Instructive morning with three Long Island wood carvers

Three local wood carvers, Don Daily from Huntington Station, Mike Denaro from Oyster Bay, and Bob Schiff from Great Neck displayed their work, spoke about their inspirations, very different techniques, and occasional injuries, presented their preferred tools and materials at an Introduction to Wood Carving event at the store last Saturday.

It was a very instructive and fun morning. All three speakers were generous with their advice in the true spirit of the craft. All three have met with supportive fellow carvers in the past and now like to share their knowledge and experiences.

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Bob Schiff, wood carver

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

Bob Schiff, wood carver from Great Neck, first encountered wood carving at Alley Pond Environmental Center where he attended a three day carving course. He liked it so much he decided to pursue it further. He joined a carving club, a supportive group of carvers in possession of passion, talent, and a great library. He worked with the club for many years and was at one point its president.

Bob does not come from an artistic background, but is very open to ideas. When his daughter, who did indeed graduate from an art school, tried different art techniques, Bob followed. He experimented with stone and clay sculpture, made objects of papier-mâché.

He now concentrates his creative powers just on carving as his time is already filled to a brim. Bob, a supercharged retiree, is a biking enthusiast, he bikes 30-40 miles a day. He plays tennis and roller-blades. Until recently he was an avid skier. Bob volunteers for the Big Apple Greeters organization where he meets tourists from all over the world and helps them discover New York.

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

Originally Bob carved mostly birds - he is a bird watcher, keeps well stocked bird feeders in his backyard and a handy pair of binoculars. Bob likes to carve local birds, they are frequent companions in his garden, but had carved tropical birds, as well. With time Bob branched out to other subjects: he immortalized friends' pets, has done commissioned work, carved other animals, figures, and walking sticks for his family members.

For his painted (acrylic is his paint of choice) wood carvings Bob uses tupelo, basswood, or yellow poplar. For the natural wood pieces he prefers cedar, mahogany, black walnut, and most tropical woods. He purchases his wood at shows, exchanges it with his club members, receives chunks from friends and family. Another great source happens to be discarded wood from Steinway piano factory.

90% of his work is done with electric tools, many of them dental instruments, Bob before his retirement used to be a dentist, 10% is done manually.

Bob does not like parting with some of his pieces. Once a potential customer asked Bob for a carving of a blue heron. Bob happened to have one ready, he gave a rather high price for the piece to discourage the buyer. To his surprise the enthusiastic customer whipped up a check book and bought the piece. Bob made another carving of the blue heron, priceless, just for himself to keep.



Bob will be one of the presenters at the Introduction to Wood Carving event on Saturday, March 12th, between 10 am and 12:30 pm.

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Introduction to Wood Carving

Saturday, March 12th, 10 am - 12:30 pm

Do you know what veiner, fluter, or sloyd? You may have your chance to learn or to show off whichever the case might be.

Three local wood carvers - Don Dailey from Huntington Station, Mike Denaro from Oyster Bay, and Bob Schiff from Great Neck will conduct an Introduction to Wood Carving session at Think Long Island First on Saturday, March 12th, starting at 10 am.

Come join us and learn about the carving materials, tools, and varnishes. Bring your completed or ongoing projects to discuss with Don, Mike, and Bob.

This is a free event open to the public.

Sand pipers by Don Dailey	Ice fishing decoys by Mike Denaro

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Mike Denaro, wood carver

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

Mike Denaro of Oyster Bay considers himself a folk artist. Carving is not his only artistic form of expression; Mike also does floor cloth, stained glass, and plays fiddle in his free time.

Mike, a second grade teacher, is a trained horticulturalist and confirmed nature lover. He walks in the woods at least once a week; couple of times a year he joins the organized trips of the Appalachian Mountain Club, the oldest conservation club in America, as a backpack leader.

An avid fishermen, he was not willing to shell out a large amounts of money on fishing decoys; got himself a piece of wood and a knife and carved his first decoy. Eventually his ice fishing decoys won prizes at juried shows. There is a science to making ice fishing decoys - lead is inserted into the belly to keep the wooden decoy fully immersed; it must sit in water horizontally like a live fish would.

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

In the years that followed Mike's subjects varied from Americana, Christmas ornaments, fiddles to walking sticks.

He uses mostly basswood, but also butternut, dogwood, mountain laurel, and Eastern red cedar if he finds it during his rambles. He likes wormy wood, he feels it has more character. Mike applies colors rather sparingly and washes it out a lot to allow the grain to show a bit. The final coat is of floor wax, clearer or darker depending on the piece. In general, he prefers matted look; shine on the handles of his walking sticks comes from buffing the wax.

With the exception of a band saw to cut wood, all carving is done by hand. Mike prefers to work with knives over gouges which, technically speaking, makes his art whittling and not carving. Whatever the technicalities, the end results are captivating.



You will get a chance to meet Mike at the store on Saturday, March 12th, between 10 am and 12:30 pm, when he will be one of the instructors at the Introduction to Wood Carving event.

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Wood carving by Don Dailey

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

Don Dailey's carving adventure started with his obsession with Rock and Roll - his first carvings were of electric guitars. It seems quite common for creative folks to develop interests in many branches of art. His involvement with music continued. Don, a composer, Emmy award winner for music for All My Children, creator of a meditation CD Inner Aura (with his long-time friend M.B. Gordy), is still frequently engaged in music post-production.

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

In his professional life of a cabinet maker he became well acquainted with wood and its qualities. A subscription to Fine Woodworking magazine opened his eyes to other creative uses of wood. He experimented with wood sculpture by so called woodworm method, he drilled random holes in a chunk of wood and then discovered where wood would take him.

As a scout master of a local troop in Huntington he teaches scouts to carve safely. As a demonstration, he frequently makes neckerchief slides for the scouts, the hand grenade shaped one never fails to amuse.

Photo by Ewa Rumprecht

Don creates various figurines like the wizard displayed in the photo on the left. Our store carries his Santas and other Christmas ornaments in season and we currently display his gnomes and birds.

Don carves in basswood and except for the rough work uses mostly hand tools. He strives to have his carving come off the tool. Sharp tools are his mantra.

Don's output increased greatly since he built himself a portable working table allowing him to carve outside his workshop. He now carves while he watches tv or relaxes on his porch on a summer evening.



Don started a blog The Sunday Woodcarver where he describes his creative process, tools, and techniques. He will be one of the instructors at the Introduction to Wood Carving event at the store on Saturday, March 12th, between 10 am and 12:30 pm.

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Thank you All for a great Artist Appreciation Day

Dear Guests at Artist Appreciation Day!

Thank you very much for finding time in your busy schedules to spend the Artist Appreciation Day with us in Oyster Bay!

It was a wonderful experience to see so many artists, craftsmen, writers, chefs, and guests under the same roof - meeting, admiring their work, and exchanging ideas. We are very grateful to All for making this such a memorable event!

Few photos from the event. Apologies for not catching everybody present.



Thank you to Buckingham Variety Store for helping us host the event and for offering discounts to our customers. Our gratitude to Isaac Kremer of Oyster Bay Main Street Association for devoting his free time to the tour of town and to Raynham Hall Museum and Oyster Bay Railroad Museum for welcoming our guests. Big thanks to The Chocolate Lady for keeping our guests happy with chocolate and to local restaurants - Canterbury's Oyster Bar & Grill, Cafe al Dente, Jack Halyards, and Old Homestead for coming forward with generous coupons on their meals. 

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Artist Appreciation Day

NEW DATE - Saturday, February 19th, 11 am - 5 pm

Last updated February 19th

Photo by Karolina Zamecka

We would like to invite you to spend an Artist Appreciation Day in Oyster Bay. We hope this will be a great opportunity for you to meet various talented Long Island artists, craftsmen, authors, and chefs, to discuss techniques, exchange ideas, and get inspired. We are thrilled just thinking about it!

On Saturday, February 19th, pack your car with friends & family and join us at the store anytime between 11 am and 5 pm. Meet the artists, pick up the map of town and coupons, tour the town, eat at a local restaurant, come back to the store, meet new visitors.

The guided tour of Oyster Bay starts at 2:30 pm and takes about 1 hour. It will be conducted by Isaac Kremer of the Main Street Association.

Self-guided audio tours are available, as well. Pick up the audio players at the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum at 102 Audrey Avenue, 11 am – 4 pm.

All the historical sites you may want to visit are listed in the booklet we have ready for you. Some of them are:

• Raynham Hall Museum – house dating back to 1770s, 20 West Main Street, 1 pm – 5 pm
• Oyster Bay Railroad Museum – preservation of LI's railroad history, 102 Audrey Avenue, 11 am – 4 pm
• Sagamore Hill – home of Theodore Roosevelt, 3.5 miles out of town, 10 am – 4 pm
• Planting Fields Arboretum – grounds, greenhouses, Coe Hall, 1.5 miles out of town, 9 am – 5 pm

Visit the galleries in town, full list is published on Main Street Association's site. The Teaching Studios of Art at 115 Audrey Ave will have an art class in session.

Raffle drawing will take place at 5 pm at the store. The lucky winner will enjoy a $50 gift certificate for a meal at Canterbury's Oyster Bar & Grill.

Various Oyster Bay restaurants offer discounts to our guests on the day:

• Canterbury's Oyster Bar & Grill – 15% off lunch, 20% off dinner
  Oysters and American menu, lots of TR memorabilia
  46 Audrey Ave, 516.922.3614
• Cafe al Dente – 15% off dinner (dinner service starts at 3 pm)
  Italian, family style
  2 Spring Street, 516.922.2442
• Jack Halyards – 20% off lunch or dinner
  American Bar and Grill, American cuisine, lots of seafood
  62 South Street, 516.922.2999
• Old Homestead - 10% off lunch or dinner
  American, TR and Billy Joel have frequented its bar and lounge
  107 South Street, 516.922.9293

For your sweet tooth, the Chocolate Lady across the street at 49 Audrey Avenue offers a free chocolate with a purchase of hot chocolate.

Buckingham Variety Store, where Think Long Island First store is located, is offering a 20% discount.

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