SoCal man uses engineering skills to transform his condo into woodshop during pandemic

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (KABC) -- The pandemic has forced many people to turn their homes into better work spaces. A Thousand Oaks man has taken that to the next level, creating a whole woodworking shop in his condo.

Larry Thrasher, a retired electrical engineer, says he needed something to keep him busy during the pandemic.

"So I started thinking about how can I manage it here. And so I started designing and building plans and then started purchasing all of the equipment," Thrasher said.

Using his engineering skills, he transformed the space, including a bathroom that now houses some of his wood-working equipment.

"I built some acoustic panels and a table and set that up. And then (I) bought some other equipment to put on pull-out carts, so that I can hide everything so that when company comes they don't even know there is a woodworking shop here," he said.

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Thrasher's creations are mostly old-fashioned wooden toys he makes for his grandchildren. He used plans for some of the toys, while others were created from his own ideas.

He says what he makes brings him great joy and he's always thinking about what else he can create. The toys are not for sale, and says he's saving some for his great grandchildren.

"It's fun, I love doing it. I've got so many projects in my mind now that I don't know if I have enough years left to do everything I'm thinking about," Thrasher said.

Here's hoping he does.