Newbie in the shop

[Jack Frederick]

Mine is a one man shop. My 43 yr old SIL asked me to help him build a landscape picture using wood slats. He is a good man, but mow the lawn, hire someone. Clean the truck, hire someone. He is truly the rookiest of rookies with tools, but he has shown an interest so I am happy to help him in this in hopes that it lights him up. We began the project yesterday with a safety check, meaning, for the time being I run the machines until he sees how things work. He asked, “which of these saws is safest?” Had to smile at that and told him they would all cut his fingers off, just in different ways. I then pulled out the MF miter box for him. I found it interesting how having someone out there with me re-ordered my thoughts and processes as well.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I always found that I learned more than my students while teaching. Teaching makes you re-examine everything.

[Jim Koepke]

I always found that I learned more than my students while teaching. Teaching makes you re-examine everything.

‘When one teaches, two learn" - Robert Heinlein

jtk

[Lee Schierer]

My SIL was the same way. One year he came to our house for Christmas and he needed a gift our daughter (his wife). He wanted to make something. We went out in the shop with just a few days before Christmas and we built a magazine rack out of red oak. Since then he has been increasing his use of tools. When we go to his house to visit there is usually a list of things they want help with. I've been talking him through a number of repairs around his house. He recently completed a 12 x 24 storage building that turned out really nice. He also made a nice storage rack for all the family board games to get them all in one place.

[Lee DeRaud]

Ok, "landscape picture using wood slats"...Does Not Compute.

Auto-correct artifact or some obscure form of lawn art that I'm unfamiliar with?

[Jack Frederick]

Fair enough, Lee;) This is as far as he has gotten. He’s going to stain the sky background and I’m not sure what else he is going to do with it. Once it is all done I will take it to the table saw or track saw and cut the edges smooth, make a minor frame for it and then he is done for the time being.
My daughter and the kids B-6, G-8 were here for the day. My granddaughter gets out of the van and takes me by the hand and calmly escorts me to the shop. “What are we going to make, Grampa” She spied her Uncles project, asked me to cut here a pice of plywood, she stained it, grabbed his off-cuts and decided that she was going to make a giraffe. Came out pretty well. she went into the house getting her Mom, walked her out to the shop and and waving her arms said, “Mom, look at this. Why don’t we have this?” She’s my girl!

[Lee DeRaud]

"I want to do some marquetry, but all I have is a miter saw."
Got it. :)

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

My granddaughter gets out of the van and takes me by the hand and calmly escorts me to the shop. “What are we going to make, Grampa”

I have said many times over the years, without a doubt, my all-time fondest memories growing up involved building stuff, and taking things apart, with my grandfather. He passed away shortly after I turned 9. My prized possessions were a set of screwdrivers and hammers he used.

Keep making those incredible memories with your grandkids as well as teaching them some useful skills!