Life as an apprentice at Stave.

Hello everyone, since Erik and June are giving reviews, I thought I may give a few also. Not just on puzzles but on what it was like to be part of Stave.
I started working at Stave in March of 1997 as an apprentice cutter; it was Jennifer’s job, being head of the cutters to make sure my training went well. My day started around 6:00 – 6:30 in the morning, you could start when ever you wanted (within reason) there were no time clocks. When you got there you looked at the clock, wrote in your time, counted out your eight hours and knew what time you could go home. I think we all appreciated that, I never knew anyone who cheated this system, not even a little. All cutters had more than one job, when I started my second job was “touch up girl”. Ok, I added girl because it’s so much cuter, but actually all the time I worked there were three men who were also cutters. Touch up person, made sure that after the puzzles came out of finishing were cleaned and if there were any little lifts in the paper that got taken care of.

All the saws in the cutting room faced looking out side creating an “L” shape and my saw was right at the bend, also right at the bend, up near the ceiling was a large color TV with headphones leading to each saw. You could cut and listen to soaps if you wanted to. Every cutter also had their own radio for music and Stave stocked a well supply of CDs to listen to if you wanted. I however have this bad habit of humming and half singing when I listen to music; it drove everyone around me crazy! Even over the sound of the saws! The cutting room has large picture windows and it was always a treat to refocus your eyes looking out over the Vermont landscape, watching the birds at the feeder, or the horses from the farm next door, the floor was carpet and the room was always warm, There was a small kitchen to make afternoon tea and to prepare your lunch. OK, I can’t remember way I ever left this job!!!

The apprentice cutter had a year to practice before their work went up for sale, This meant Stave invested a years salary in me, and in the first two weeks I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, my hands and fingers hurt so bad. The first time a cutter cuts, Stave takes that cutting and puts it in a shoe box so you have something to reflect back on, and to laugh a little. After practice, practice, practice, you cutting starts to look like it could possible interlock, after 6 months your cutting small puzzles to take home and give to friends and in a year your on your way to mastering some techniques.

Three months into my apprenticeship in cutting, Steve came into the cutting room for a meeting that we had weekly and made an announcement that we knew there was a lot of talent in the room and he wanted us to think about designing. I had nothing to loose, if I fell on my face I could always say I’m new, but if I succeeded….. Well after many, many moons I had a “kind of “design. Poor Steve, remember me telling you I was an extrovert, well I would follow him around the shop pining for his advice, I think at one point he started locking his door. But alas I wore him down and I became his apprentice in design, it was either embrace me or fire me. I like to think he made the right choice, and 100 plus designs later I still look back to those apprentice days and remember practice, practice, practice. I’ll write more if there is an interest.

Some of the puzzles I loved in my cutting days………One of my all time favorites is

“Circle Of Seasons” by Molly Delaney

“Dandy lion” by Michelle Koenig, I never got to cut this puzzles, but I loved the artwork

“Humzinger” by Candy Thun a lovely little humming bird trick

Out of the puzzles I designed……

“Animal Snackers” a spin on animal crackers a two or three solution trick, my daughter Nickie helped me design this puzzle; she was only 14 at the time.

“St. Nicks Knacks” a combo of a print and a teaser, the best of both worlds.

“Something to Crow About” a small puzzle with a big challenge.

“Oh What a Knight” I loved doing the art for this puzzle.

“Yellow Submarine” the original design actually had the fab four looking out of portholes into the sea. Only two puzzles got cut like that, I have one and other went to Jesse one of those guy cutters I was talking about.

I’ll have to go back and look at those early designs, I’m sure there are some I have forgotten, that may interest you. As far as I know Stave still has all the artwork for all those older designs, and if there was interest they may bring some back, ask about “Circle of Seasons”