Lester Margon
If Mr. Sawdust had any genuine heroes during his life in woodworking, Lester Margon would no doubt be one of them.
He studied his books and measured drawings religiously, and crafted numerous furniture pieces from his blueprints. In his later years, they began a correspondence, which we’ve shared in some part on this page. But first, we’ll just let Wally tell you what you should know about this talented man.
Excerpt from Master The Radial Arm Saw —
Excerpt from the original Mr. Sawdust School Student Handbook —
Here we’ve shared a handful of letters from Lester to Wallace, spanning about 4 years of their ongoing correspondence.
If you can decipher the handwriting, there’s some worthwhile words – with a tone of warmth and admiration throughout. While we don’t have the outgoing letters from Mr. Sawdust, you can often work out what he’d been sharing based on the replies. Enjoy.
April 10th, 1976
June 10th, 1977
September 7th, 1978
June 10th, 1979
These are just some of the Margon drawings/pieces that Wallace built over the years — sometimes exactly as drawn, sometimes adapting in his own distinct way…
Finally, here is a particularly timeless excerpt from Margon’s book, Masterpieces of American Furniture, 1620-1840 —
