Meet a Woodworker: Dave Dettmann

Dave Dettmann

Jay Rosenlof

We are a new club in SaddleBrooke and are focused in connecting woodworkers, cabinet builders, wood turners, and wood hobbyists. We also want to provide woodworking help to our community when folks need to have projects repaired or built. I would like to introduce you to a longtime and enthusiastic woodworker, Dave Dettmann.

Dave spent most of his earlier years in the Milwaukee, Wisc., area. He attended University of Wisconsin and graduated in 1962 with a degree in civil engineering. After graduation, he served two years in the Army Corp of Engineers in Germany as an officer in the Post Engineers. When he completed his service time, he went to work for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as a civil engineer. In 1968 he and Grace were married. He retired in 2000, and they relocated to SaddleBrooke in 2005.

Dave’s woodworking is very diverse. He does conventional projects like a spice rack, portable desks for laptops, small tables, and speaker enclosures. He also does some incredible miniature model buildings for model railroad towns. He designs the buildings on the computer and then builds them out of heavy paper and balsa wood. The details are all accurate and are built to mimic the styles of the train’s era. He has an entire studio of miniature woodworking machines to build his models. This is a side of woodworking that few people can accomplish. Amazing!

Dave has many other hobbies to occupy his time. He has a full-sized quilting loom and sewing machine that occupies his entire front room. He helps many of our community’s quilters with sewing of their quilts. He is an accomplished oil painter with most walls in his home covered with his paintings. And he is also a multi-instrument musician (keyboards and trombone). He and his daughter Christianne play together and enjoy playing instruments and vocalizing together.

Dave is one of our new Woodworking Club members who can both build or repair wood projects. Contact him at [email protected].

The Woodworking Club is meeting monthly. So, if you are interested or desire more information, contact us at [email protected].