my intro to wood working #3: old too soon, smart too late

Rob I think we all are a little stubborn at times. We can all learn from your Dad’s wisdom. If it is any help to you, I am just like you, can’t or don’t want anyones help. I find myself getting older by the minute and not a lot smarter….

Here is a picture that might help a bit with your project. This is a toy Firetruck from the Toys and Joys collection:

-- Brian, Ontario Canada,

so how DO you do the pattern thingy?? :)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I start by looking for a blue print or set of line drawings of the vehicle that includes a top, side, front, and rear view. I get most of these by Google images searching for 3d modeling, papercraft, original manufacturers and fan/owners/enthusiast club websites. I print these out on my printer then I use a photocopier to enlarge them until they are the size of the wheels that I am going to us. The wood I use is usually ¼ to ½ inch thick and of various widths and lengths. I laminate them together to create blanks large enough to draw the parts on, then I use carbon paper and transfer them shapes. I use a bandsaw, scroll saw, bench sander and dremel type of tool to shape the pieces.
This gives a general idea only, it doesn’t give you a cut list or anything like that, but it is a neat puzzle to figure out.

-- The CNC machine can either produce the work of art you imagined, or very decorative firewood.

Hi Rob

There is always great pride and feeling of accomplishment in doing something yourself. But it never hurts to get free advice or someone else’s opinion. I am the first to admit that I don’t know everything and there might be a better way of do something.

Cute Story : I had to make a bid on a cash drawer for one of our customers. When working in prison you are not aloud to take money in behind the walls. For the heck of it I asked one of the inmates if he knew what size a paper bill was. He said “Hell I stole a lot of them but I never took time to measure them!” OK, I guess I will wait till tomarrow to do the bid.

Tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

and it feels good when you are successful! :)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Hi Rob,

To tell the truth I believe a lot of us have this “self-reliant” trait in commonality. We try to go it alone figuring that we will eventually muddle our way through conclusion of the problem. Most of the time we do succeed but when we don’t often we are too embarrassed at our perceived “failure” to ask for help. But what we tend to forget is that we were never designed to go it alone. We are hardwired with a dependency that often we try to ignore- usually with less than successful consequences.

But I agree with your father’s advice about trial and error. We learn far more from our mistakes than we do our successes but at the same time we can only “bang our heads against the wall only so many times” before we realize that there is a better way to solve the problem.

Thanks for the post.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine