My wife and I watched our Grandson, Teddy, for a week, while his parents moved into their first house on Long Island. While here, he did the usual things for a 5 year old, play dates, swimming in the local creek/pool, helped with yard work, and helped me start a dovetailed, sliding lidded box, that is to be used to store loose parts for my Delta shaper. We didn't quite get around to painting it but I'll show him the results when finished. All-in-all, he had a great time!!!!

 

 

 

Title should read "Working with the Grandson". Corrected!

Edited July 5, 20214 yr by FrederickH

Certainly looks like he had a good time!

Handsome young man and he looks like he is having a ball!!

Good times!

I have built a birdhouse with my grandson but to keep his attention for a dovetail box is amazing.

Excellent Frederick!

A week he'll remember his whole life and especially when he is older.

Wonderful project for you and the boy Frederick! Like others have said, for him to keep his attention with that project, is a credit to his natural born demeanor, you may have a highly skilled woodworker on your hands there!

Love the box too!

And another youngun has been shown a path that doesn’t involve a flat screen. Kudos! 

Storage box is completed. Here are the stages used in painting/graining of the box. Although my Grandson didn't have a chance to help with the painting, I know that he would approve. The box is to be used to store the bits and pieces needed for my Delta shaper(I made a "rack" to hold the cutters). All of the pieces fit beautifully, with enough room left over for future additions.

 

 

 

Good Job Teddy. 

Hang on to that piece for life. It is an important treasure. 

Will be full of memories you cannot see but trust me, they are in there.

When you get a little older you will see...

What were the steps in the painting, how did you get the design?

Cal, my design for the box came from some sponge ware bowls that we have here. Several years ago, I went through a "graining" phase and made several pieces of painted ware. The steps are quite simple. For this box, I sealed the pine with shellac, sanded, applied the bottom coat of latex paint(yellow), sanded, repeated,and then used a small piece of sponge to apply the orange topcoat "grain". To define the box outline, I then painted, with a green color, the dovetailed corners. You can use almost anything for the graining process.... combs, feathers, fingers, leather, cardboard, and the difficult part for me is to do the graining in a symmetrical pattern.

Wonderful memory for the both of you and will be retained for the remainder of your lives.  Beautiful detail on the dovetails and coloring.  

A very cool effect was achieved Frederick

Love it!!