Building for a cause

Rubio Monocoat, in partnership with Festool USA and Shaper Tools, held PhilanthroMake, an event combining craftsmanship, camaraderie, and charity which took place Oct. 18-19 at the Austin School of Furniture in Austin, Texas.

Formerly known as the Makers Challenge, in which builders from around the U.S. competed to build pieces of furniture to be auctioned off to charity, this event invited the public to enter a giveaway for pieces built in which sponsoring brands donated to select charities.

Teams of woodworkers put together a total of three builds to benefit Aynimundo and the Katz-Moses Woodworkers with Disabilities Fund. The teams were led by Jason Hibbs of Bourbon Moth Woodworking and Lucas Jablonski of Lighthouse Woodworks.

“PhilanthroMake is such an amazing experience. The community, the friends, the people at Rubio Monocoat, the people at Festool, the people at Shaper, it’s just like a family reunion,” Jablonski said in a statement. “Everyone is coming together for an awesome cause and that makes it so much better.”

Team Bourbon Moth crafted a contemporary console table with a stadium-shaped top, swooping curves, and smooth rounded-over edges. The team used solid white oak for their entire piece and chose a bold black finish to accentuate the striking yet soft detail of their design.

Team Lighthouse Woodworks produced a mid-century-inspired credenza implementing a variety of elements decided upon by each team member’s specialty or interest. The piece features a tambour door, skateboard wood in various areas of the project, and carved wood drawer pulls and legs resembling tree roots, all made from walnut.

As a surprise third project, Cameron Fulton of Cam’s Cornershop and Evan Sklar of Evan’s Workshop made a keepsake box from the other teams’ scraps.

The giveaway ended on Nov. 1. For information on the winners and charities, visit rubiomonocoatusa.com.  

This article was originally published in the December 2023 issue.