What was your first project?

[Dan Mages]

I am wondering what everyone here made for their first project, not including high school shop projects. Pics would be wonderful! My first project was that shelf I made for my friend that I recently posted.

Dan

[Jack Hogoboom]

Jewelry box for my wife. I used dark stain over cherry. What did I know??!!

[Bob Reda]

Myy $200 magazine rack. It cost $35 for the wood and the rest for the speeding ticket getting the wood:p

[David Klink]

My first one was a rocking horse for our grandaughter's 1st birthday. Pine with walnut stain and poly finish. I mostly remember the 5,000,000+ holes drilled for the yarn plugs for the mane and tail and her laughing the first time we sat her on it.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'm not sure; I don't remember very clearly that far back. I do know that my mother still has a wooden trivet I made some time in the late fifties, when I was in my early teens.

[Greg Heppeard]

My grandpa's house...We tore down the old farm house (circa 1880) and built him a new one from below the ground up. It took us over a year and we did it all, from laying out the strings and digging the foundation to setting the recliner in front of the TV...concrete, electric, plumbing...the whole 9 yards. I was 17 (1972) and it was a GREAT learning experience from the original "Master Carpenter".

[Dennis Peacock]

Well Dan...I'm trying to remember if we had 'lectricity then or not.!! :D

The first thing I ever made outside of high school was an oversized cedar blanket chest for the LOML. Dovetails at each corner and it's big enough to hold all of here blankets and quilts. It's NOT for the faint of heart.!!!! Lot's of FIRST's on that project!!!! I must have made at least 9,000,000,000,000 mistakes before I ever got it completed. :eek: :D

OK....I found a picture.....

[Frank Pellow]

My first woodworking project that I did all by myself was a bird house built when I was 7. My dad advised me but never touched any part of the work. And, birds actually occupied the structure so I guess it must have been OK.

My first construction project was an extension to a barn. I was working as hired help on a farm when I was 16 and we had a bumper crop of grain, so much so that it became clear that we would not have room to store it. All the farms in the region were very much minimal-cash, mostly barter, and very much self sufficient. We cut some trees in the bush, hitched up horses to haul out the logs, took them to a do-it-yourself saw mill, then built a two story timber frame extension about 20' by 30'. I exhibitted enough aptitude that I was permantely assigned to the barn work -much easier than stooking wheat, mucking out pigs, spreading manure, etc.

[Fred LeBail]

My first ww project was a spice rack copied from my Mother's , ironicly for her. I don't think she ever used it , but it still hangs in her back entry. I should probably take a pic for posterity.
I hope things improved !
Fred

[Earl Reid]

The first thing i made after the house was a rocking elepant, plans from the Armour Co.
Earl

[Ken Salisbury]

My first project shown below. Man !! it sure did rain on my gloat :D

[Aaron Koehl]

I know you said you were old enough to bus tables at the last supper, but helping out with the Ark? geesh! ;)

[Dan Mages]

My first project shown below. Man !! it sure did rain on my gloat :D

Do you have any leftover Gopherwood? That would make an interesting piece. :rolleyes:

[Bart Sharp]

I built a series of small cherry keepsake boxes for my (future at the time) wife to give her bridesmaids, plus one that the ring bearer used to carry the rings in. They were all a little different, but they all had box joints at the corners. I was pretty proud of them.

[Jim Becker]

"Officially", I suppose, it would have been the speakers I constructed for a religious organization I helped to found. I donated the audio gear from my "collection", but had to make the speakers to fit the space. That said, I consider the cherry desk I made Dr. SWMBO before we even thought about getting married my "first real project" since it was the first one out of solid stock, my prefered material.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=1738&stc=1

[Ed Hardin]

Thirty years ago I built my daughter a doll cradle using a hand saw, circular saw and a 1/4 hp black and decker router router. I'd forgotter all about it until my wife was up in the attic dragging out things for my two year old granddaughter. She is not happily rocking her dolls to sleep in the thing. I looked at my woodworking skills then and scratched my head. Funny thing is, she doesn't seem to notice how shabby it is. She plays away as if it had cost $500.00 instead of pine shelving and determined effort on my part.

[Chris Padilla]

Car for the pine wood derby as a cub scout was my first real ww'ing project. It was real cool but too light and didn't fare well. I carved out a rear wing and everthing! Hmm, wonder where that sucker is....

[Dominic Greco]

Besides the Junior and Senior High School woodshop projects, the first "real" project I built myself was an Adirondack chair. The plans came from the Hometime Website. I hadn't even heard of WOOD magazine back then. But I bought them and built one out of pine. Cause' I couldn't find cedar at the local hardware store. Like I said, I was green.

But the chair came out fine and I had a blast building it. I can still remember the thrill of me sitting it in for the first time and being amazed at how comfortable it was. Even though it was painted with several dozen coats of white paint, it still rotted out in under 5 years. I guess that taught me a valuable lesson. Never use pine for outdoor furniture, and always choose a good exterior paint!

[Jeff Skory]

A couple of double-wide recipe boxes.

Used all my brand new expensive toys that I had no idea how to operate to duplicate a recipe box I borrowed from my mother. They actually came out pretty good. I've made a bit of progress since them but I'm still a neophyte compared to most.

[Tom Sontag]

My brother and I were at that age when we started playing with Dad's tools. We broke his folding rule and the one he replaced it with, so that Christmas we were each given simple hand tools with colored dots painted on them to keep them straight. No folding rule though.

It must be the next summer that we decided to make something out of the lumber my dad had stored in the basement. I have no idea why he had it - he never did any but the simplest home repairs until his business got going and he could hire it out. Anyway, we built the clubhouse you see below with only a saw, hammer and a screwdriver for the hinges, and one look at the picture will tell you we did not waste much time with the saw. It had no windows since the joinery allowed for peeping out, but we did have a floor you could hide stuff under.

I know. It was obvious to everyone who saw it. But to us it was a CLUBhouse. Nevermind, my mom made us take it down within a week or two - she did not want the neighbors to think we did not have indoor plumbing.

I do not have the watch anymore, but after almost 40 years and many variations, somehow I have the same haircut.

[Chris Padilla]

Great story, Tom...love the pic...taken, what, 5 years ago...we know you're kiddin' about the 40 years..... ;)