What was your FIRST WW'ing project?

[Gotcha6]

A simple shoe shine box in shop class - 7th grade. Made from #1 Douglas Fir (yes, there was such a a thing long ago). Although my dad was a contractor, that was as close as I got to got to WWing tools up to that age. Probably a good thing too. I still have all my fingers but scars are another subject.......

 

[bowman]

I don't recall what I first made. Dad was machinist/tool & die maker, Grandpa was carpenter, so I was into everything. Took a carpentry class in HS, then woodworking class in college. We had to make a free style step stool that had to have a handle to someone to hold onto when they stepped up onto it. I still have it from 1979-80 era.

 

[mpholway]

In shop class when, I was a freshman in HS I recall turning a candle holder for my mom. My favorite part was flocking the bottom. I was quite hideous, but my Mom, God bless her, kept it forever and gave it a prominent place in her home ever time they moved.

 

[Graywolf]

My very first woodwork project was the summer break after the first grade. The school held a summer camp for crafts, I was tossed in a shop with older kids, I wasn't allowed to go near any power tools, but hand tools with supervision game on. I built a little tote that I still have today. I used it to keep my shoe shine gear in order for most of my life, my better half has it somewhere around here. That was a cool summer.

 

[AllanD]

A napkin holder. Basically u shaped in cross section from 3 pieces of wood. It was a summer arts and crafts type class put on by the town recreation department. Kinda like vacation bible school. I was pretty young at the time, probably 4th grade. The two things I remember about it is they made us use sandpaper over and over until it was almost smooth and that we brushed on shellac and ended up with as much on us as the napkin holder.

 

[sawman101]

My father had a woodworking shop in our barn, chickens on the second floor. I was always out in the shop with him, banging nails into some magnificent piece that usually was forgotten as soon as we left the shop. As I got older and braver, I'd sneak out to the shop, and using a hoe, reach up and turn on the main power switch. I remember I liked trying to make boats to float in the bath tub, and something that passed for an airplane frequently. I still have the scar on my right index finger knuckle where I ran it into the band saw blade while working on some masterpiece; I was 7 years old.

 

[Pop Golden]

When I was around the 2nd & 3rd grade my dad had a go at building houses. Plenty of scrap plenty of nails. I don't think I built anything but nails in wood. The 1st real project was in 7th grade shop. All hand tools. The teacher would get fruit crates and we would break them down for wood. 1st project, nothing too complicated. A little wall shelf. Still have it.

Pop

 

[frankc4113]

Lamp made in 7th. or 8th. grade woodworking shop class.

 

[Jak3]

Though not technically my first project, it was my first box, and my first handmade project. I made it before I built my workbench so I had to make it without the use of a vise! I made this mallet of red oak firewood shortly after I finished my workbench about 2 weeks ago. The workbench is a Paul Sellers design. I made the bench specifically so I could work with hand tools. In the third picture you can see my new bench, my box, and what would be my mallet lying on top. And I have since added another bright light above my bench, so it isn't that dark in there now.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

This was my first project. I built it 8 years ago. We left it at the last house when we sold it.

 

[cobraguy]

Other than whatever I was helping my Dad with growing up, my first solo projects were in Jr High WW shop. We covered all kinds of things from ceramics to drafting. The wood projects were a tie rack and turning a bowl. My mom probably still has that bowl tucked away somewhere. My first project as an adult was a medicine cabinet for our quarters when I was stationed in Alaska back in the 80's. It's pretty crude, but functional. I had no workbench and the saw was a rig that turned your circular saw into a "table saw". Not very accurate, but worked OK. The plan came from the old Weekend Woodworking Projects magazine. LOML likes it's rough country look and it is still in use today. Thinking of making updated versions for both of my daughters.

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[PeteStaehling]

One of my first middle school shop projects was a wooden bread cutting board. Mom used it for years and I kept it when she passed. You can see from the second picture that it was well used. Another was an angled three point book rack that held a dozen or so books. Not sure what ever happened to it.

Before that I helped Dad with whatever we did around the house. Also, probably when I was 7 or so I built battle ships out of 2x4 and other scrap. They had finishing nail guns and we floated them in the creek.