“Coming Home” Blog

“We make metal things, but our product is people and community,” said Ron Hardman, the brand-new supplier of Air Force sabers to the United States Air Force Academy.

Ron is down-to-earth, and very personable. He got his start in metalworking and other trades by working with his father, George Hardman, a high school shop teacher in Wisconsin.  “My dad started out as a Special Ed teacher, then switched to Shop.  He noticed that he ended up having many of the same students coming through,” said Ron.

“My dad said I was ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), but he didn’t classify me as that. He classified me as a shop class kid!” After school he would go to his father’s classroom and help him build all kinds of things.

This time with his father led him to become an apprentice at Woodward Governor Company at age 14. By the time he was 16 years old, he oversaw the CNC mill lathe. “This set me on a path, and was very transformational,” Ron explained.

As he grew up, Ron realized a need for the type of training his father gave him and started Kilroy’s Workshop in 2014. Now Ron is married with his own family, three daughters and a  son. Two are married with their own families, but all of them (even Mom!) have helped with or participated in this unique metalworking school in Colorado Springs.

He started out with homeschoolers, as he assumed many of them would not have access to this kind of education. As the school grew, many public-school children joined after shop class was removed from schools, and even adults signed up. Ron stated that 70% of the 4,000 students that come through every year are public-schooled.

Ron and his family are extremely interested in community.  They have a connection with the Wounded Warrior Project, Operation TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) Freedom, and the RD (River Deep) Foundation. All these organizations work with wounded veterans.  Ron invites these veterans to come and make projects and attend events at the school.

Whether it’s young people, parents, or veterans, the teachers and students are like family. When they see each other outside of class, they know each other.  The school is a place where you get to “know people, a place to belong.” 

Not only do the participants learn metalworking and blacksmithing, but they also can show off their stuff. I had not ever heard of the reality show “Forged in Fire,” but after interviewing Ron, I’d like to start watching it! Ron, some of his children, and many of his students have been participants on the program. In 2019, the show wanted to do a “Family Episode” and invited Ron back. Ron asked his then 20-year-old daughter, Jessica, to go to the show with him. She works full-time at Kilroy’s. 

Watch Forged in Fire Season 7 Episode 12 | HISTORY Channel

They were up against a father-son team. In the first round, the fathers were competing against their children! They had to build a blade with items provided by the hosts. While the family members were each trying to win, there was a respect that they had for each other, and the important thing was for someone from the family to win.

Both fathers ended up winning this round, and in the next one, it was dad against dad. They were shown a weapon from history, and then had to go home, with 4 days to complete a replica.  The producers had asked Ron what type of weapon they should choose for them to make, and he answered, “the hardest thing you can find.”

I absolutely love what comes next…the weapon? Inigo Montoya’s rapier from “The Princess Bride.”  You haven’t watched it? You have to find it online and watch it!  Best date movie ever! It was my husband Rich and my first date…we saw it in the theater!

Ron said that while on the show, he was dropping lines from the movie and had the judges laughing. When he presented the replica he had made, the judges asked to see it, and he replied, “As you wish.”  He sat with his daughter and brought the book The Princess Bride. “I want to tell you about my sword,” he told her, opening the book.

“I’ll try to stay awake,” she replied. You’ll have to watch the movie to understand.

As we visit, I realize that we have a lot of connections…families working together, homeschooling, and family cult movies. But there’s another one…the Air Force Academy.  A while back, we had heard rumors that there was a new supplier for the Air Force Academy saber. For the longest time, USAFA got them from Germany.  At Parents’ Weekend 2024, we got to meet Ron. Before the Web Guy social, we were telling parents, “The new saber guy is going to be there.”  And we heard that he wanted to talk to us, “the saber case people.” 

Why does all this matter to you, a grad, cadet, or parent?  It’s fun to know the people you purchase items from, that we’re real people (sometimes crazy people! Not you, Ron, I was referring to us). But also, we want to let you know about the high quality of the new sabers.

After watching Ron on “Forged in Fire,” (I did sneak a peek while writing this), I know that he knows his stuff. He won, by the way. He wants you to know that these new sabers are top of the line. He is using Aeb-L stainless steel. It is a vast improvement over the old sabers. In fact, he has been doing maintenance on the old ones for years, which is how he got the contract. A few months ago, USAFA brought him four hundred sabers from Germany that had not been etched with the Air Force Academy name and he saved the day.

If you’re wanting to go online and find out more about Ron and his company, you might be confused about seeing a school, Kilroy’s Workshop. Ron came up with a breakout company, Excalibur Outdoors, where they sell their creations.

When you do look at his school, know that these people are good at what they do. Sometimes there is the stigma of something not being so good because it is made by “students.”  These students have been trained by a true professional, and they are good.

Back to the USAFA sabers…the old handles rattled, the new ones do not; they are solid. The handle is wire-wrapped, spinning done in-house around a core. They are not just stamped, like the old ones.

The new sabers are heat treated in-house.  They are not just decorative, they are “zombie killers,” Ron said.

Older versions of the USAFA sabers could be found from various vendors, even knock-offs from China. These new high-quality sabers are ONLY available from the United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates (USAFA AOG).

How to purchase one?  Go to the AOG website and get on the waiting list:  www.shop.usafa.org.

As if metalworking and teaching aren’t enough, Ron is a computer programmer and writer.  He and his daughter Jessica co-authored a children’s book, Shadow Fox Sons of Liberty.  Jessica is also the editor of their online magazine, Master Crafts Magazine, Home | Mastercrafts Mag. In addition, he created a non-profit, the Association of Independent Trade Schools (www.AITSonline.org). This organization fosters “the growth of trade schools,” and offers “resources, scholarships, and helps new trade schools.” Today there are approximately 40,000 trade schools in existence. Ron developed management software to help trade schools. Check it out at www.catalanpro.com. 

To conclude, I asked Ron what motivates him to do all the incredible stuff that he and his family do, and he answered, “The people. They all have a story. The relationships.  That’s the reason our staff started as students.”  To find out more or to contact Ron, go to www.excaliburoutdoorsusa.com or www.kilroysworkshop.com.

We are honored and excited to be working with Ron and Excalibur Outdoors to bring you a beautiful heirloom to celebrate you or your loved ones’ hard work of graduating from the Air Force Academy.

If you need more motivation to purchase a saber, go to The Legacy Saber Project and read Steve Hoagland’s speech, and the “Because Every Grad Should Have One” testimonial Testimonials/Photo Library.

The Legacy Saber Project

“Legacy – Something received from or transmitted by an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.”

Several years ago a USAFA 1970 grad, Steve Hoagland, contacted us with an idea. He wanted to honor the legacy of the Academy and instruct present and future cadets about this legacy with something physical that they could see and touch. 1970 grads would donate sabers and USAFA would display one in each cadet squadron so that when the torch of cadet squadron commander was passed in the Spring and Fall, they would use the legacy saber as the centerpiece for change of command ceremonies, which were not happening.

How to store or display these swords when not in use? That is where we came in as R & R Woodcrafts has been making saber cases since 1985.  Fifty saber cases (40 squadron, 4 group, 1 wing and 5 extra).  We were honored and energized to be part of this legacy project.

We hashed things back and forth with Steve, a true gentleman and a pleasure to work with, and came up with a prototype that used our traditional saber case designed when Rich was a C2C (USAFA Class of 86) with some special touches. We sent this prototype to the Academy (CS-37), and they used it during a Graduation ceremony. It got rave reviews.

Steve also began talking with his classmates and getting a list of saber donors. He also put blurbs about it into Checkpoints magazine to gain interest.  The idea was proposed to the Academy and had to go up the chain of command.

Things were moving ahead slowly but surely, and then COVID-19 happened. This threw a wrench in the works, as leadership was consumed with sorting through the pandemic and taking care of the cadets.

Leadership also changed, as superintendents came and left.  Finally, we saw the sunshine through the gloom and the project was approved by Lt Gen Richard Clark (Rich’s ’86 classmate).

We wanted to stick with our original design, so that when viewers saw the cases, they knew that they were made by R & R.  We made some small but important alterations, since we realized these would be handled several times a year, as sabers were removed and used for ceremonies.

1. Tempered Glass – stronger than our regular glass (you know how rambunctious those cadets can be!). We had to source this and went through several companies until we found the right one.

2. Corners – in our regular product, we use a brass corner that is attached to the four corners of the glass and screwed into the wood. We wanted something stronger which again, would withstand frequent removing and replacing as cadets removed the sabers. We found chrome corners which give it a silver look. We had difficulty finding something that would work so actually had to alter the corners by cutting them on a metal bandsaw and polishing so that they would look “made for” this application.  We also used a square drive screw to make it much easier to remove and replace.

3. Engraved Plate – we have two sizes of plate for our standard case: 2 x 4.5”, and 2 x 9”. These engravings were quite different from what we normally do, as we were going to put all the names of the 1970 grads from each squadron, along with the class crest and squadron patch. This was 16 – 20 names as opposed to one or two! We went through several iterations of the design until we determined that a longer plate would work best, so we decided on a 2 x 12” size.

We started making these, in between running our farm and Rich leaving on regular business trips with his other job (hint…it involves flying!).

I helped with staining pieces and parts, but my primary job was the engraving.

Once I got into the groove of inserting the two graphics, typing in the names and lining them up in columns, it took me 20 – 25 minutes per plate. There were 40 squadron, 4 group and 1 wing plates.

Since these were going to be handled by many people, it was decided that a container was needed to hold tools, instructions and other items needed for installation of the saber and glass handling. At first, we were thinking of a cloth bag, but finally a small wooden box was chosen. We would stain and lacquer it and then laser the class crest and USAFA crest along with wording directly into the wooden top.

Rich and I drove to the Academy to personally deliver the cases to the USAFA Association of Graduates.  We were humbled when a photographer showed up to get pictures of us, the delivery and the cases for the Checkpoints Magazine.

Thank you, Steve, for giving us this opportunity and encouraging us in this endeavor, as well as all your hard work in putting this together.  Special thanks also go to Marty Marcolongo, USAFA ’88 and then AOG Pres/COO, and Major Ben Chapman, then CS-37 AOC for their leadership and direction of this project.

We were honored to be a part of this amazing project and hope that the cadets will understand and appreciate the part they play in the incredible legacy of the United States Air Force Academy.

Addendum:    It was decided that when cadets see the saber hanging in their squadron, they need to understand the story behind it and the significance of it.  Steve Hoagland wrote a magnificent speech that has come to lovingly be known as “The Saber Was There.”  He delivered it on Acceptance Day 2021 for the Class 2025, and a saber and our case were taken onto the parade ground during the Acceptance Day Parade as he spoke. 

We were asked to laser the speech onto our metal plate material and design a wooden plaque to match the saber case.  These were then installed next to all the saber and case displays in each squadron. 

Steve Hoagland’s famous speech about the importance of the saber sums up the reason that “Every Grad Should Have One” Testimonials/Photo Library.  Parents, after you read this, you will immediately be compelled to go online to Doolittle Outfitters and get on the saber waiting list!  Breaking News: As of 2024, there is a brand new local supplier for the Air Force Academy sabers New Air Force Academy Saber Supplier, Facebook, www.excaliburoutdoorsusa.com, www.kilroysworkshop.com ). Order a Legacy Saber Case here: Legacy Saber Case

Steve Hoagland’s Acceptance Day 2021 Speech:

THE STORY OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY LEGACY SABER

As doolies, we didn’t give sabers much thought.  We just knew that we were better off avoiding all upperclassmen — particularly those who were carrying a saber!

As Firsties, we carried sabers.  Remember the first time you put on a saber?  You stood in front of a mirror, and did you look sharp or what?!  Then it hit you – “I’m supposed to be a leader, I better get my act together!”

At graduation, many of us received sabers as gifts, and many of us gave sabers to parents and mentors to say “thanks” for their encouragement and love.  Those sabers were displayed proudly in homes and offices around the world.  We didn’t know it then, but we were soon to learn, that even when we were thousands of miles away from our sabers, they were always with us.

• On our wedding day, many of us walked with our spouses under an arch of sabers held by cheering classmates and friends, but whether we did that or not, THE SABER WAS THERE — reminding us of the true meaning of commitment.
• When we proudly pinned bars, oak leaves, eagles, and stars on our shoulders, THE SABER WAS THERE — reminding us that true leaders genuinely care about those they lead, and that they never demand more of others than they do of themselves.
• At family birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and vacations, THE SABER WAS THERE – reminding us of why we chose to serve; of the millions of families we serve; and of the importance of balance in our lives.
• When we mourned fallen comrades in arms, sharing the intense grief of spouses and family members, THE SABER WAS THERE – reminding us that freedom, truly, is not free.
• When we faced the terrible depravations and torture of captivity, THE SABER WAS THERE – reminding us that if we could not return with honor, we would not return at all.
• When we failed because our best simply wasn’t good enough, THE SABER WAS THERE – reminding us to take responsibility for our actions, and to recognize that quitting isn’t an option.
• When we left family and friends for “harm’s way,” knowing full well we might never return, THE SABER WAS THERE – reminding us of our solemn promise to do our duty. 

When the Class of 1970 graduated, fewer than 5,000 people called themselves Air Force Academy graduates.  Yet, even in those very early years, THE SABER WAS THERE. It was there in Vietnam when the first Air Force Academy graduate earned the Medal of Honor, and it was there with each of the 141 graduates, including nine members of the Class of 1970, who gave their “last full measure” in that conflict.

Today there are almost 60,000 Air Force Academy graduates.  THE SABER IS THERE at the highest levels of the Air Force and in every Air Force career specialty.  THE SABER IS THERE in all three branches of our government.  THE SABER IS THERE at the top of our nation’s largest companies and financial institutions.  THE SABER IS THERE with successful doctors, dentists, lawyers, pilots, innovators, and entrepreneurs.  THE SABER IS THERE pushing back the frontiers of space, and on the front lines of cyber warfare.  And, when an Air Force Academy graduate sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office – count on it – the SABER WILL BE THERE!

Every United States Air Force Academy Legacy Saber was owned by a member of the Class of 1970, and each has a unique 50-year history.  When these sabers are used in a Cadet Change of Command Ceremony, they serve as a solemn reminder of the responsibilities that an Air Force leader has to their subordinates, to their Unit, to the Air Force, and to our country.  They also serve as a reminder of the truly unique legacy inherited by every Academy graduate.

Now, these sabers belong to you.  Their legacy belongs to you. From the jungles of Vietnam; to the tragedy of 9/11; from the deserts of Iraq to the mountains of Afghanistan, and to countless other places we may never learn about, Air Force Academy graduates have served with honor and excellence.  The saber binds us all together.

You will write the next chapter in this story – remember your legacy, and…, MAKE  US  PROUD! 

“The Saber was There…”  So, now you need a handcrafted, heirloom display case to house it!

By now you have probably heard about the Legacy Sabers, one in each squadron.  They are displayed in R & R Legacy Saber Cases.  Now is your chance to help your cadet create their own legacy.  Buy them a saber (available through AOG) and then purchase a custom saber case from R & R Woodcrafts and Graphics.

Come visit us at Parents’ Weekend!  We will have a table at the Info Fair.  Visit us in person and receive a special coupon for 15% off!  Coupon is good from 2 SEP – 9 SEP 2022 (this gives you time to talk with your cadet at Parents’ Weekend, see the sample case at the Info Fair, go home and look at our website, www.randrwoodcrafts.com, and then choose your favorite wood, velvet color, etc.).

If you cannot make it to USAFA during this time, don’t despair.  We will have a coupon for 10% off for you on our website, from 2 SEP – 9 SEP 2022.

This is our best sale of the year!  All year we give you a really good price for our product, but we lower that good price even more for a very short time for all our amazing customers.  We can only offer it for a week, however, as supply prices are very high.  If you don’t use your coupon during this week, we are not able to honor it, as we just can’t afford to keep our pricing that low.  Thanks for your understanding.

After delivering 50 Legacy Saber Cases to the Academy last summer, in the fall we were able to see one displayed in Cadet Squadron 21.

So, everyone, put 2 SEP – 9 SEP 2022 on your calendar, and get an amazing product at an amazing price!  Because…the saber is there…and it shouldn’t sit in the closet!

See our Facebook post (R & R Woodcrafts and Graphics | Facebook).

We were honored to again make gifts for the Firsties for 100s Night

Sequels…we love ‘em. We can’t wait for the next Marvel movie to come out (or DC Comics movie, depending on your loyalty). Whether it’s The Matrix, Spider-Man or Sing, we flock to the theatres to watch them.

Here at R & R Woodcrafts, we have our own sequel story. After the successful delivery of over 1000 personalized Cherry hardwood coin racks to the USAFA Class of 2019, we wrote a blog about it. (“We’ve Got Spirit…Do You?”).

Matt, a Spirit Mission 2022 committee member read it and was so impressed, he wanted to do the same thing for his daughter’s class. He contacted us in May of 2019 to get the ball rolling early.

Matt also oversaw special donors to the Class of 2022 Spirit Mission called the “Co-Pilots.”  He had us make coin racks for these special people. The coin racks were smaller than our regular ones, but only had one slot for coins. We also laser-engraved a donor’s name on each piece, and a graphic of the chapel. We had taken a photo of the historic architecture when we had delivered the 2019 coin racks and turned it into a high-resolution graphic, thanks to Rich’s expertise.

The group loved the gifts, and Matt worked to get a contract for 100’s Night 2022. In Fall of 2019, they offered us a contract for 1050 coin racks. We accepted the mission!

Covid was an interesting plot change from Spirit Mission 1, offering us varied challenges.

Supply issues slowed us down. The price of wood skyrocketed. Our family got Covid. We rested a few days and then got back to work! Having a home business meant we could quarantine and keep working!  Thank goodness we all are in good health, so our symptoms were very mild.  Rich’s 84-year-old mom also had COVID, and Rich caught her outside.  “Mimi, what are you doing outside?!  You should be in bed.”  She replied, “I have to put the chickens away!”

Another change from last time was our work force. All of our children flew the nest! Thankfully, they come back to visit and were still able to assist us.

Heather helped again with sanding and packing. Kaity was an amazing jack-of-all trades, sanding, staining, stamping the backs, packing and teaching a new group of part-time help to sand. She also took care of farm chores at times so I could devote all my time to lasering. Since our kids have flown the coop, I have taken over the care and feeding of our farm animals. Chris worked the joiner machine and did some cutting and sanding.  Mimi again made amazing meals for us.

Rich’s mom. We call her Mimi, or Super Granny! She helps us by making yummy food when I am busy with big projects like this one

One of our daughters, Heather, hard at work helping in the woodshop

New this time was that I learned some new skills in the woodshop. Last time I helped a little with finish sanding and I did most of the staining. I didn’t sand this time but did stain.

I was excited to learn how to use some of the shop equipment!

First, I got to stamp our logo on the back of each coin rack. I had used the branding iron before, but it had been a while. I centered the wooden piece upside down under the heated iron. Next I pulled the iron firmly onto the wood, holding it there for a few seconds. Then I pulled it down even harder and left it another few seconds. I could see and smell the cherry wood burning, then lifted the iron.

I smelt the burning cherry wood as I stamped the backs of the coin racks with our logo.

I stacked the coin racks in domino fashion, being careful to let the branded spot cool down.

Once they were cool, I stacked them so that they slanted upwards, three rows on top of each other. I felt like I was playing Jenga!

Playing Jenga!

Secondly, I used the joiner. Rich showed me what to do. I turned the dust collection unit on with a remote, and then pushed the button for the joiner, and it loudly growled to life. I took a coin rack that Rich had glued (he glued a small rectangular strip onto a larger flat piece), setting it flat on the long metal table. I could see a circular blade spinning in the center of the table. Using a handle-shaped piece of wood, I pushed the coin rack over the spinning blade. I did this a second time.  It is this process that levels the base of each coin rack.

Then I stood the coin rack on its side and ran the back of it along the spinning blade. This smoothed the spots where it had been glued together, removing excess glue to allow future sanding to be more efficient.

It made me feel good to help Rich out in this way, as he always works so hard. And I gained new confidence in working with electric machinery.

Despite mine, Rich’s and the kids’ work, we knew we were going to need more help. We sent out a request for part-time help with final sanding. Covid was making it hard to find jobs, so some local teenagers eagerly accepted the challenge. We could not have done it without your hard work, Kenny, Alexander, Landon and Ian! They even got a little farm work in, helping us catch sheep and a pig!

Our part-time workers in the woodshop also helped on our farm

A note on sanding:  It is this process that makes or breaks a woodworking project.  Quality products should NEVER have visible planing or cross-grain sanding marks.  All of the coin racks were hand-sanded at the end with 120, then 220 grit sandpaper at about 10 minutes per coin rack.  Most manufacturers do not do this.  This is standard practice on ALL our products.

Rich and I picked up the rental van. This time we decided we could get a little smaller vehicle, as prices were higher. This van was shorter than the first one.

As we loaded the small white boxes into the white van, it was getting fuller and fuller. It almost looked as though they were not all going to fit. Would we have to rent a trailer to pull behind?

Will they all fit?

As the girls and I kept bringing boxes for Rich to pack, and he miraculously kept finding nooks and crannies to place them in, I told them, “If anyone can figure out how to pack them all in there, it will be Dad!” And he did! There’s a reason I call him Superman (besides the fact that when he was younger and we lived in Okinawa, Kadena AB, women would stop us and want their picture taken with him, as he looked remarkably like Christopher Reeves!).

Kaity stayed and house-sat, literally keeping the home fires burning, as we heat with wood, and Rich and I were on the road again.

Some things haven’t changed…gas is 20 cents cheaper in Kansas than Colorado, and the Kansas highways are smoother! Can anyone solve this mystery?

The last time we took this trip to Colorado Springs, we thought we were in the movie “Frozen” as we encountered a snowstorm.

This time felt more like “Smoky and the Bandit” when we found ourselves in the middle of a car chase!

We were outside of Limon, Colorado on Hwy 24when Rich noticed a police car about 2 miles behind him with his lights on. He wondered what was going on, and I asked him if he was speeding. I had been working on my computer so wasn’t really paying attention.

It seemed like they were following another car that was behind us. It started weaving in and out and then when the driver turned a corner, his door opened, and a bunch of small packages were shoved out onto the road.

The police car kept following this guy.  The driver passed us, and the police car kept following him!

Six more police cars passed us and other drivers. We thought,” There’s going to be a blockade up ahead.”

As we neared the small town of Matherson, we watched as the eight police cars converged on this car as it drove onto a side road and into a parking lot. Policemen were drawing guns as we decided that would be a good time to leave!

Scary! We still have not seen anything in the news. We did get some video, but it wasn’t very good, so we won’t be sending it to any news stations.

The driver

We’re heeere!

We arrived safely in the Springs and met with AOG as we are working on the next phase of the “Legacy Saber Project” (this will be in my next blog post!). Then we headed for Embassy Suites, where we were staying.

Last time we stayed in a cute Air BNB but the scene for Spirit Mission 2 was actually an historic location. When R & R first got started in the eighties, Rich’s brother Rob had taken over the business while Rich pursued his military career. Rob and his family would stay at the Embassy Suites when they delivered saber cases, and cadets would meet him there to pick up their orders.

Today was the closing scene for our sequel as we met with Gina, the P.O.C. for the Spirit Mission at Arnold Hall.

She laughed as she saw all the boxes jammed into the van. Rich unloaded the boxes onto carts as Gina pushed them into the Hall and to the meeting room. I helped her unload them and stack them onto the large conference table.

Rich unloading the coin racks at USAFA

We were happy to finally meet Gina in person after working with her over the phone and through email!

I tried to sort them into stacks by squadron around the room.

The stacks grew taller as we filled up the tabletop. Finally, we were done, and several cadets came to the rescue to help Gina sort them. Many more were coming after lunch to help.

Finished Coin Rack presented at 100s Night

Happy Firsties opening their gifts

Last time, the gifts were taken to the dorm rooms, where Firsties found them after their special 100s Night dinner.

This time, they were given to them at the dinner.

What stayed the same between Spirit Mission 1 and 2 was that we felt extremely honored to be a part of this special gift to the Firsties.  Well done, Class of 2022!  We are proud of you.

Other Class Spirit Missions…”Support the Arts.”  We’d love to do a special project for you too.