What began as a notice posted on the LCS bulletin board seeking carpenters and “handyman types” led Richard Bansbach on his volunteer path at Lakeside. With five years of handyman experience under his tool belt, Bansbach replied to Richard Williams’ notice. The two of them met and hammered out the logistics for Mr. Hammer, an organization that teaches Mexican youth woodworking and carpentry skills.
“We started off taking a carload of tools to Mission San Pablo, an orphanage located near the Guadalajara Airport,” said Bansbach. “The orphanage houses a small group of kids, most of them physically handicapped.”
Every Saturday, volunteers worked in the classroom at Mission San Pablo teaching the kids how to build simple objects from wood while working with handsaws, hammers, sandpaper and miter boxes.
Six months later, a caravan of six volunteers headed off to Casa Hogar, a boy’s orphanage in Ixtlahulacan de los Membrillos.
“We spent two hours teaching classes at Mission San Pablo and then two hours at Casa Hogar,” related Bansbach. “Since we didn’t speak much Spanish, we didn’t do much speaking. Luckily, Casa Hogar provided us with a bilingual assistant.”
Eventually, due to a generous donation from an expat, Casa Hogar received tools and materials to build a professional workshop of their own.
“Once they didn’t need our help anymore,” says Bansbach, “we had an opportunity to establish ourselves at the Lake Chapala Society (LCS), which meant no more traveling and more students.”
Around 2010, they began holding two-hour wood working classes every Saturday morning at LCS. Students came mostly by referral and from their connection to the children’s art program at LCS.
At some point, when the LCS grounds was no longer conducive to using their hefty power tools, they moved to a few more locations before landing, one year ago, at their present location in Riberas del Pilar.
Along with a team of volunteers, the students receive instruction from teacher Lalo Robledo, a local and Mr. Hammer’s only paid employee.
“Lalo works for us 40 hours a week. He teaches classes five days a week and is a very competent craftsman,” said Bansbach.
In December 2007, Bansbach arrived in Ajijic from Los Angeles, California with a carload of stuff, ready to begin life anew in Mexico.
“I had remembered reading an article in an AARP magazine about how to retire in Mexico. I located the article, reread it and was intrigued, since I had been looking for an affordable place to retire.”
In early 2007, he came to Ajijic to check it out. After only one week, the area made such an impression on him that, before returning to Los Angeles, he made a commitment to move there by the year’s end. “I found a home to rent and the owners were nice enough to hold it for me until my return.”
A few years ago, Bansbach needed to step down from his involvement with Mr. Hammer due to symptoms of COPD (a lung disease).
“I couldn’t understand why I got COPD since I never smoked. It turned that I got it from breathing in the sawdust. The shop now has a sophisticated air filtration system, graciously paid for and installed by one of our volunteers.”
After leaving Mr. Hammer - and with a desire to continue working with wood - Bansbach landed the role of set construction coordinator at Lakeside Little Theater, which kept him busy from September to March of every year. He has since backed off of that role and another coordinator has stepped in so that he could return to Mr. Hammer, having made a commitment to volunteer there on a regular basis.
“Have Hammer Will Travel” was the organization’s original name, taken from the TV show, “Have Gun Will Travel.” Miguel Angel Alvarez, one of the adult students who has been with the organization for five years, felt that only gringos would know what that name meant, so he came up with “Mr. Hammer.” The new name stuck but triggered a few of their female sponsors to ask, “When are we going to have a ‘Mrs. Hammer?’”
“We haven’t figured that piece out yet,” said Bansbach.
Mr. Hammer’s recognizable wooden hooks for hanging garbage bags are also the brainchild of Alvarez. These colorfully painted hooks can be seen on poles in and around the streets of Ajijic.
A total of 25 students are enrolled in both class levels, which includes three female students, one of them being 22-year-old Erica Olide.
“Erica has been with us since the beginning and has found her niche in wood carving. She’s producing some really nice things,” Bansbach said.
Beginning students start off making CD racks and rabbit-shaped note holders. To help recoup the cost of materials, the students make two of everything: one for them to keep and the other to sell at both the wood shop and the thrift shop next door, Todo Bueno. They also host a major fundraiser every February. Thanks to these fundraisers and sponsors, most students receive scholarships to cover their monthly tuition of 400 pesos.
When Bansbach is volunteering in the shop, he derives great satisfaction working with all levels of students, as well as dabbling in his own projects. His current project is making model boats.
“The kids watch and learn from me; it’s all part of the learning experience. They can take these skills and become professional woodworkers or go on to do other things. Not only are we teaching them working skills and how to use power tools, we are teaching them valuable life skills.”
Contact Mr. Hammer: 376-766-4830, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..