-wife.com/