How old are you and are you passing on a woodworking legacy?

[Yonak Hawkins]

Thomas, I've thought a lot about this. I've decided an auction (likely on-line) would be the easiest, fastest way. Of course, one must pay for this convenience.

[Eric Sizer]

I'm 32 with a 4 year old son. I've been woodworking off and on for about 5 years, and have yet to build a decent piece of furniture, though that will change when I finish my walnut hallway table I'm currently working on. My son loves "Cars and trucks and bus," and he loves spending time in the driveway when I'm building something in the garage..err I mean shop....I've let him try to use some of my smaller hand tools and while he doesn't quite have the strength to do much with them, he still enjoys being around me while I'm working. I'm hoping that when he gets older he will still think of me as his hero.

My dad was an aeronautical engineer (now retired from Boeing) and what I consider a master tinkerer. I can't say if he ever really had a hobby until he bought a sail boat, but he was always working on this or that. I inherited some of this and learned how to do basic car and home maintenance, but really I wish I had spent more time with him when I had the chance. I now live in Florida, and he's in Seattle so it's tough. The feeling of nostalgia I get thinking about it and reading this thread almost makes me feel a bit regretful, but thankfully I have enough financial freedom to visit my family often enough.

[Derek Cohen]

Well, I'm 67 .... like a lot here! Interesting that.

My love of wood comes from my father, who took me camping in the forrests a lot when I was young. He was an architect, and our house was filled with timbers from around the world. He even designed furniture, which was made professionally. He knew all about joinery, but it was all on paper and he did not have a clue about tools. He was fantastic with rope and twine, and lashed everything together in the best boy scout tradition. So I was always the fixer in the family - repairing electrical, wood and cars.

It was all carpentry - restoring houses - until we settled in our current home 25 years ago. Finally I had a workshop, and began to design and build the furniture that was locked in my head for so long. I'm a shrink in my day job, and the workshop is where I can relax and switch off. I'd love to say that I've inspired my son, now 24, to join me, but he is not interested ... yet. I've built most of the furniture in our home, so the message is there.

Giving back is very important. Whether it is as a member of a woodworking club, where you support others, running workshops on technique, or encouraging those on the forum ... there are lots of ways to do this.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Mike Cutler]

I'm 58 now, and it's doubtful I'll "leave a legacy" to anyone in particular.
I've been doing this work on and off for most of my adult life. Never as a job, though I have made a few bucks, beers, and pizzas, along the way, but just for my own enjoyment and to keep up with the never ending work on a 100 year old house.
I've made some pieces I've been very proud of and some that ,,,,,well lets just say the wood should have gone to someone else instead.

[Jim Becker]

60 yo, now retired from full time work and doubtful about any "legacy". Neither of my daughters are remotely interested in woodworking. I do this for my own enjoyment and mental health.

[John Gulick]

Nice! When my grandson was 2 I'd set him on the floor in the shop with a soft piece of pine and a gimlet and let him drill holes. He's 7 now and still likes to make holes, as does his little brother, 2.

JKJ

+1 for John, teach em young. Sounds as though you are doing your job of passing the trade/enthusiasm to the young ones

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

old enough to be retired. My father was a cabinet maker by training and he did a lot of carpentry projects around the house. The only thing I was ever interested in was his lathe and how to operate it. Like him, I do not watch sports on the boob tube, better things to do, as he always said. I became a hobby gunsmith and built several guns and made parts, carved out stocks etc. Made my own reloading gies for obsolete calibers etc. Now, my interest is in turning again. My kids have no such interest, at present. There is a young man at my lions club who turned a few things on my lathe when we put on a demonstration last November. He has been looking for a lathe, but it is a difficult hobby for a person living in an apartment. I am tired of working in the barn and having the cats crawling all over my stuff. This winter, I expect to enclose an area and have a real cement floor.

What I fear, is that after I go, the kids will be such bone heads that they sell the stuff for about 2 cents on the dollar. For that reason, I may just leave the entire workshop to a group that promotes woodworking.

[Rick Costa]

34, I work as a senior manager for a large IT company so I got heavy into woodworking about 5 years ago. My dad built a construction company from scratch and the man litterally can build, work with, solve just about anything. I learned how to operate huge heavy construction equipment, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, etc. But woodworking was something I always liked doing with my Dad. When we all individually moved to Florida to the same town I started buying and upgrading tools from a fairly low budget collection in one of my garages to a stand alone shop with some top notch stuff you could say the passion took over. My son is really young but he's learning and he enjoys it. My dad and I still work projects together and there are few things I enjoy more. In today's digital gotta have it now world there needs to be more makers. People who do for themselves, solve problems, and accept challenges. Keep on building guys and gals.