Woodworking is an amazing thing filled with lessons, achievements and memories. I remember watching my father create a mortise for a door hinge, first he scratched out his pattern then with chisel in hand he removed the unwanted material then a test fit of the hinge and like a glove, it fit. I can remember thinking to myself how badly I wanted to be able to do that and after a lot of mistakes, corrections and my fathers patience I did it. To this day this is a memory that I hold close both for that moment with my father and for him giving me a skill that would be the starting point for my future abilities with a chisel. Since then there have been several of these moments and always eager to learn something new he has my full attention. Now a days I find my grandchildren knocking on the door of my shop " Hi Papa what are you doing ?" and before I know it they are in the scrap pile building what ever creation their minds can come up with that day " Papa look what I made " and always eager to encourage I let them know that it is amazing and ask them all about their project of that day with a genuine interest, just as my father had always done with me. Woodworking is an amazing gift that needs to be passed down through the generations and all it takes is a few minutes out of your own project, a little encouragement and something amazing is started. Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying this will create the next great furniture builder or even master craftsman, but the next time that smiling little face asks you what your doing in the middle of your next big project give them a hammer, because if they do nothing more then bang on a couple of scraps of wood in the middle of the floor all day in their mind that just created a master piece and they did this with you, that memory will stay with them for a life time and that encouragement and genuine interest in it will give them the belief with in them selves that they can do it, and that will take help bring woodworking to the next generation.
- Tommy P
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ShavingwoodWorkshopWoodworking with Tommy P Archives
April 2016
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