Woodshop 101

This chair is today's Woodshop 101 Project. It was originally H.B. Purdy's chair when he worked here and has since suffered from neglect.
G.W. using rope to create the perfect relaxing lean
Cutting a specific piece on the homemade sawhorse.
Securing the boards with his trust drill and hammer

So I don't exactly remember having a Woodshop 101 class at DeWitt High School, but I'm pretty sure they had one on Saved By The Bell... So I know this has to be a real class somewhere. (Everything that happened on Saved by the Bell was 100% fact! HA) Today, I have the boys working off dirt strips in the various parts of the county so I have plenty of time to write and attend G.W.'s Woodshop 101 class.

Our project you ask??? One of the old wooden vinyl chairs that has probably been here since the existence of this building. If you remember in my blog "Good Ol' Fashion Airport Nap", I talk about our 2 couches and 3 chairs that all look exactly the same. While they are all mostly still sturdy and comfy, this one particular chair has fallen by the way-side over the past two years. We have stuck it underneath the ASU clock & red wolf painting (both belonged to my daddy), away from the other furniture, hoping no one would sit in it... Well both Shawn and Brandon sat in it recently and their booty's (saved by the cushion) went straight to the floor!

While I find this to be slightly amusing, yesterday afternoon G.W. set out to fix this airport hazard... He first assessed the problem; one of the support beams was missing as well as the piece of plywood that laid on the beams and supported the cushion. Also the chair was leaning back at about a 60 degree angle when it should really only lean about 20 degrees. (Major gangster lean going on)

He started by tying rope from the back of the chair to the front to create the perfect lean. This morning he got every tool kit out of his van, along with the scrap wood he found in a burn pile on the side of the road, and is working away. (Man, he's resourceful!) He's used a saw, hammer, drill, screws, nails, wood glue, and various tools from an extensive collection in his tool belt. He walked me through step-by-step of the action plan and patiently answered my questions that were most likely elementary to him. He explained why this screw when here and that went nail went there. He also mentioned this project may be more intensive than he orignally thought but it just needed a little extra reinforcement and some TLC.

Alex and I both asked him if he needed any assistance with the physical aspects of this project (after we got our schooling on Wood Working How To) but he graciously declined. Even after Alex used the persuasive line of, "G.W., I mean, I'm pretty good with nails and wood and stuff" HaHa If that doesn't sound like a master carpenter, I don't know what does!

G.W. is now working away tenaciously and hopefully we'll have an end product by this afternoon. We are really lucky to have a volunteer-on staff carpenter! Enjoy the pics about and I'll be sure to take one of the finished product as soon as possible!