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I'm 32 with 4 kids, 10, 3 (as of today, twins), and 8 months. The 10 year old is already helping out in the shop and learning the hobby. The twins like to come out and watch sometimes, but don't care for the noise. My son is always super proud of any project he helped with; if you asked him, he'd have you believe he did the whole thing. I see no reason to correct him.
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47 and just found a new shop cat.
Member
My dad was a woodworker and spent hours working in his shop. As a youngster I had no interest in what he was up to most of the time and I never bothered to learn anything from him either. I was young and always had something better to do. Then I left home and got busy with life and career for many years.
Now fast forward to today. I'm fourth six now. My dad passed away twelve years ago. After he died I took up the hobby, and I have been wood working now for ten years. I have had to learn everything from sites like this, reading fine woodworking magazine, and my mom. She is a woodworker herself, although more small scroll saw projects and the like. She doesn't tackle furniture like dad used to, and I do today. As one can imagine. I have regrets about not learning things from my dad, however I do find the hobby as a really great connection to his legacy. I have a few of his old tools as well that I use in my shop. When I am working in the shop it sometimes feels like he is not that far away.
I have two kids of my own. They come out to the shop often while I am working and even have me help with things they want to build. I have no idea how serious they are about the hobby, and I'm not fussed about that too much. They are young, and too young to commit to this type of hobby at this time. I guess what I'm saying is you never know what legacy you are passing on and it may happen long after you are done with the hobby. I bet my dad would have never guessed how into the hobby I got, especially given the little interest I showed in it while he was alive. I invested in tools he never had, but I'm sure he would have loved to operate.
So don't loose hope that what you do today won't continue to exist in your family even years down the road. Hope this different perspective helps.
Contributor
Excellent, shop cats are very important. Here's mine, Ellington, inspecting the shaper setup. regards, Rod.Originally Posted by Mateo Panzica
Ellington at Work.jpg
Contributor
I'm 59 and have 2 daughters, one is actually interested in wood working and has made furniture for herself.
In Toronto, it's doubtful that either of them will own a residence where wood working would be possible.
When I go to wood shows, it's a bunch of grey haired men in plaid shirts, very few to no young people.
Our wood working group is trying to come up with a mentoring program to encourage new people to take up the hobby.
I'm a Technologist, and I work with a bunch of young Techs, none of which have any hobbies that are "doing" type hobbies. Since I'm in the communications industry, many of the older Techs are ham radio guys, or audiophiles who build their own gear. The younger guys don't do anything at all, no vintage cars or motorcycles, no wood or metal working, however they're up on the latest game or which version of iPhone I really need to replace my Blackberry.
Different world, different values and interests............Rod.
Contributor
Darcy - this truly touched my heart. Thank you for sharing.
Member
My Dad was a woodworker and passed it on to me. I have 2 sons and 2 daughters. My oldest daughter has no interest in woodworking. My oldest son who is 32 will put my work to shame.
My other 2 like to turn. They have been without a lathe for a while. We are in the process of setting up a dedicated turning shop. I am 60 and hoping to retire this year so I can spend some time turning.
Member
What a fascinating thread. I am 63, have a wife that meddles with my tools and machinery, 2 daughters that are too busy with life to do anything in the shed, but appreciate and keep some of my woodturnings. Dad was a blacksmith with the business in our backyard and wanted me to be a doctor or an engineer. He would not teach me any of the old trades, so when he was out on the reef fishing, I taught myself to work metal, Oxy and electic welding and changed courses at high school and became an electrician. I now have my own shed with 2 metal lathes, 2 milling machines, 4 wood lathes, 3 wood bandsaws and all the other machines and hand/power tools I need. Sadly, no one to pass this all onto when I fall off the perch.
rgds,
Richard.
Member
Shop cats might well be named "Dusty", for obvious reasons.
Member
I know just what you mean. I'm a solutions architect, specializing in storage, virtualization, and compute technologies. I have one coworker who just built some bookscases for his wife, and a boss that likes to build. Everyone else around thinks my projects are cool, but have no interest in actually building. They'll occasionally comment on how they wish they could make something like I have, and I always invite them over to actually do it, but I've yet to have one take me up on the offer.
As I mentioned, my Son loves to help in the garage and I hope that continues, but it won't be forced. The others are too young to help, but they spend a good bit of time with me outside. I grew up in a small Texas town and my wife grew up on an Amish farm (she never joined, but her family is still Amish). Those backgrounds give us a little different parenting style and world view. The kids are limited to 2 hours of media time (tv, phone, tablet, video games, etc) and it must be earned daily (Through both good behavior and chore completion). I have multiple siblings whose children can't function without a piece of technology in their hands. I swore that would never be my kids, and so far, it hasn't happened. (My 10 year old son is always a little depressed when one of his cousins leaves, because he doesn't ever want to play outside or with regular toys. He even commented it's like he doesn't know how to play with his toys, only the iPad he brings with him.)
Contributor
Martin, My consulting is more on the technical side of processes, machinery, methods and hardware for door and window work.
The long hours and too many hats is something most of us in the business have had to contend with. No easy answers but for me when I honestly faced up to what I could produce with my machinery and crew and stuck to that schedule things got easier. This means you have to turn away some work and that is not easy.
Member
That's sad
Member
I'm 73 and it's just my wife and me.
Member
I'm 75 and started woodworking in high school,work mostly has a cabinet maker when I was younger I work commercial construction. Of my three kids my youngest son only showed an interest after he moved out he had moved too far for me to be any help other than on the phone so he was more of a self taught made some really nice things he's quite the woodworking and Has taken up gunsmithing My oldest son and I could not work together like oil and water he picked up enough to do home repairs
Thanks John
Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway!
Contributor
Dang, I haven't had this much abuse sense the 5th grade Spelling Bee.Even Fred Teutenberg's Dirt Cheap chicken from the notorious STL area liquor store ads could spell "cheap" correctly. Must be the Florida starting to get to you
Phillip, from Missouri.
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