When I was about 8 years old I watched as my Grandmother cleaned out one of those catch-all drawers that everyone has in their bedroom. She came across a small green cardboard box that contained a wooden chain about 24" long. She began telling me the story of this wooden chain's creation and creator. My Great Grandfather would sit for hours after a hard days work and with his little pocket knife whittle away at long pieces of wood. I sat studying this chain and all its detail while the story was told. I thought to myself; here my Great Grandfather who has been gone for many years, has left something behind. Something that was made with his own two hands and a family keepsake. I thought it very special that as long as the chain survived, so would the memory of my Great Grandfather.
Woodworking is something I started by watching my Father work in his shop. I collected scraps of wood and with a few nails... created nothing, but it sure was fun. With a variety of small hand and power tools I was taught the basics. Once in high school I started taking wood shop classes and became proficient with the concepts and tools of woodworking. One of my first projects was a chess/checker board made out of the hardwoods maple and walnut. I have told my son of the boards creation, I think it will survive, and hopefully, so will the memory of its creator.
