My First Woodworking Project

I started woodworking at a young age.  I completed my first woodworking project for my younger brother’s first birthday.  I built him an airplane.  It was supposed to resemble the Red Baron’s airplane.  I even painted it to make it look authentic.  My dad had instructed me to design it before I built it.  I didn’t understand why that was important, but I did it anyways.  I think my mom had kept the drawing for it.  It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I found out how important proper design is in any woodworking project.

Proper design is important to a project’s function.  If designed poorly, it will function poorly.  It will also become unappealing to the eye.  In other words, it will be ugly as sin.  When designing a project, I think it is important to sketch it out first.  That way you can get a rough idea of how you want it to look.  After that, you will want to start to design it to fit the proportions you want.  Once you get the basic shape and size down, then you can start working out the details.  It all depends on how you want to go about it.  Try to find out what works best for you when designing a project.  You are only limited by your own imagination.

What do you think?  Not too shabby for a seven year old.  I remember the trouble I had making it, but it was still fun!  That is what woodworking should be, fun.  If you don’t enjoy doing it, then you might want to find something that you do enjoy.  Just remember, like everything else in life, woodworking takes practice.  The more you practice, the better you become at it.

Happy designing!