P’ville High Freshman Displays Incredible Skill for Innovations
Pleasantville teen Grant Becker is taking the village by storm with his innovative projects.
Ever since the 14-year-old was introduced to Maker Faire events in New York City with his mother, Becker has been obsessed with producing original creations out of wood, metal, glass, leather and plastic.
Recently, the Pleasantville High School freshman has collected the wood from trees that have fallen in storms to make an assortment of tables and benches.
“The finished product is really amazing,” Becker said. “I find the whole process cool, that you can take a tree that’s just brown on the outside and looks lumpy and weird and create it into something really amazing.”
Becker’s parents, MJ and Doreen, said that they drive to the sound of the chainsaws after storms and take the wood for their son to use. Doreen Becker said Grant has became so enchanted with the natural beauty of wood that his passion continues to grow.
“We were kind of obsessive there for a while,” said MJ Becker. “After a September storm we would hear the sound of the chainsaws. It’s just amazing how much tree cutting was going on just in our neighborhood.”
While trips to the creative fairs may have ignited his passion for inventing, his grandfather provided him with the skills and desire to build with wood, including a state-of-the-art tree house in his backyard. Grant said one bench or table can take him about a week to construct and finish depending on the wood.
“My grandpa makes a lot of tables and he showed me some things,” he said. “We do little projects but what started it was that our neighbors had an oak tree that was cut down. We got a four-foot log and we made a bench and two tables.”
The teen has created an array of tables and benches for his family and neighbors to enjoy and he is now selling his original pieces on Facebook and at The Glass Onion in Pleasantville and Beehive Designer Collective in Mount Kisco.
With a bench featured outside The Glass Onion and an end table having been sold at the store within the last month, owner Matt Jaros said he’s highly impressed with the quality of Becker’s work. The youngster is also thrilled to have his work featured in his home community.
“It’s very professional and his depth of knowledge on how to construct items is on par with highly professional people,” said Jaros. “I’m impressed with his knowledge and his skills.”
Becker said he wants to use the money he makes to help restore a 1983 Jeep Scrambler with his grandfather.
Along with his woodworking projects, Becker has also received recognition for his many creations featured at the Maker Faire events, the largest celebration of invention, creativity and innovation. As a fourth-grader, Becker was one of five finalists in Warren Buffet’s “Grow Your Own Business Challenge” for his wheelchair bike called, The Go-Go Bike.
The annual competition, which spotlights business-savvy kids, awarded Becker an all-expense-paid trip to Nebraska, where he met Buffet and presented his invention to the famed billionaire and his associates.
While the teen devotes his weekends to crafting, he wants to keep woodworking a hobby. Becker spends time studying, playing hockey and participating in the United States Air Force auxiliary cadet program. He hopes to one day design cars or airplanes.
“He just has this eye for building. He has a natural gift,” MJ Becker said. “It’s just one of his many talents.”
