These are the musings and rambling of how I became an accidental woodworker. It all happened a couple of years ago at the age of 38 when my wife brought home a Ryobi scroll saw from her grandfather (Andy) that had recently passed. At the time, I didn’t know a scroll saw from a table saw but we’ll get in to that a little later.

Andy was one of the greatest guys I ever knew. He was one of those guys that was good at everything he tried. He was funny, smart, tough, very kind, and is missed by all that knew him. Andy and I had a lot in common: We were both Norwegian, both of us served in the U.S. Coast Guard, and we both loved the same girl – my wife. In addition to those things, it turns out we also had a love of woodworking although it was unbeknownst to me at the time.

Andy enjoyed wood carving specifically and was very good at it. Looking back now, it probably appealed to his meticulous nature. He made several Viking inspired carvings that I’ll be sure to post about later. This takes us back to the Ryobi scroll saw that started it all.

When my wife brought home the saw, my curiosity was piqued. Although I didn’t really know at the time what I would use it for, as far as I was concerned I could build and cut just about anything with this bad boy. It was definitely nice to have should I one day decide to be a master carpenter. Around the same time, I was visiting with my brother and his family and saw a planter box in their back yard. The clouds parted and a ray of light shined down on its plywood frame. I can’t be sure, but I think I could hear a harp gently playing in the distance. The universe had spoken and, lo and behold, I had my first project!

When I got back from my brother’s I couldn’t wait to begin. I headed down to Lowe’s to get the plywood that I would need for my creation. I had the guy cut the piece in half only so that it would be more manageable. Any subsequent cuts could clearly be done by me now with the help of my powerful saw. When I got home, I began “ripping” the plywood to the dimensions I needed. A few horrible measurements, several re-cuts, and a couple of snapped blades later and I had my pieces to assemble. There were actually two planter boxes made that day and in spite of me making mistakes every step of the way (including the saw I was using) they actually didn’t turn out half bad.

For those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about, this is a scroll saw similar to the one I’m speaking of:

and just as a frame of reference, here is a similar saw next to a random disembodied hand for some perspective:

According to Wikipedia:

A scroll saw is a small electric or pedal-operated saw used to cut intricate curves in wood, metal, or other materials. The fineness of its blade allows it to cut more delicately than a power jigsaw, and more easily than a hand coping saw.

Clearly, I had extremely over-estimated the power of this saw. Ripping plywood was never its intended use and while it’s extremely obvious now, it wasn’t so much at the time. In fact, I made several other projects after the planter boxes: A little free library, a doll house for my daughter, and a little parking garage for my son.

I’ve definitely learned a lot since those humble beginnings and had no idea woodworking would become a passion of mine.

Fast forward a couple of years and here I am – The Accidental Woodworker!