Lonnie Bird, a talented teacher and maker, dies at 63

Lonnie Bird, a furniture maker, teacher, tool designer and published author, died on Nov. 25, 2022, after a hard-fought battle against the long-term effects of cancer treatment radiation. He was 63.

Bird was the head of the Fine Woodworking Program at the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) for 13 years and operated Lonnie Bird’s School of Fine Woodworking in Dandridge, Tenn., for an additional 20 years.

“In both settings, he was well-able to duplicate his woodworking skills in others and was widely acclaimed as an excellent teacher. Impressively, Lonnie developed all the furniture designs and projects he taught. Lonnie was extremely talented; yet very willing to share his knowledge with others,” according to his full obituary.

“Lonnie not only designed beautiful furniture with classic proportions and stunning beauty, but developed and patented commercial tooling and safety devices for CMT, Amana, and Bench Dog companies. He also published six woodworking books through The Taunton Press, was contributing editor for Fine Woodworking Magazine, and wrote many articles for various other woodworking publications, including Woodshop News.”