Weekend Wonders: Grandparent Teachers

My Grandfather taught me how to make a saw work. Well, he tried, I still can’t cut a straight line with a handsaw. I learned most things in shop class in highschool and my Dad, but he was still my first contact with woodworking.

One of my fondest memories is working with my Grandfather in his woodshop. It got very frustrating as he lost his eyesight but was still making projects when he had to assemble them by feel. I finally had to assist with the assembly. Probably the most important lesson was to put everything back in its correct place so you didn’t have to hunt for it. Not sure I really mastered that lesson.

I guess I learnt from my grandfather indirectly; he was a hobbiest ww and did a lot of the finishing/reno work in his home while my father was growing up. My father in turn did a lot of the finishing and reno work in the homes I grew up in, and when I moved out and bought my first house I did a lot of the reno work in the house, which provided me with a lot of tools that needed use once the renos were done…

My Grandfather was good, kind and gentle man, a woodworker he was not. My Grandson will be learning from his Gpa :)