By Jenelle Holmes
A couple of years ago, Ormewood Park resident Ken Boff retired (for the first time) and began spending more time doing carpentry work in his backyard shed. As time went on, Ken thought, “This would be a lot more fun if I had a small group to hang out with. We could get together on Saturday mornings, have coffee, stand around in somebody’s shop, and talk. Maybe I’ll get three or four people to do this, and it’ll last six months before it fizzles out.”
Ken started asking around to see if folks were interested in woodworking, and surprisingly, everyone he asked said yes, often adding, “I’ve been waiting for something like this!” Three years ago, they had their first gathering. Two hours passed quickly in good conversation among novices and experienced woodworkers alike. They became The Splinter Group.
Joy Carter said the conversations eventually turned to actual woodworking when the city of Stonecrest needed bird nesting boxes – a great beginner project. The group gathered supplies (including donations from the Tool Bank), built the boxes, and installed them in Everett Park. One member, Stephen, opened his shop and taught people who had never used power tools before. In retirement, Stephen had resisted volunteering but told Ken he’d changed his mind after participating in The Splinter Group.
Stonecrest also made possible their second project. After a group of trees was cut down, The Splinter Group shaped the lumber into outdoor furniture for multiple locations. Ken reflected, “These community service projects really did a lot for the Splinter Group, helping create cohesion and giving people a chance to work and talk together. I think we got more out of it than Stonecrest did, although they loved us.” The projects keep coming in, and people keep stepping up to learn, create, and volunteer in the community.
In the fall of 2025, The Splinter Group retired the old Ormewood Church sign at the corner of Delaware and Woodland Avenue, replacing it with a sleek, dark, minimalist wooden sign. CJ Clark carved the church’s wooden logo, and the Maker’s Festival contributed in-kind donations for new plantings ahead of the October festivities held on the church property.
This year, they’ve already partnered with local neighbors near the Starlight Theater to install a ramp to improve accessibility to their home. For this project, new members arrived an hour before the official build time to learn woodworking skills so they could fully participate once construction began.
While the Splinter Group grew organically through neighborhood connections, it is now a 501(c)(3) organization. If you would like to connect, learn, and contribute to their projects, you can reach them at splintergroupinc@gmail.com.
