About Dad

and where it began,.......

     Years ago, my dad started building his collection of tools in his wood shop. He easily filled a 40-foot shop with every tool to make anything you could dream of from a toothpick to a picnic table. It was then that we discovered his amazing talent on the lathe and the scroll saw. He made intricate pieces that adorn my walls and Christmas tree. He turned small blocks into pens with ease and spent countless hours covered in sawdust.   When he had to downsize because of a move, He bought himself a smaller shop where he kept the scroll saw and the small lathe.  A few years after that when the love of his life passed away, He moved to my house and brought his shop with him. Up until only a few months before he passed, we would frequently find him in his shop still cutting ornaments on the scroll saw. I remember one night watching him through the window, simply amazed at his dedication to his hobby and the talent he possessed. 

and about me,....

 It took me a while to venture into the shop after he passed away.  There on the scroll saw was a half-done owl. (I love owls! and knew he was making it for me!) I didn't want to move it and I regretted that I never got him to teach me how to use the scroll saw. I knew I'd never be able to finish that owl.  One evening, I decided to watch a video on how to change a blade on the scroll saw. That led to more videos on how to cut, sand, and finish a piece. In August of 2022, I walked out to the shop and set on an adventure to learn the saw. I moved the owl, changed the blade and grabbed a scrap piece of wood and started cutting. Without a pattern, I cut the word "Dad".  I was hooked! 

      It just came naturally to me. Like walking in Dad's footsteps should be.  Within a month, I was cutting patterns that I now realize some people don't attempt for years.  I still make mistakes, it's a learning process, but it is the most relaxing hobby I have ever had. I love the peace that being in the shop brings me. I have that owl sitting where I can see it when I am cutting. It reminds me of my dad and that even though he didn't officially teach me the scroll saw, it is because of him that I have the shop and the ability to do this. Maybe someday I'll finish it. Probably not, I'll keep it to remind me how I love to follow his footprints in the sawdust.  

 

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