Union Carpenters Local 252 Helps to Construct 10 Workstation Tables for Watchmaker's Initiative

ODESSA, Del., November 21, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​During the October dedication of the Veterans Watchmaker Initiative’s (VWI) new wing, its Chairman and Co-founder, Samuel Cannan, praised union carpenters from Local 252, Keystone Mountain Lakes Regional Council of Carpenters (KML), for helping to construct 10 specially designed workstations that military veteran students will use in their apprenticeship watchmaking program.

“The carpenters were indispensable, and the finished product was superb,” said Cannan. “The craftsmanship was apparent, and these workstation tables are a valuable addition to our watchmaking curriculum.”

While the workstations might lack the more glamorous appeal of a finely tuned watch, the laminated birch tables are an important component to apprentice watchmakers as they learn their trade.

“Union carpenters helped to design and implement changes to the table that are invaluable as they pursue learning their craft,” Sam Noel, council representative, Local 255, KML. “The carpenters used a CNC [computer numerical control] machine to ensure that any holes they cut were perfect. This work was performed by Steve Young, an instructor and a third-year apprentice at Carpenters Apprentice School of Philadelphia. These tables had to pass the test of practical utility, dependability, sturdiness, and longevity. Our union carpenters delivered on all counts.”

“The workstations are an important part of the watchmaking process because students use them to place the various objects they need to complete an assignment,” said Cannan, of the Odessa, Delaware-based Veterans Watchmaker initiative Inc. (VWI) “The union carpenters were skillful in delivering these first-rate workstations, and we are thankful for the volunteerism they demonstrated by helping our organization and its students.”

The Watchmaker Initiative is a nonprofit that prepares former military service personnel, many with a disability, with the skills to become a watchmaker at no cost to the students.  

“VWI is the only technical school in the United States devoted to the training of honorably discharged veterans,” according to the organization. “The focus of the VWI is to provide veterans with highly skilled watchmaker training necessary to professionally repair and restore timepieces and restore their own dignity of purpose.”

The school’s mission is to provide veterans, often with a disability, with a skill they can use anywhere. It also provides a new source of skilled watchmaker craftsmen in an industry that continues to face a shortage of trained artisans. 

For more information about the Watchmaker Initiative, visit http://veteranswatchmakerinitiative.org/. 

For more information about KML carpenters, visit www.kmlcarpenters.com.

Source: Keystone Mountain Lakes Regional Council of Carpenters