Eleven Bucks And Hours & Hours Of Fun

[Howard Rosenberg]

I'm SOOOO proud!

My younger son, Tony (some of you may know of him as Attila, my other son, Genghis's accomplice) was in the garage with me the other day, looking at some of my gear and remarked how he thought woodworking was cool.

I've been waiting seven years to hear those words!

I snapped into action!
Showed him how to use a handsaw.
Then I got a little nervous.
His jiggly left-to-right arm movements using my Japanese saws seemed a bit aggressive for my tastes.

Inspired, I put a blade into my fret saw.
Showed him all the minutae:
Why the teeth go in facing backward.
How to tighten the first wingnut.
How to compress the frame and tighten the second wingnut to get the right "ping."
How to grip the handle and align his arm with the cut.
Where to position his other hand while holding his work.
And how to walk the blade back out of a cut.

With a flourish, I drew some straight and squiggly lines for him to follow on some pine offcuts, and....

A natural!
The kid's a genius!

<img src="http://www.woodshopphotos.com/albums/Tony-At-Work/This_Is_Tony.thumb.jpg">

<img src="http://www.woodshopphotos.com/albums/Tony-At-Work/Hard_At_Work.thumb.jpg">

<img src="http://www.woodshopphotos.com/albums/Tony-At-Work/Careful_Careful.thumb.jpg">

<img src="http://www.woodshopphotos.com/albums/Tony-At-Work/Aha_Got_It.thumb.jpg">

This past weekend I took him to buy his own fret saw for him. Then off to Lee Valley for blades.

We've been hanging out in the garage every night this week to do some woodworking together and all I can say is, I'm delirious!

We have all kinds of detailed conversations that we'd never have elsewhere.
Like.... how Grant punches his little brother Alan.... why he doesn't like Maple Walnut ice cream.... how he's going to take his latest creation into the house so he can paint it and give it to Mummy.

Never let it be said that I'm biased or anything.... but he's really good company.

Thanks for looking.
Howard

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Howard, You are lucky that he is showing some interest in something mutually fun to you both. That is a great beginning for other possibilities. Alan

[Pete Rosenbohm]

Howard isn't it great, my oldest grandson (now 15 )helped me do a strip canoe back when he was about 5 years old. Sure miss those days when all he thought was how his paw-paw could do anyhting. I think he still thinks that way, but he has more on his mine now days being 15 and all things they have to do .

Pete

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/...346canoe-1.gif