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Bio: Dave Gahimer has been
involved in wood working since childhood. Raised in
south east central Indiana’s Shelby county, in the
small community of Blue Ridge, Dave was beside his
father, Virgil Gahimer as he made furniture for
their home. Dave took Waldron High school shop under
Jessie Maurice Trotter and built one of Trotter’s
famous Grandfather clocks as his senior project.
Trotter patterned his design after the Grandfather
clock on the stair landing at the Lenoir Mansion in
Madison Indiana. Dave continued woodworking and
furniture making at the hobby shop on the Submarine
base, New London Ct. His fellow woodworker there was
also making furniture for his young family, a young
Lt. by the name of Jimmy Carter. After the Naval
submarine service Dave had access to the wood
carpenter shop at Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology in Terre Haute Indiana where he was on
the staff of the Electrical Engineering dept. He
built many pieces that are on display across the
RHIT campus. The slat bench displayed on the “Body
of Work” page was co-designed with Hoosier artist,
and close and dear friend Omar “Salty” Seamon.
Salty, while known for his watercolors was also an
accomplished woodworker. When Dave & Dorothy, who
was on the staff of the Indiana State University
Library in Terre Haute, built their home in rural
Parke County, they built a wood working shop into
the design. Dave has built Roll top Desks, tables,
chairs, cabinetry, not to mention a 3500 sq. ft.
Geodesic Dome solar heated home.
“My interest in wood ranges from managing our
hardwood forest through timber harvest and saw
milling to proper lumber drying. Almost everything I
make in my shop/studio was once growing leaves on
our property. Having been involved with engineering
most of my life, I enjoy the challenge of the design
and procedure of every project. My current primary
interest are Artistic turning and Early American
furniture.
I have studied and admired the turning design of the
Greeks and Romans. My pieces tend to show elements
that they learned were pleasing to the eye thousands
of years ago. I believe that the beauty of a turned
object starts with the form, and is drawn to the
color and figure of the wood. Although I turn
traditional objects, I like to include material
other than wood, like brass, glass and acrylic as it
adds interest and eye appeal.
I like to study paintings by the past great masters.
You might notice that they quite often include
turned objects, cups, goblets, candle sticks and
Urns. Close analysis will reveal that the paintings
disclose items that people used daily in the time
that they were painted. I believe that beautiful
turned objects are timeless, and are appreciated and
loved today as they were 600 to 2000 years ago.”
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