Kreft turning love of woodworking into a business where others can participate

By Mike Mallow
Editor, Grant County Herald

At the end of April, the Elbow Lake Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting for its newest member, The Shop Teacher.

John Kreft, a longtime wood shop teacher for WCA, has always wanted to do something with a woodworking shop as he moved toward retirement.

“As I went to part-time, this opportunity came along,” he said.

Woodworking runs in the family. Kreft’s father was a cabinetmaker, and John’s twin brother, Jim, bought their father’s shop in the early 2000s.

John is looking to do cabinetry and custom woodwork primarily. He also wants to give others the opportunity to work on woodworking projects or improve their craft.

“My plan is to have a membership shop,” John said. “I want to stay in contact with helping people out with their projects after I’m done teaching. I wanted to get it going right away, but there are not enough hours in the day right now.”

As the business ramps up, John is adding more equipment to the business, located along Central Avenue in Elbow Lake.

“Some of (the equipment) I’ve had, and some of it I bought from my brother,” John said. “Everything else has a story, whether it be a Facebook deal, Craigslist, or online auction.”

The oldest machine in the shop is a sander, which John estimates is from the 1950s or 60s.

John has been the woodshop teacher at WCA for the school’s entire 33-year history. He says there is still a lot of interest from students in woodworking, but the numbers aren’t as high as they used to be.

“Industrial technology has changed,” John said. “We were used to, growing up, that it was primarily woods and metals. Now it’s drafting and manufacturing and electronics. There are still kids interested.”