Clary Lake Woodworking School

Jefferson- Richard B. Gallion, 77, died suddenly on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Rick was born in Kansas City, MO, on October 11, 1947, the son of the late Virgil A. and Doris E. (Johnson) Gallion.  He grew up in southeast Kansas and earned a B.A. in French literature from Pittsburg State University.

Rick served as a Green Beret in the United States Army but had conflicted feelings about the U.S. military. Rick married Saundra Mackey while he was in the service, and they divorced some years later after many adventures together. Saundra preceded in him death.

On October 5, 1996, Rick married the love of his life, Linda S. Marrs Farrell, at the Topeka Kansas Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.  Together they shared 28 wonderful years of marriage.

Rick worked for the U.S. Marshals Service, District of Kansas, for 16 years, during which time he spent 10 years studying ballet and jazz dance and performing in community theater. He left the Federal Marshals Service to pursue a career in custom woodworking and moved to Maine with his wife Linda in 2002. Together, they owned a bed and breakfast in a 165-year-old farmhouse in Jefferson. Rick founded the Clary Lake Woodworking School in 2014 and shared his technical skills and passion for woodworking with a multitude of students.

Rick was a lover of classical music, especially Beethoven and Mozart. He enjoyed sailing, parachuting, and maintaining the property around Clary Lake Bed and Breakfast which he owned with Linda. He was an avid bicyclist and undertook several long-distance bike tours in the U.S. and throughout France and Scotland. He loved a good cup of tea and cherished the time he spent with his granddaughter, Madeline Elizabeth.

Rick was predeceased by his sisters Iris Pfautz and Victoria Gallion Germonde as well as his brother Don Gallion. He is survived by his wife Linda Gallion, his brother John Gallion, his stepdaughters Amy (spouse Shea) Farrell and Beth (spouse Jay) Holley, and his granddaughter Madeline Elizabeth.

Visiting hours celebrating Rick’s life will be held on Friday, November 1, 2024, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm with a service to follow at 4:00 pm at Staples Funeral Home, 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner, ME.  Condolences, memories and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website www.StaplesFuneralHome.com. Those who wish may make contributions in Rick’s memory to Carpenters Boat Shop, 440 Old County Road, Pemaquid, ME 04558 or the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4775 SW 21^st Street, Topeka, KS.

When I saw this machine in the Woodsmith magazine last year I knew I had to build it.  It uses a router motor, and I just happened to have a Porter Cable motor in a fixed base just sitting on its duff and not earning its keep, so it was a perfect fit.  Using a brand new set of spiral upcut bits, it can do 1/4″, 38″, and 1/2″ mortises. What this machine gives is the clean walls of a router cut mortise, plus the visibility and ease of set up of the hollow chisel mortiser, and does it almost twice as fast.  Does this mean I’m getting rid of my Delta Hollow Chisel mortiser I’ve had for over 20 years, not on your life.

The field tests are continuing, but I am very pleased with the results so far.  For those who worry about the rounded ends of router cut mortises, you may relax.  First off it only takes a couple of minutes to round over the tenons (there goes the time you saved cutting the mortis), secondly I had a brain storm the other day that I have yet to try, but will soon –  use this machine and the hollow chisel mortiser together.  A square hole at each end of the mortis then use the new machine to quickly mill out between them.  Cool, huh?  I’ll let you know how it works.

The Clary Lake Woodworking School of Jefferson, Maine announces the launch of its new website, built by George Fergusson and Rick Gallion.  The website will provide information about the school, courses offered, registration, information about lodging at the on-site B&B and places of interest in the Mid-Coast Region of Maine.

your new saw stop.

Rick demonstrating the use of a chisel.