My daughter’s 7th birthday was fast approaching a few weeks ago and my wife and I were short of ideas on what is normally expected to be some clever themed event. My son and daughter both love spending time in my workshop sanding wood, taping pieces together to resemble some type of sword, house, etc. So I was not entirely surprised that she asked for a woodworking project birthday party in my workshop. Despite not having the foggiest idea on what I would help them with, it certainly was a proud “daddy moment.”
Finding Something Useful to Build
My daughter recently found that her new bookshelf from my previous project was in need of some additional bookends. So that became the project I was to focus on for her birthday of six, seven year-old girls who had no experience in building anything out of wood. I spent some time milling up some poplar (easy to sand and quickly see results) for the L-shaped body of the bookends and three blocks of wood for each book end that resembled letter blocks. The overall dimensions were 3 ½” wide x 8 ½” tall x ¾” thick. I cut a rabbit in one end and a groove in the other to allow the pieces to lock together with a bit of glue.
A Hands-On Experience
Each kid was equipped with an apron, the un-assembled pieces of wood for a set of bookends, sandpaper, sanding block, glue spreader, various decorative gems, safety goggles and of course, a bottle of Gorilla Wood Glue. Now this is not a typical birthday goodie bag, but I guess I’m not a typical Dad. Each of the girls was a little hesitant at first with an assortment of unknown objects in front of them, but once they donned their personalized aprons, goggles and started seeing the results from their sanding, their enthusiasm quickly changed. Each girl was almost silent for the entire time, fully engaged in her own world, crafting, sanding and creating something of their own.
Glue Up in Stages
Even without clamps, the 20 minute dry time was incredibly useful, particularly as the L-shaped body and blocks dried. Each girl was able to apply and spread the glue with little trouble, perhaps a bit of squeeze-out, but nothing too significant. Even a pizza and ice cream break couldn’t keep them out of the basement to begin the bedazzling of their homemade bookends.
Their Faces Say it All
The picture of the girls with their finished projects was the highlight of the birthday party. My daughter was really happy with how everything went, and immediately placed her project on her bookshelf. Woodworking has a stigma of being for men/boys, something too dangerous, messy or not of interest for girls. I couldn’t disagree more. I look forward to watching both of my children grow-up in the basement workshop. I have fond memories of doing the same thing with my father, and hope my children (and her friends) will remember the experience as much as I do.
