Darrin Davis learned about woodworking the same way many kids in the 80s did things — without parental supervision.
“My dad had a lot of woodworking equipment,” Davis said. “When I was a kid, I wasn't supposed to be using his equipment, but me and my friends played hockey in our front driveway, and we didn't have sticks. My dad just happened to have some 1x2s. So, without his permission, we got his miter saw, out cut the angles, glued and screwed them together, taped them up, and all of a sudden we had hockey sticks.”
As Davis grew, so did his skill. He leaned on experience from watching his dad, but he also tailored projects to his own interests.
“My dad was more into construction — like building houses, storage sheds, and things like that. I'm into fine woodworking, like furniture building and cabinetmaking.”
Woodworking comes natural to Davis, and he doesn’t hoard his expertise. He spent nearly 20 years crafting his legacy teaching high school woodshop. His experience made for an easy transition to Pantex, where he now trains production technicians (PTs) on weapons programs.
“I started at Pantex as a PT, but when I went through the weapons training, the program just felt like a natural fit because of my teaching experience. I knew I needed to do it.”
Whether it’s cutting wood or building bombs, Davis teaches that precision isn’t just necessary, it’s mandatory. While Davis doesn’t work with power tools at Pantex, he still draws from his vast experience to hit the nail on the head when it comes to accuracy.
“Attention to detail is really hammered into the weapons training classes,” Davis said. “It’s an important aspect in many areas of life, including woodworking. In weapons, attention to detail is a must. There's a lot of people counting on us to make sure these systems work. Just like with woodworking — one little mismeasurement, one little mistake, one little not-paying-attention moment changes the outcome.”
While Davis knows a lot, sometimes even the teacher learns something new.
“When I came out here, I learned — obviously — a lot of things I never knew, but also learned I have former high school woodshop students working out here … that was kind of neat to find out.”
Teaching benefited Davis as a weapons trainer in many ways, including giving him the ability to know how to tailor his lessons to individual students. In the same way every wood project he works on is unique, so are his trainees.
“Different people learn in different ways, so I'm able to vary my instruction from person to person to help them better understand the process. I know how to cater to each person’s learning style. And just like in high school, there's grading,” Davis said. “The PTs have to pass to get their qualifications in. We do our best to help them understand so they are confident when performing their job.”
Davis’ tools stay in his workshop at home, but he consistently draws from his toolbelt of knowledge acquired over his lifetime teaching and learning. When measuring his accomplishments in life, Davis can make a quick cut.
“As a teacher and an instructor, I get a lot of joy seeing students starting to get the process and how things work. You see a sparkle of understanding in their eye that makes you feel good, like you've done your job. I love that.”
Darrin Davis’ former high school woodshop students who now work at Pantex.