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

[Tom Bain]

What a interesting thread! So many different backgrounds and approaches to our obsession, er I mean hobby. Both my grandfather and uncle were accomplished woodworkers. My Dad was more into tinkering with cars, and my Mom is a quilter. I'm 44 and been woodworking seriously now for about 8 or 10 years. Just wish I had more free time to spend in the shop.

[Julie Moriarty]

66 last April. I've been tinkering with wood for most of my life. I still have a small piece of a branch from a tree that fell in a storm when I was 12. I carved my initials in it and painted the carved out initials with nail polish.

My dad was all thumbs. He was also impossible to please. The first time I fixed something he was clueless about, I was in 3rd grade. He raved about it to everyone. Bingo! I figured out how to get praise from him and from there I tried to fix everything. I got pretty good and by the time I reached my early 20s I got into the electrician's union.

After I was married, I made a bow sprit for my dad's boat, still looking for his praise. But it wasn't until the mid 90s that I started getting serious about woodworking and that took another jump after I retired. My dad has been gone 20 years but I think he'd be impressed with some of the things I've made.

[Noah Magnuson]

45 here. I have been doing this in one form or another most of my adult life. More recently, I have gone almost entirely neander unless it is just a time issue (Deck, fence etc.) . My daughter is just now 2 and loves any tool she can get her hands on. I am pretty liberal with letting her do stuff as she seems to pay attention and I grew up when your grandfather gave you a pocket knife at 4 or 5. The wife is pretty much on the same page. The little girl loves to play with a half-bladed ryoba I snapped and a mallet I made her. She will be well-rounded, I think, but have no idea if she will take a serious interest later in life. I have a nephew who will get a lot of nice things someday if nobody else claims them.

[Vinito Caleb]

53 here. No kids.
I've been broke most of my life so DIYing everything has always been just a matter of survival. I'm a machinist and occasionally over the past ten years I've had conversations with friends about the trouble I've caused whomever inherits my estate when I go because they'll have to liquidate my home machine shop, which consists of several machines you need a forklift to move around. Hundreds of tooling items go with all that stuff to and I'm pretty sure it will all be a big mystery to that person even what 90% of it is called, let alone what it does.

I'm just lately getting back into woodworking after not doing much of it for 25 years. At least this woodworking machinery is more recognizable than the machine shop stuff and can be lifted or moved around by a couple fat fellers.

So long story short, nobody here to pass down the knowledge nor the machines to. Maybe the machines will be scattered to several folks who can use some of it and maybe some of the stuff I make in the future will be good enough do deserve appreciation from whomever ends up with it. I'm aiming for that at least.

[Mike Heidrick]

I am 42. I have been president of the woodworking club at work for 10 years. Most of the guys I have learned from have retired. The club has some current members but half of those are in it to learn CNC too. It is a different club than in 2006.

My girls are 7 and 10 now. They help me do whatever most every day. They will be (are) an exception by the time they make up their mind if they like it or not. Around here the shop gets things fixed or built. They both have done wiring, electronics builds, metal lathe work, woodworking, etc. Always a goal to see if we can do stuff ourselved. Megan used a chainfall yesterday. Lily made a butterfly house out of recycled plastic bottles and cups with hot glue and a drill.

Honestly I care more about making memories or creating activities non mindless ipad or phone app based than I do about teaching one specific hobby. I do wood working, cnc in wood, metalworking, cnc in metal, electronics, 3d printing, soon plasma cutting, etc so I think some technology is fine. I am pissed hands on stuff is out of schools at middle and high school level. I am pissed it takes millions of dollars to open a real makerspace formally. I hat BS panrls of decision makers that just like to meet about the next meeting. I decided to create my own makerspace. Hence Mikiespace.

If I can put a parent and a kid in a SAFE proper environment to do stuff together they dont have room for, with tools they would never own and they walk away amazed at something they did together, thats the thing I want to build. Could care less what the actual thing is.

We teach girl scouts here and friends and their kids. My wife is a leader for two troops, one for each age of our girls.

I also make youtube videos on some things I do.

May not be the right way or the legacy you meant. I do things my own way and onlyvstrive to make me happy. Above is how I do that. Many nights its me by myself, or a couple buddies come help, or with my wife helping, maybe Megan and Lily, and some times just me and Sassy my shop dog with a radio and a few tools and a dream. Ill see what it looks like 10 years from now.

[Bob Murphy]

Pushing 3/4's of a century with my daughters living 2500 to 3000 miles cross country. They have has some exposure to ww but nothing major. One S-I-L is the son of a pattern maker and he has absolutely no interest/ability in ww. My legacy will have to be the things I made for them. As for my equipment/tools, and I have quite a collection, if I don't sell/dispose of things, guess my executor will have to deal with it. Does make me wonder who will eventually get things, esp my Clausing table saw that I bought new in, IIRC, 1953. Can still stand a dime on edge with it running; lot to be said for old American made cast iron.

[lowell holmes]

Larry, the things we make for our family members will be here after we are gone.
I put my initials and the year I made it on my pieces (on the bottom out of site of course).

[Darcy Warner]

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[Mel Fulks]

Cute little rascals,Darcy. I think one of them is wondering why the hammer handle is overly long!

[Rod Sheridan]

John, maybe you should get one of us to "adopt" you and you could have our stuff

Regards, Rod,

[Dennis Peacock]

58 years old and have been working with wood since I was 13. I was raised that teaching others to do things on their own is called a "legacy" that is related to woodworking and providing for oneself. I have 4 children and a son-in-law. None of them are interested in working with wood. My daughter is more interested than any of them but she has her hands full with our first grand baby. It has taken me over 30 years to put together a shop of tools that I no longer need to upgrade for better quality tools and easier machining of wood. My hope was that I would be able to pass on the legacy of woodworking to at least one of my kids, but it appears at this stage of life that this will not happen. My youngest is 20 and he has a good artistic nature about him but he doesn't like working with his hands much. I have taught several others how to work with wood, how to turn wood and even met and sat to talk with Sam Maloof when he was still living. Sam and his wife were wonderful people that I truly enjoyed meeting and talking with.

I sure do miss all those woodworker gatherings we used to have several years ago.
So...here's to a future ahead of us and hears to hoping that the legacy of woodworking will continue on locally for all of us involved.

[Michael Stein]

31. I hope I will pass it on, but not for a long time. My son (7) enjoys being in the shop with me, in fact, last night said "what are we working on in the shop tomorrow" before going to bed. Melts my heart. My daughter (11) also enjoys it, though she is not quite as enthusiatic as he is... She is getting to the stage where she wants to hide in her room, away from mom and dad, all day! However, the past few years we have made Christmas ornaments for friends, family, and everyone who helps us raise these youngins (teachers, counselors, bus drivers, daycare teachers, etc.) and she seems to LOVE doing that.

[Mel Fulks]

Love seeing the kids! You're a lucky guy ,Michael.

[Johanna Johanson]

I'm 76. I wonder who will end up with all my woodworking tools. My daughter is quite handy, but she mostly does home maintenance and update; she does not make furniture. She does know that I have a small fortune invested in tools, so she would not just dump them. None of the grandchildren are interested - and they all live far away.

Our local woodworking club often helps club members who are giving up the hobby or survivors of club members sell off equipment at fair prices. Many of the members have acquired their tools from those situations.

Perhaps those of in this situation need to find a young person who is just getting started.

[John Gulick]

With three ex wives, each one getting a new house that I built, that is a sad story that requires a couple of shots.

Maybe some day over a beer, its just funny stories now..........

Look at the positive side, I am sure you gained alot of experience building 3 homes