Played with scrap wood when in grade school, then took two good shop classes in high school. I got into the electrical apprenticeship, and that consumed my time till we got married, bought kitchen cabinets, and after installing those myself, and looking at them, I realized with some tools and machines, I can build the bathroom myself. I have moved on to tv cabinets, computer desk, many small to medium projects for us and the kids. With all the kids out of college, I found enough spare money to buy mostly used tools and build a shop in the garage. Now many more projects for the wife and children remain before I get too old. Lots to do! A friend said he didn't work wood because it wasn't accurate enough for him. He preferred machine work. My work may not be perfect, but wood sure looks a lot better sitting in the house .
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A lot of people try to compare metal working to woodworking and it’s just not the same. Try to make your wood joinery as tight as metal will result in failure because of the amount of movement. One person back in this thread said it all when he said that he’d rather be found with a hammer in his hand than a remote.Played with scrap wood when in grade school, then took two good shop classes in high school. I got into the electrical apprenticeship, and that consumed my time till we got married, bought kitchen cabinets, and after installing those myself, and looking at them, I realized with some tools and machines, I can build the bathroom myself. I have moved on to tv cabinets, computer desk, many small to medium projects for us and the kids. With all the kids out of college, I found enough spare money to buy mostly used tools and build a shop in the garage. Now many more projects for the wife and children remain before I get too old. Lots to do! A friend said he didn't work wood because it wasn't accurate enough for him. He preferred machine work. My work may not be perfect, but wood sure looks a lot better sitting in the house .
My father law was a machinist and he joked that metal guys like to point it out all the time as it is their way of making it look like they have more skill as much of what they do is unseen and boring.A lot of people try to compare metal working to woodworking and it’s just not the same. Try to make your wood joinery as tight as metal will result in failure because of the amount of movement. One person back in this thread said it all when he said that he’d rather be found with a hammer in his hand than a remote.
Started building model airplanes out of balsa wood with my dad and brother 1960. Then it was on to the gas powered planes then bigger and fancier planes till I got married and needed furniture. Bookcases, waterbed frames,baby furniture. Then on to fixing up houses, building vanities, kitchen islands, walls etc. Moved to New Mexico started taking fine furniture making at Santa Fe community college and took classes in bent laminates, wood carving, CNC woodworking. It's been a wonderful life at least for the next 3 years.
I bought some furniture and when it broke with normal wear and tare I decided I could make something that would last longer, and I did!
My inspiration was the Shop Teacher. He had a couple of 40 Ford Coupes and a pickup. That got my attention then I found out he taught wood shop. I found out I liked turning rough wood into furniture and ended up taking as much wood shop as I could in Jr. High and High School. After time in the Army, I found there was furniture I wanted or couldn't afford. I started collecting tools and started making my own stuff. 50 years later, I'm still doing it plus has 30 years doing furniture repair and restoration.
I was probably inspired by my dad. He worked manual labor his whole career but his grandfather was a contractor and his dad at times did contracting but was suppose to have been a good carpenter and my dad was/is real good, at least in my book. He built one house and remodeled every home he’s ever owned. Much like me he usually bought cheap homes he could afford then fixed them up and moved on to another cheap house. He never had any fancy tools. Mostly just some old corded stuff and a big long craftsman tool box that he always said was his “carpenters tools”. I remember he borrowed a compass out of a set of school things I had (long before I ever knew how to use it) and put in a octagon window in their bedroom with it and a old craftsman circular saw. He had another contractor doing something on the house when he did that and the contractor tried to hire him. I don’t remember all the reasons he didn’t take him up on it but he declined the offer. If he’d had access to the tools that I have in my shop it’s hard to tell what all he could have built. He said his dad told him when he was younger that “if he could learn to use a speed square and a rule he’d never want for work”.
I like working with my hands. I had shop class in high school & enjoyed it. Once I got older & wanted another hobby now I had to room to build a woodworing shop & the money to afford some woodworking tools. Watching The New Yankee Workshop on TV along with This Old House I thought I should give it a go & try to build some furniture. I started with this blanket chest & went on to more complicated pieces from there.
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I don't recall being inspired by anyone to be honest. It just was part of growing up. As a kid I was outside most of the time. Out the door as soon as possible and just had to be home to eat that night. Tree houses, bike ramps, forts and then storage boxes/crates consumed much of that time and I had free reign of any tools but couldn't use the circular saw until I was 12. From then on I build a lot of half pipes for skateboarding and did some minor construction work and roofing stuff for some money. Went to college and continued to whittle and make fishing lures when not being a typical college kid. As a homeowner did the usual remodeling of this and that but overall never found it to be very rewarding or enjoyable and personally hate to even mention it in regard to woodworking.
For me pieces that show some thought in form, function and simplicity are inspirational and what keeps me motivated. I can't spend the time working how I like to work so don't do many projects as family, work, and other things need me.
For me pieces that show some thought in form, function and simplicity are inspirational and what keeps me motivated. I can't spend the time working how I like to work so don't do many projects as family, work, and other things need me.
"I came to realize that all of Norm's trial fits were always perfect"Watching Norm Abrams when I was in high school. I came to realize that all of Norm's trial fits were always perfect. However, I still don't build a prototype of each project before I build the real thing.
It's called editing
I was always pretty handy, building decks and doing home improvements as a young man. I took WW shop in High school one semester.
Many, many years later I got a gift from a friend that was an old tea box from England made i think in the 17oos. it had compound mitered corners, a raised lid and finely detailed internal sections. I instantly wanted to know how to do that although I didn't take any action till my Executive Coach advised me to find a hobby as I was starting my Consulting Company a year or so later. I found an Evening WW 101 class in a local college taught by an old Swedish Ship Builder. I built that old tea box but with some serious flaws ( it's still in my shop looking for a rescue plan). that was it, thats how it started. I only wish I would have taken more classes sooner.
Many, many years later I got a gift from a friend that was an old tea box from England made i think in the 17oos. it had compound mitered corners, a raised lid and finely detailed internal sections. I instantly wanted to know how to do that although I didn't take any action till my Executive Coach advised me to find a hobby as I was starting my Consulting Company a year or so later. I found an Evening WW 101 class in a local college taught by an old Swedish Ship Builder. I built that old tea box but with some serious flaws ( it's still in my shop looking for a rescue plan). that was it, thats how it started. I only wish I would have taken more classes sooner.
Editing and I always figured he was too busy and a staff built most everything. Never cared for the the show or any of that era woodworkers on PBS."I came to realize that all of Norm's trial fits were always perfect"
It's called editing
Newly married and going to school in 1969, needed a bookshelf in our postage sized apartment. With 2 pine shelving boards, 6 closet rods, and several sticks of 1/4" doweling I cobbled together an adjustable shelving height bookcase. I've rendered perfectly good boards into garden mulch ever since.
when I was young my dad would help me make things. Shop class then married building out of necessity. New yankee work shop. Lumberjocks certainly played a roll. Still trying.
When I was young my father said to me words to this effect, "If you can find something to do in life without working with your hands, do that." I'm guessing he said that because his father was a cabinet maker and my father saw more money by working in management. I took up my father's advice and when I retired a few years ago it was as if my hands ached to Build Something. So after a couple of river tables, cutting boards and a few other things (and many hours in front of YouTube) I've just enrolled in the Fine Woodworking program at a local community college to hone my elementary skills.
My dad inspired me. Growing up we lived in an apartment so he never had a shop. He did have a tool box that kept all of his hand tools. He built my mom a hutch for the kitchen out of some hollow core doors, decorative moldings,etc. He came home one day with an oak barrel and weeks later we had a new chair for the living room with casters and upholstered in black leather. I was fortunate enough that even in grade school I had wood shop class, high school senior year 1978 I built a mahogany grandmother clock that still sits in my mothers house today. I had gotten away from it after graduating and got back into it in my early 40s life gets in the way sometimes, but I found my way back. At 62 my love for the craft gets stronger with every new project.
Although my father wasn't a woodworker, he had a lot of skills in construction. He wasn't a teacher but what I learned by osmosis was that you can do anything you set your mind to. So in that sense he inspired me. I got into more serious woodworking with building large telescopes and from there I've done a variety of projects from stage play sets to church alters to bar-top arcades. Now I'm more focused on building fine furniture and look forward to spending more time at it once I retire.
I can definitely relate to your story and find it quite inspiring. Just like you, my journey into woodworking was sparked during my school years. I also had the opportunity to take woodworking classes, which ignited my passion for working with wood. However, life took me in a different direction for a while, and I didn't have much time to pursue it further.Played with scrap wood when in grade school, then took two good shop classes in high school. I got into the electrical apprenticeship, and that consumed my time till we got married, bought kitchen cabinets, and after installing those myself, and looking at them, I realized with some tools and machines, I can build the bathroom myself. I have moved on to tv cabinets, computer desk, many small to medium projects for us and the kids. With all the kids out of college, I found enough spare money to buy mostly used tools and build a shop in the garage. Now many more projects for the wife and children remain before I get too old. Lots to do! A friend said he didn't work wood because it wasn't accurate enough for him. He preferred machine work. My work may not be perfect, but wood sure looks a lot better sitting in the house .
Going back to my school years, I was naturally drawn to working with my hands and had a particular fascination with wood. I can still remember the countless hours spent playing with scrap wood, building small structures, and experimenting with different techniques. It was in those moments that my love for woodworking began to take root. As I progressed to high school, my passion for woodworking only grew stronger. I remember that I bought essays for sale at studymoose so I will have more time to do my woodwork classes. Here Essays for Sale for University and College - Essays.Studymoose.com you can find the link to this site, maybe someone will need it. They helped me so many times.
It was only later, when I had the chance to remodel my own home, that I rediscovered my love for woodworking. Similar to your experience, I realized that with the right tools and equipment, I could create custom pieces that perfectly fit my space and personal style. Starting with smaller projects, like cabinets and shelves, I gradually expanded my skills and took on more ambitious endeavors.
As a "child of the Great Depression" I was taught to "make do," that is to adapt what I had to what I needed or wanted. So as a kid I learned to make my own toys. Both of my grandfathers were woodworkers and they taught me how to use hand tools. My uncle extended my skills to woodturning while helping him with tree grafting - the "cutoffs" were great turning blanks. Much later I focused on carving, and now in retirement it is my main woodworking activity.
My actual working career was in space exploration.
My actual working career was in space exploration.
i had done some form of working with wood that my memory dates back to when i was roughly 10 years old. what helped inspire me to start real woodworking- more than building houses, siding, window trim- basically remodeling type woodworking- was getting sober.
although not one of my most detailed or time consuming projects, my tool chest is one of my favorites. drawer fronts top, handles, and sides all came from hand hewn beams i salvaged from a barn constructed in 1863.
one of these days im going to spend some time getting some pics of the end grain. my eyes got a little whacked trying to count the growth rings
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although not one of my most detailed or time consuming projects, my tool chest is one of my favorites. drawer fronts top, handles, and sides all came from hand hewn beams i salvaged from a barn constructed in 1863.
one of these days im going to spend some time getting some pics of the end grain. my eyes got a little whacked trying to count the growth rings
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