KENSINGTON – Retired dentist Dr. Mark DiBona has gone from drilling cavities to drilling screw holes for his handmade cornhole boards.

DiBona, who ran DiBona Dental Group for 42 years in Exeter, now runs New Hampshire Wood Art out of his home shop. His daughter Dr. Elizabeth DiBona is a third-generation dentist and continues to run the practice, and her husband designed his woodshop.

While many may think dentistry and woodworking don’t share a lot in common, DiBona said he believes there is more than meets the eye.

“Most of us dentists need to be good at working with our hands and using an artist’s eye,” DiBona said. “A lot of dentistry is cosmetic and you’re making things that aren’t real look real. The first thing you see when you meet someone for the first time is their smile, and there’s a lot of art to that.”

DiBona said he took to woodworking somewhat out of necessity right after he married his wife Dorothy 49 years ago, because they needed to furnish their new home.

“I’m completely self-taught,” DiBona said. “When we got married, we had no money so making whatever we needed was the only way to get stuff.”

DiBona crafts everything from larger items like stand-up paddleboards, entire bedroom sets and hardwood heirloom game boards, to smaller items like handmade toys and kitchen equipment. Currently, he said some of his favorite crafts to make are bowls, pepper mills and vases using his wood lathe.

DiBona said since Father’s Day and summer getting underway, his cornhole boards have been his biggest seller. He estimates he’s made 12 in the last two months. He said his cedar grill scraper and wooden cheese serving boards are also popular this time of year.

“During my (previous) day job, I’d say everything had to come out perfectly,” DiBona said. “In the shop, if any of my projects didn’t come out perfectly, I could always put it in the woodstove. It may have happened more times than not, but I always had firewood.”

DiBona said for anyone who either is looking for a new hobby or a new activity in retirement to “start small and persist.”

“For me getting into the shop is about getting away and losing track of time,” he said. “So start right away and be careful to hang onto all five fingers. Never lose sight of the fact that the work can be dangerous, so definitely take every safety precaution.”

DiBona sells his work through his website, Newhampshirewoodart.com, New Hampshire Wood Art’s Facebook page and on Etsy as well.

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