Woodworking
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
Granddaughter conveniently visited just as sanding her desk was needed. Nothing like sweat equity being added to the desk she designed. 
Finishing pictures to follow....going hiking now. Spring flowers at peak
Woodworking
Posts
Re: Woodworking
#2what were her thoughts?
David Weaver
did she enjoy the sanding process?
My parents never built anything notable, but my dad did build a lot of "brown stained pine" furniture for our bedrooms - especially bookshelves. He could square boards just fine and nail them together and then sink and putty the nail holes.
I would beg to sand, but had to contend with my dad's desire to do the boring parts of the work (which he would do - he considered most detail work tedious).
My kids are less motivated to do something like that, though they are definitely more focused in other ways than I ever was (couldn't sit still in school or sit and read, and both of them don't have the same problem).
Re: Woodworking
#3Re: what were her thoughts?
Ralph Lipeles
Brings back good memories. When I was 13 years old my mother had an interior decorator doing work in the house. She told me that he would be making some units for the bedroom that my brother and I shared. I did not like the things that he had made. They were all painted. I convinced my mother to let me make the furniture. I designed 2 units that I would build from plywood and then veneer. My grandfather took me downtown, NY to buy a table saw and a sander. The saw was Darra James. It had an 8" blade. I had a motor that had failed in the house heating system. I got it to work and then had a working saw. With the saw sitting on the garage floor I cut the wood needed for a stand for the saw. I built the carcasses for the 2 units and then was ready to do the veneering. We lived in the Bronx about a mile from Constantines. I went there and told the manager what I wanted to do. He then told me that I could not veneer over the plywood. He told me that the wood grain would continue to grow and it would show through the veneer. I was told to cover all plywood surfaces with 1/8" masonite. I purchased the veneer and want to the lumber yard and bought the masonite. I glued the masonite to the plywood with Elmers white glue. I then sanded all edges, surfaces and joints and applied the veneer with contact cement. I stained the veneer surfaces and varnished everything. It was a great start in woodworking for me and was a wonderful learning experience. I'm 80 now. I have an excellent workshop and still enjoy woodworking.
Re: Woodworking
#4Re: Woodworking
Joe in a Cleveland suburb
That's pretty awesome. I'm visiting my first grandchild right now.
Hope someday I can do some woodworking with him.
Re: Woodworking
#5Enjoyed the story Ralph
David Weaver
I like your can-do attitude. Maybe it's just me, but we often tell our kids now that everything they do has to be valuable time wise, and I don't think they get to enjoy the benefits of boredom and creating a solution, etc. over time.
Maybe I'm wrong!
I spent days as a kid doing things like sanding, or kicking a football back and forth across the yard waiting for something more exciting to do or for a friend's mom to drop them off (lived along the highway - no walking to fun like town kids).
Re: Woodworking
#6Re: what were her thoughts?
Johanna Johanson
My father made some built-in features in our home. He taught me to use tools (and to put them away properly!). I loved horses, so he helped m build some "stables" for my model horses. Those lessons came in handy when I grew up and lived in some places that needed shelves and simple cupboards. I have "graduated" to more difficult projects, but those first lessons are still sweet memories.
So those of you who are parents and grandparents, be sure you teach your children basic tool skills and encourage them to make things that will make memories for them.