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Bob Roth of York works at the Powermatic lathe over which he spends hundreds of hours crafting one-of-a-kind pieces from exotic woods.
YORK – A skill Bob Roth experimented with in high school is one to which he returned in earnest during the decade of his 70s.
Now 79, Roth has ‘turned’ himself into a skilled and artistic craftsman with his two favorite tools; a table saw and Powermatic lathe. Add exotic woods, most from a specialty shop in Omaha, to clever ideas and attention to detail to get a wide variety of bowls, urns for both pets and people, decorative boxes, cutting boards and all manner of interesting pieces – each a one of a kind creation.
Roth said he began to take wood turning “a little more seriously eight or nine years ago.”
A ‘little’ more seriously? Indeed.
Nooks and crannies, corners and shelves of his well-lived-in shop on the edge of York are filled with bowls, cutting boards, urns and all manner of objects d’art to include remarkable, highest-quality fishing rods.
The fishing rods are a partnership between Roth and his son, Ryan, who lives in Phoenix and is as much an over-the-top angling enthusiast as his father. Case in point: Bob’s fly-in fishing adventures to far north Ontario number three to as many as five in a typical – which is to say non-Covid/open border – season.
Bob crafts custom wooden handles in York, either of his own design or to specifications of the customer, then ships them to Ryan for completion.
In Phoenix the handles receive a mirror finish and are mounted on St. Croix rod blanks, considered a leader in the industry for quality. Ryan wraps line guides onto the blanks, adds a name or commemorative message if requested, and gets the one-of-a-kind rod to the purchaser.
Inlay wraps are frequently installed and then laminated onto the blanks to make them even more unique. Materials range from rattlesnake and cobra hide to feathers or even customer-specific memorabilia. The possibilities are limited only by imagination.
As seen in the accompanying photos, Roth often folds two or even more exotic species together in a single piece, creating patterns of stripes, swirls, checkerboards and more. Ideas become completed projects in Roth’s world, although he readily acknowledges mistakes are often required to refine a specific look or technique.
Roth is often heard to suggest – in self-deprecating jest of course – that he’s Kopcho Sanitation’s most reliable volume customer.
Typical turn-around time for a custom rod from order to delivery runs 2 to 2 ½ months. His time on the lathe often is to 8 or 8 1/2 hours. That is only for the wood crafting, it does not include Ryan’s finishing processes.
“There are lots of options,” he said when creating custom rods.
Memorabilia, gifts … the possibilities are many and varied for Roth’s projects. Like the aforementioned cutting boards. “You can cut on it,” he said with a grin, “but you’ll ruin it if you do.”
Why does he spend so many hours standing at his lathe, filling the air with sawdust and blanketing the concrete floor with shavings?
“Self-satisfaction,” was his answer. “With a lot of this stuff the only person I’m trying to satisfy is me.”
To explore creation of an amazing fishing rod or other custom project, or to view completed urns, bowls and other pieces from his lathe, call Roth at 402 366-5170.
Curls of wood fly as Bob Roth turns a piece of raw material into something unique in the world.
Custom fishing rods are a specialty of Bob Roth and his son, Ryan. Bob turns the fancy, artistic wooden handles from exotic species, and then ships them to Ryan for attachment to St. Croix rod blanks, installation of line eyes, custom inlay, laminating and finishing to the customer’s specifications.
Roth, his table saw and lathe turn out a variety of artistic bowls, decorative cutting boards and urns appropriate for pets and people alike among numerous other one-of-a-kind, all-wooden items, even to include a fully functioning padlock and key.
Roth has an inventory of decorative urns he has turned with his own hands suitably sized for beloved people or pets alike.
Roth made this box from exotic woods, including the neatly knotted, curling bow.
Roth gathers up a couple bowls from the many he keeps in his shop on the northwest edge of York.
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Bob Roth of York works at the Powermatic lathe over which he spends hundreds of hours crafting one-of-a-kind pieces from exotic woods.
Curls of wood fly as Bob Roth turns a piece of raw material into something unique in the world.
Custom fishing rods are a specialty of Bob Roth and his son, Ryan. Bob turns the fancy, artistic wooden handles from exotic species, and then ships them to Ryan for attachment to St. Croix rod blanks, installation of line eyes, custom inlay, laminating and finishing to the customer’s specifications.
Roth, his table saw and lathe turn out a variety of artistic bowls, decorative cutting boards and urns appropriate for pets and people alike among numerous other one-of-a-kind, all-wooden items, even to include a fully functioning padlock and key.
Roth has an inventory of decorative urns he has turned with his own hands suitably sized for beloved people or pets alike.
Roth made this box from exotic woods, including the neatly knotted, curling bow.
Roth gathers up a couple bowls from the many he keeps in his shop on the northwest edge of York.
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