The Folding Rule
I would be going to Columbus next Sunday to spend a week in a Windsor Chair instructor training class. I had many of the tools I would need packed into my tool box but there were a few last minute additions I needed to track down. I needed a folding rule… Where did I put it? Oh yeah it was in my oak toolbox. Now my oak toolbox is on the top-shelf in the classroom. I went into the classroom, hefted the toolbox down and gently set it on the workbench. As I lifted the lid, my eyes were instantly drawn to the folding rule in the top tray – the folding rule with all the numbers worn off. A wave of emotion swept over me and stopped me dead in my tracks. I had to close the lid, stop and compose myself. That rule was not the rule I was looking for. That rule was HIS rule, and the numbers were worn off by HIS hands and he was gone. I would never get to see him slip it in and out of his blue striped bib overall’s pocket again. I would never see that rule in his hands, hands that were so frail from 95 years of wear, yet so strong from 95 years of wisdom. I would never get to hear one of his wonderful stories again. He was my Grandpa Virgil and he was the reason I love working with wood. As long as I can remember, I loved spending time with Grandpa. He had wood and he had tools, but most of all, he had a desire to share. He shared his knowledge, he shared his passion, and he encouraged my brother and I by allowing us to help him. When I saw that rule, all these emotions and memories came crashing back in an instant.
…and in that instant I really missed my Grandpa.
Over the next couple of weeks, I thought about that moment, and I asked myself :
What am I doing to make a difference in a young person’s life? Was I doing the things that would spark the same emotions from someone in my family? What kind of legacy would I leave when I’m gone?
I challenge you to ask yourself the same questions. The school woodshop is all but extinct. The youth of today need people with a passion for woodworking to share that passion with them. In this age of television, computer games and video games, kids need someone to encourage and mentor them. There isn’t a structured environment for kids to develop an interest in woodworking, but you can help to create one. My son was helping me in the workshop at a very early age. His first project was a miniature table and chairs set he built for his mother out of scrap wood he found in the workshop. He drew the pieces out and would ask me to help cut them. It wasn’t a masterpiece; no instead it was a treasure which we still cherish some 15 years later. Our last project was to make a “New Yankee Workshop Episode.” Three recipe boxes in 35 minutes, complete with all the bloopers was something to remember all our years in the workshop together before he went off to college.
There are many safe and fun things to do with kids in the shop. The scroll saw is a safe tool where the only limits are your imagination. The lathe offers a tremendous opportunity for fun, simple projects. You can turn a wooden pen in less than one hour. I must warn you this can be very addictive! What a great way to personalize Holiday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or birthday gifts. What a great way to help kids build self-esteem and confidence. You can show them how to create a treasure with their own two hands.
The patina on Grandpa’s folding rule was like that of a fine old antique. It wasn’t created in a single week, not even a year. It was created over a lifetime. You too can make a difference in a young person’s life by sharing your passion for woodworking. It may take a lifetime but the payoff is well worth the investment.
I would be going to Columbus next Sunday to spend a week in a Windsor Chair instructor training class. I had many of the tools I would need packed into my tool box but there were a few last minute additions I needed to track down. I needed a folding rule… Where did I put it? Oh yeah it was in my oak toolbox. Now my oak toolbox is on the top-shelf in the classroom. I went into the classroom, hefted the toolbox down and gently set it on the workbench. As I lifted the lid, my eyes were instantly drawn to the folding rule in the top tray – the folding rule with all the numbers worn off. A wave of emotion swept over me and stopped me dead in my tracks. I had to close the lid, stop and compose myself. That rule was not the rule I was looking for. That rule was HIS rule, and the numbers were worn off by HIS hands and he was gone. I would never get to see him slip it in and out of his blue striped bib overall’s pocket again. I would never see that rule in his hands, hands that were so frail from 95 years of wear, yet so strong from 95 years of wisdom. I would never get to hear one of his wonderful stories again. He was my Grandpa Virgil and he was the reason I love working with wood. As long as I can remember, I loved spending time with Grandpa. He had wood and he had tools, but most of all, he had a desire to share. He shared his knowledge, he shared his passion, and he encouraged my brother and I by allowing us to help him. When I saw that rule, all these emotions and memories came crashing back in an instant.
…and in that instant I really missed my Grandpa.
Over the next couple of weeks, I thought about that moment, and I asked myself :
What am I doing to make a difference in a young person’s life? Was I doing the things that would spark the same emotions from someone in my family? What kind of legacy would I leave when I’m gone?
I challenge you to ask yourself the same questions. The school woodshop is all but extinct. The youth of today need people with a passion for woodworking to share that passion with them. In this age of television, computer games and video games, kids need someone to encourage and mentor them. There isn’t a structured environment for kids to develop an interest in woodworking, but you can help to create one. My son was helping me in the workshop at a very early age. His first project was a miniature table and chairs set he built for his mother out of scrap wood he found in the workshop. He drew the pieces out and would ask me to help cut them. It wasn’t a masterpiece; no instead it was a treasure which we still cherish some 15 years later. Our last project was to make a “New Yankee Workshop Episode.” Three recipe boxes in 35 minutes, complete with all the bloopers was something to remember all our years in the workshop together before he went off to college.
There are many safe and fun things to do with kids in the shop. The scroll saw is a safe tool where the only limits are your imagination. The lathe offers a tremendous opportunity for fun, simple projects. You can turn a wooden pen in less than one hour. I must warn you this can be very addictive! What a great way to personalize Holiday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or birthday gifts. What a great way to help kids build self-esteem and confidence. You can show them how to create a treasure with their own two hands.
The patina on Grandpa’s folding rule was like that of a fine old antique. It wasn’t created in a single week, not even a year. It was created over a lifetime. You too can make a difference in a young person’s life by sharing your passion for woodworking. It may take a lifetime but the payoff is well worth the investment.
