Technical expertise

  • Published
  • By Mike Molina
  • Editor
DENVER --  Brian Hunter has been honing his skills as a craftsman for 40 years, maybe longer. "I started woodworking in high school, but it seems like I've been building and making things forever," he said. 

When he isn't helping customers with the virtual Personnel Center - Guard and Reserve, the 55-year-old systems support technician in DPS can usually be found building or modifying things. 

He's built steel bumpers for his vehicles, a hand-powered wench for lifting heavy objects, furniture and fishing boats. He's even "dabbled" with electronics, he said. 

Nearly 18 months ago, he constructed and donated a steel and wooden bell stand for the Rocky Mountain Base of the U.S. Submarine Veterans organization for the group's annual "Tolling of the Boats" ceremony. 

Steve Homic, who also works in DPS, is the group's commander. "Our old bell stand was out of service," Mr. Homic said. "I had seen other stands, so I went to (Brian) with a design I had, and he took it from there." 

Recently Mr. Hunter built a lectern to go with the bell stand. Both items were on display in May, during this year's ceremony at the USS Grayling memorial in Denver. 

"The beauty of it, the quality of the work - it was truly a labor of love," Mr. Homic said. 

After the ceremony, the submarine vets made Mr. Hunter a lifelong associate member of their group. 

But the Air Force veteran and former photo imaging instructor at Lowry AFB said he doesn't build things for money, accolades or recognition. 

"They say, 'Necessity is the mother of invention.' The things I need, and sometimes the things I want, are too expensive, so I make them," Mr. Hunter said. 

One of his latest projects was a woodframe kayak with no nails or screws. 

"I looked it up on the Internet and bought a book on Aleutian kayaks," he said. "All the boards are tied together." He estimates the kayak took nearly 120 hours to build. 

"When I'm making something or dealing with a customer I'm pretty persistent in finding an answer," he said. 

Mr. Hunter said he owes much of his talent to his parents who were always willing to stop what they were doing to answer his questions. 

"They nurtured my ability by taking time to explain things to me," he said. 

"One time, I asked my mom how she made cookies. She said, 'Let's make some.'"
For his next project, he plans to build a new kitchen for he and his wife. 

"To buy the cabinets that we want, it would probably cost $20,000. I can build them for around $5,000."