# Sticks (or related wooden stuff) your great-grandpa made



## RPM (Sep 26, 2017)

Per a recent discussion a couple of us (also DWW2 - thanks) thought it would be interesting to have a show and tell about some of the sticks, or objects that demonstrate related skill (wood carving, whittling, finishing, etc.) that some of our ancestors may have gifted us with or that we heard about. As with our good looks, our skills and interests in crafting don't begin and end with just us! ("Great-grandfather" is a placeholder fro any ancestor, including grandma, and great-uncle Charlie.) Looking forward to seeing or at least hearing about everyone's [wooden] "roots!"


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## LilysDad (Sep 25, 2014)

Woodworking runs in my family, but is generally limited to carpentry. I on the other hand have explored everything from clockmaking to dulcimer building to spinningwheels; everything that catches my eye.


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## RPM (Sep 26, 2017)

LilysDad said:


> Woodworking runs in my family, but is generally limited to carpentry. I on the other hand have explored everything from clockmaking to dulcimer building to spinningwheels; everything that catches my eye.


"Woodworking runs in my family, but is generally limited to carpentry." But you might suppose if they had those skills and inclinations they wished they had time also for whittling or whatnot.

"I on the other hand have explored everything from clock making to dulcimer building to spinning wheels; everything that catches my eye." How fun! I can't think of many things more enjoyable that working with one's hands. Did you play the dulcimer after you finished it / spin on the wheel?


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

I don't know which of my siblings ended up with it as it was passed on to all five of of us, the rocking horse my grand father made the first of his grandchildren.


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## RPM (Sep 26, 2017)

MJC4 said:


> I don't know which of my siblings ended up with it as it was passed on to all five of of us, the rocking horse my grand father made the first of his grandchildren.


Cool! Be nice to see it if you find out.


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

I am the only woodworker in my family. I do not know of any others before me who have done any. I have a wonderful daughter who is a talented turner and furniture maker that is now getting in to carving.


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## Rodney (Jun 12, 2015)

My grandfather on my dad's side made a few pieces of furniture. A gun cabinet and a dresser and I'm sure he made more. My dad also made some toy boxes and an entertainment center. He also made us three kids some cutting boards. Mine comes out on holidays.

Rodney


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## RPM (Sep 26, 2017)

CV3 said:


> I am the only woodworker in my family. I do not know of any others before me who have done any. I have a wonderful daughter who is a talented turner and furniture maker that is now getting in to carving.


So in you case the chain maybe goes in the other direction. That must be fun to share a family woodworking connection with her! How much do you think you influenced her, and maybe even now her, you? How fun!


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## RPM (Sep 26, 2017)

Rodney said:


> My grandfather on my dad's side made a few pieces of furniture. A gun cabinet and a dresser and I'm sure he made more. My dad also made some toy boxes and an entertainment center. He also made us three kids some cutting boards. Mine comes out on holidays.
> 
> Rodney


What a treasurable way to remember them - via the treasures they passed along sometimes even just via remembrance of what they made. I'm glad to hear you take the cutting board out during the holidays. : )


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## RPM (Sep 26, 2017)

I was fortunate to inherit a couple treasures from one of my great-grandfathers. One is a root ball from the combining of the roots of two different individual trees (help me out with a better term) he dug up while plowing a field and liked well enough to finish and keep. The other is an example of the wooden fans and wooden chains he whittled. I took pictures of them but didn't figure out how to upload them to this thread - or if that can be done.


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## dww2 (Feb 4, 2017)

Besides my great grandfather (my maternal grandmother's father) I had a great uncle on my Dad's side of the family who did woodworking. His name was William Barton Wrigley but went by Barton. (My grandfather and all of his brothers went by their middle names for some reason. Grampy was called Ken but was really James Kenneth) Uncle Barton had a nice old duplicator lathe which is currently in my Dad's barn, along with two chests full of old tools. (Including a Stanley no. 45 in its original box with the booklet) Dad says he remembers seeing a couple of baseball bats Uncle Barton made on the lathe. Somewhere, my folks also have a set of miniature log cabins he made to look like a lumber camp. The buildings were made of sticks about 3/4" in diameter and notched to fit. The doors were hinged with small strips of leather. There was also a small pung with runners underneath it, the front set on a pivot so they could turn. I think this is where I get my interest in making miniatures.

Hopefully woodworking accidents don't run in the family though. Grampy Wrigley was cutting boards for something on the table saw one day when he noticed what looked like the finger from his glove on the floor of the shop. He picked it up and found that his pinky finger was still in it. It was one of the ways you could tell him and his identical twin brother Karl apart.


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## RPM (Sep 26, 2017)

dww2 said:


> Besides my great grandfather (my maternal grandmother's father) I had a great uncle on my Dad's side of the family who did woodworking. His name was William Barton Wrigley but went by Barton. (My grandfather and all of his brothers went by their middle names for some reason. Grampy was called Ken but was really James Kenneth) Uncle Barton had a nice old duplicator lathe which is currently in my Dad's barn, along with two chests full of old tools. (Including a Stanley no. 45 in its original box with the booklet) Dad says he remembers seeing a couple of baseball bats Uncle Barton made on the lathe. Somewhere, my folks also have a set of miniature log cabins he made to look like a lumber camp. The buildings were made of sticks about 3/4" in diameter and notched to fit. The doors were hinged with small strips of leather. There was also a small pung with runners underneath it, the front set on a pivot so they could turn. I think this is where I get my interest in making miniatures.
> 
> Hopefully woodworking accidents don't run in the family though. Grampy Wrigley was cutting boards for something on the table saw one day when he noticed what looked like the finger from his glove on the floor of the shop. He picked it up and found that his pinky finger was still in it. It was one of the ways you could tell him and his identical twin brother Karl apart.


Thanks for sharing that stuff with us! Also, I'd love to see those old tools (like the Stanley 45 plane) - they remind us that the world didn't just begin yesterday.


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