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| HANK DIPASQUALE |
| A FATHER WHO WOODWORKS BEST THROUGH SCULPTED FOREST |
| Hank DiPasquale of Brant Beach creates a wooden pen in his workshop. DiPasquale sells the pens (below right) and other wooden items through a business he started with his daughter Dana. |
DAUGHTER
| FATHER, |
LIKE
LIKE
| Hank and Dana DiPasquale stay connected through Sculpted Forest woodworking business |
RANT BEACH - Hank DiPasquale of Brant Beach has been a
woodworker for more than 50 years, but recently,with the help of
his daughter Dana, he has begun using his skill as something other than
a hobby.
He and his daughter have developed Sculpted Forest, a small business
that allows Hank DiPasquale to sell his hand-crafted wooden items,
made from a number of types of exotic wood, to anyone who happens
upon their Web site.
woodworker for more than 50 years, but recently,with the help of
his daughter Dana, he has begun using his skill as something other than
a hobby.
He and his daughter have developed Sculpted Forest, a small business
that allows Hank DiPasquale to sell his hand-crafted wooden items,
made from a number of types of exotic wood, to anyone who happens
upon their Web site.
B
He got into woodworking in 1951, when he
invested $1,500 in some hand tools while work-
ing as an apprentice wood pattern-maker. He still
has the same tools today, and has been working
with wood as a hobby since then - making car-
vings and small pieces of furniture (even a cradle
for the daughter that would eventually help him
start his business.
"Each piece of wood has its own identity and
beauty," Hank DiPasquale said. "There are some
woods that seem so plain, but actually have very
beautiful colors in them.
There are others that are
very figured, that have
very intricate grain in
them. And some are
pretty mundane by
themselves, but can be
treated or even hardened.
Or they can be injected
with dye that picks up
all the different figures
in the grain. It's been an
education for me, really,
working with all these
exotic woods."
After retiring from the
North Jersey Transpor-
tation Planning Authority
in 1999, Hank DiPas-
quale started getting
more serious about his woodworking hobby. He
began making pens out of some more exotic
woods, and giving them to relatives as gifts for
holidays or graduations. Dana DiPasquale pointed
out that his craft was less like a hobby, and more
of an art.
"It was actually my uncle and my cousin at
Christmas dinner," she said, of who first brought
up the idea of going into business. "We'd brought
over some stuff to show the family, and they all
went crazy.
"They started talking to me about it, and we just
pulled my dad over and asked what he thought,"
she added. "We weren't sure whether he wanted
to start a business, since he'd just started retire-
ment. But we thought that other people besides
just our family might want to see these things."
Hank DiPasquale began going to craft and art
shows, selling his pens and doing fairly well.
Dana DiPasquale designed a Web site for him,
www.sculptedforest.com, and he began selling
his pens, as well as wine bottle stoppers, over
the Web.
They decide on what styles of pens and bottle
stoppers would be made together, but Dana
invested $1,500 in some hand tools while work-
ing as an apprentice wood pattern-maker. He still
has the same tools today, and has been working
with wood as a hobby since then - making car-
vings and small pieces of furniture (even a cradle
for the daughter that would eventually help him
start his business.
"Each piece of wood has its own identity and
beauty," Hank DiPasquale said. "There are some
woods that seem so plain, but actually have very
beautiful colors in them.
There are others that are
very figured, that have
very intricate grain in
them. And some are
pretty mundane by
themselves, but can be
treated or even hardened.
Or they can be injected
with dye that picks up
all the different figures
in the grain. It's been an
education for me, really,
working with all these
exotic woods."
After retiring from the
North Jersey Transpor-
tation Planning Authority
in 1999, Hank DiPas-
quale started getting
more serious about his woodworking hobby. He
began making pens out of some more exotic
woods, and giving them to relatives as gifts for
holidays or graduations. Dana DiPasquale pointed
out that his craft was less like a hobby, and more
of an art.
"It was actually my uncle and my cousin at
Christmas dinner," she said, of who first brought
up the idea of going into business. "We'd brought
over some stuff to show the family, and they all
went crazy.
"They started talking to me about it, and we just
pulled my dad over and asked what he thought,"
she added. "We weren't sure whether he wanted
to start a business, since he'd just started retire-
ment. But we thought that other people besides
just our family might want to see these things."
Hank DiPasquale began going to craft and art
shows, selling his pens and doing fairly well.
Dana DiPasquale designed a Web site for him,
www.sculptedforest.com, and he began selling
his pens, as well as wine bottle stoppers, over
the Web.
They decide on what styles of pens and bottle
stoppers would be made together, but Dana
DiPasquale handles the business-related aspects
of Sculpted Forest, leaving her father the oppor-
tunity to simply keep doing what he loves -
working with wood. When an order comes in,
it's Dana DiPasquale who receives the email, but
those interested can also reach Hank DiPasquale
with technical questions on the products.
Sculpted Forest products include a variety of
pens such as ball point and fountain. The wine
bottle stoppers Hank DiPasquale makes are
particularly unique, he said. A pen needs to have
a certain shape, to be
comfortable in a person's
hand. But a stopper can be
more innovative.
The pens take about seven
to eight hours to make,
between sizing, drilling for
the ink tube, and polishing
and finishing the result.
The ball point pens are
sold for $149, or $159 for
custom orders. Fountain
pens cost $249, or $259
for customized pieces.
The bottle stoppers start at
$79 and go up to $89 for
special orders.
Sculpted Forest also will
make customized pieces using the wood of a
customer's choice. If an object of even a home
has sentimental value, and the customer provides
a piece of wood, Hank DiPasquale will use it to
create a memento of the original item, and even
engrave the finished product.
"The best thing is to see someone's reaction
when they first see it in person," Dana DiPas-
quale said. "From my experience, everyone's
forst words are: That's wood? I associated
wood with dirt. But when you see a piece of
wood that's bright red, or orange, or any color
underthe rainbow, that's living inside a plant un-
derneath all that bark, people - myself included -
are surprised by that."
"I'm pretty happy with the way things are turn-
ing out," Hank DiPasquale said of the business.
"I love what I do, especially in retirement, be-
cause you need something to keep you busy,
and I can share this with others. And it keeps
me really connected with my daughter, which is
very important to us."
For more information, visit
www.sculpedtforest.com on the Web.
of Sculpted Forest, leaving her father the oppor-
tunity to simply keep doing what he loves -
working with wood. When an order comes in,
it's Dana DiPasquale who receives the email, but
those interested can also reach Hank DiPasquale
with technical questions on the products.
Sculpted Forest products include a variety of
pens such as ball point and fountain. The wine
bottle stoppers Hank DiPasquale makes are
particularly unique, he said. A pen needs to have
a certain shape, to be
comfortable in a person's
hand. But a stopper can be
more innovative.
The pens take about seven
to eight hours to make,
between sizing, drilling for
the ink tube, and polishing
and finishing the result.
The ball point pens are
sold for $149, or $159 for
custom orders. Fountain
pens cost $249, or $259
for customized pieces.
The bottle stoppers start at
$79 and go up to $89 for
special orders.
Sculpted Forest also will
make customized pieces using the wood of a
customer's choice. If an object of even a home
has sentimental value, and the customer provides
a piece of wood, Hank DiPasquale will use it to
create a memento of the original item, and even
engrave the finished product.
"The best thing is to see someone's reaction
when they first see it in person," Dana DiPas-
quale said. "From my experience, everyone's
forst words are: That's wood? I associated
wood with dirt. But when you see a piece of
wood that's bright red, or orange, or any color
underthe rainbow, that's living inside a plant un-
derneath all that bark, people - myself included -
are surprised by that."
"I'm pretty happy with the way things are turn-
ing out," Hank DiPasquale said of the business.
"I love what I do, especially in retirement, be-
cause you need something to keep you busy,
and I can share this with others. And it keeps
me really connected with my daughter, which is
very important to us."
For more information, visit
www.sculpedtforest.com on the Web.
