Who was your inspiration?

[rcnewcomb]

My nephew wrote this a few days ago.

"They say smell is the sense most associated with memory. Today, I can attest to that. Since I have more space now, I've started to mess around a little with some woodworking, just to see if it's a hobby I'd like. As I was cutting a board this afternoon, I got a strong whiff of warming steel and oak dust, and suddenly, just for a moment, I was a little kid peeking over the edge of my grandpa's workbench, and playing with the vise. I had no idea how much I missed that smell.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go clean up some of this sawdust. It's making my eyes water a little."

His grandfather (my father) was my inspiration as well. The basement workshop was a welcoming place for his children and grandchildren. He was always finding ways for us to help while teaching us to respect and properly use the tools that were available.

My son now has a beautiful workbench in his garage that was built by his great-grandfather, with tools from his great-grandfather, his grandfather, and from me.

Who was your inspiration, and how have you handed on the legacy?

[Bob Eustace]

Lovely story Randall that most of us can associate with. I would really love my dear old dad to come back just for a day to see what you can do on a Shopbot.

[myxpykalix]

When i saw a kid we would spend the summers up on my uncles farm. He had acres of woods and we used to hang out in his shed. He would make stuff in the shed and leave the scraps of all shapes and sizes laying around. He would hand us a hammer, a brown paper bag with a certain number of nails, a handsaw, and he had this really cool handcrank drill press mounted to the wall and just told us to make something, anything, didn't matter what it was and most times what we made was dictated by the shape of the scraps left on the ground. As i think about it i think he "planted" a few specific shapes in the scraps but never told us what to make or how to make it.

It was always up to us to figure out what to make and how to make it. Then after it was made he might show us how to refine the design or how to do it better or easier but it was always up to our imagination and skills first.:D

[cabnet636]

My Uncles were SoyBean row crop Farmers, the farm was a self substaining business, a family and a way of life, we had shops for wood and mechanics as well as welding,,,, all was built or repaired on farm,, one of My biggest lessons was me having a breakdown in the field on a Massey furgueson Tractor, I walked up to the shop and told my Uncle Sid, he took a spline from an old Combine went to a Grinder and made it into a sort of a screwdriver turned and told me to go get the tractor out of the field,, I looked at him funny and he said "look we ain't towin it out"

took me all day but I drove that tractor out of that field..

Miss him Dearly,, Next to my dad I was fortunant to have such Mentors

[gene]

Mine was a high school shop teacher , Mr Clyde Files, a old retired military man . He taught me alot more than i realized , That would be the one i would like to shake his hand a really THANK ! :rolleyes:

[Brian Harnett]

My Dad was an artist, I used to sit on the floor in his studio and paint while he did. as my interest turned to woodworking my Cabinet making teacher taught me to look at a project with an open mind, he was a great teacher who enjoyed his job.

[feinddj]

Funny, just on the phone with my Mom and Dad. Mom suggested that my nephew Andy can give me some help. I replied "Are you kidding?, I saw what he did to his Dad's tablesaw!" I then allowed that everyone has to learn sometime and I have repeated the phrase saws are not benches or worktables. Then I said "not everyone has a teacher to show them these things, thanks Dad." It was years before I figured out that he knew when I had been in the shop because of the dust on the tools. That was his rule. Put it back where you found it.