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Category Archives: Kids
The Folly of “Prepping”
What is the best way to preserve a seed? I first came across this question in a gardening book, and it’s a trick question. The answer, of course, is to plant it. I have thought about that question a lot … Continue reading
Posted in Gardening, Kids, Musings, Wood and Woodwork
Tagged children, culture, food, prepper, prepping, preservation, preserve, skill, skills
9 Comments
Build a Cedar Bench in an Hour
One summer afternoon not long ago, my wife and oldest daughter had gone out, leaving me to mind the little ones. We decided to make a fire in the fire pit and roast hot dogs for supper. We lit the fire … Continue reading
Posted in Build-Alongs, Furniture, Kids, Wood and Woodwork
Tagged bench, campfire, cedar bench, children, cookout, fire, hot dogs, reamer, staked bench, tenon cutter
2 Comments
A New Door, a New Bed, a New Daughter
My summer ended with big woodworking plans for the coming year. (Most people’s year begins on January first, but being a professor, I think as much in school years as in calendar years, so my year effectively begins in mid-August.) … Continue reading
Posted in Furniture, Home Improvement, Kids, Wood and Woodwork
Tagged adopting, adoption, bed, bed frame, bedroom, daughter, floor scraping, half door, loft bed, mortise and tenon, refinishing
6 Comments
She Sure Fooled Me!
Some time ago, I had been working on a big home improvement project for which I had collected a lot of lumber over the past year. One evening at quitting time, I left some of the lumber out on the … Continue reading
Posted in Kids, Wood and Woodwork
4 Comments
Little Helpers Who Actually Help
My children have always enjoyed playing at working wood. I’ve taught them to handle some basic tools, like braces, spokeshaves, and even gouges, but they’ve mostly contented themselves with playing in the sawdust and shavings as I work. But recently … Continue reading
Making Wooden Spoons (Quickly)
Our local art museum, the Mobile Museum of Art, is hosting an arts-and-crafts fair next month. I don’t usually sell my work at craft shows, but the table fee was reasonable, so I signed up. The problem is that I … Continue reading
Posted in Kids, Woodenware
Tagged band saw, bandsaw, craft fair, craft show, Mobile Art Museum, Mobile Museum of Art, pecan, stock selection
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The Junior Armory–Again
This evening I finished a small commission for a very good friend of mine: His three children will be getting wooden swords for Christmas. These are made from osage orange and walnut, and the two pieces are joined with a … Continue reading
WIA 2014 Kids’ Corner: Special Thanks to North Carolina Woodworker
The Woodworking in America conference naturally caters to the facial-hair-and-flannel crowd, but our experience this year was enriched by the “kids’ corner” set up by North Carolina Woodworker, a statewide association of woodworkers. They had several quick, kid-friendly projects for … Continue reading
The Kids Do Woodworking in America 2014
Attending the Woodworking in America conference was a little different for us this year. My wife and I were both running cameras for various sessions (which got us in free!). On the first day, my wife ran cameras for Graham … Continue reading
Posted in Kids
Tagged Brian Coe, Claire Minihan, CNC, Graham Blackburn, Knew Concepts, Lee Valley, Matt Cianci, Old Salem, Peter Galbert, Phil Lowe, WIA, WIA 2014, Woodworking in America
2 Comments
Getting the Kids Ready for WIA 2014
Since the Woodworking in America conference is going to be a family event for us this year, I thought it best to start getting the kids ready now. This afternoon, I pulled representative tools out of my tool chest and … Continue reading
