We lived with my grandparents when I was little and I have many memories of helping Grandpa with various projects. One that stands out in my mind today was putting a vent in the peak of a shed. I know my older brother was with us, and I don’t remember who got sent up the ladder with a spade bit to drill the corners for the holes, but I’m pretty sure that at 9 years old I climbed the ladder with a sawsall and cut between the holes. While I never built anything big when I was young, I always paid attention to the way things were made, and the early exposure to how tools work gave me the confidence to try later.
Another memory of my Grandpa is the phrase, “There is more than one way to skin a cat.” When I was little I wondered why in the world anybody would want to skin a cat in the first place. Since then I have found many applications for the phrase. In the wood shop, there is usually more than one way to get the job done.
Girl with a Hand Plane 