[jtwrace]

Absolutely fantastic!  I give you big props. 


Learning how to use your hands for something other than video games and texting is so important.  Also, after learning from some friends on how basic math and reading a tape measure is no longer taught how I learned, it's nice that she will be many steps ahead.      You're giving her so many positive things along with precious dad time that she will never forget. 

[WireNut]

Bob in St. Louis: Audiophile Dad Of The Year! 

I'll 2nd that 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Learning how to use your hands for something other than video games and texting is so important.  Also, after learning from some friends on how basic math and reading a tape measure is no longer taught how I learned, it's nice that she will be many steps ahead. 

Exactly. She's in a gifted program since they've discovered how smart she is. That's great and all, but when it took more effort to explain the similarities between, 'quarters', 'halves', 'wholes', and the like, I was a bit amazed at how little she knew compared to how much I would have though she'd have known by now. Having real life "math problem" like this one will teach her more than the school apparently is teaching her. The relationship between a 'quarter' (1/4 and 0.25 and $0.25) seemed to go hand in hand to me (from what I learned in school), but the concept alluded her completely. The concept of "one quarter" seems so simple.
I blame the (modern) school for that. 

Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

I'll 2nd that 

Thank you very much. 

[Pete Schumacher]

That is so beyond cool Bob!  Congrats to you, and especially your daughter for doing something like this.  She'll NEVER forget it, and she'll probably never enjoy music as much as she will through the speakers she built herself.

Awesome.

[WireNut]

Bob in St. Louis: Audiophile Dad Of The Year! 

Consider me the first official "Bob and family / Saint Louis" fan club member. Hats Off

 

 

[Bob2]

Great thread! Really nice to see the "hands on". Something most kids no longer seem to do.
Please keep this updated!
Bob2

[dflee]

Bob
Just AWESOME!!!!
It is great that you are taking the time and having the patience for such an adventure.
Kudos to your daughter for having the patience for putting up with Dad.
Thanks so much for sharing and I look forward to more.
You have a lot to be proud of. Ain't too many men could take these projects on let alone
work with and teach his family members in the process.
Think you are approaching sainthood territory here.

Don

[ctviggen]

How old is your daughter?  My girls "help" me on a lot of projects but are too young now to run any real power equipment.   In fact, they run away when I turn on the equipment (though that might be because I have hearing protection and they don't). 

Is that a plunge saw she was using?  If not, how did the cuts come out? 

[srb]

Nice project, Bob.  As far as cutting the pieces and safety, although you have some supports under the whole sheet, wouldn't it make more sense to cut from the other direction with most of the base of the saw resting on the main sheet rather than the piece being cut off?

Steve

[Bob in St. Louis]

Pete - Yah man, this is such a great project....we get Father Daughter time, She gets a nice little pair of speakers, she get's more of an appreciation for music (since they'll sounds better than her 10 year old pair of hand-me-down PC speakers.

Wirenut - Ok dude, you're the first one on my fan club list...I should write this down somewhere. 

Bob2 - Absolutely I keep it updated! She won't let me stop if I wanted to!

Don - Thanks man. I'm tryin' to be a cool Dad, I really am. Note sure my kids would call me a saint though. 

Bob - My daughter is nine (almost ten). We did a bird house a while back. That was a frusterting project because to her it got boring. She was distracted most of the time so I got stuck building for her. This time though, she's much more into the task at hand. Only once did I have to "bring her back", so overall it was a long afternoon and early evening (seven hours?) and she did great.
It's just a regular circular saw. The pic was "set up", as when the actual cut was made I had my hand on the handle too. THe saw is too big and heavy for her and I knew that if it kicked back, she wouldn't be able to control it. The cuts came out "alright", but since I've got a high level of OCD in me, we ran the pieces through the table saw to even them all up.

Steve - Yea, good eye brother. You are 100% correct. 
It's difficult enough to think of things like that, but when you're adding in the pressure of teaching woodworking to a little girl, you begin to forget a few things here and there.   

[ctviggen]

Bob - My daughter is nine (almost ten). We did a bird house a while back. That was a frusterting project because to her it got boring. She was distracted most of the time so I got stuck building for her. This time though, she's much more into the task at hand. Only once did I have to "bring her back", so overall it was a long afternoon and early evening (seven hours?) and she did great.
It's just a regular circular saw. The pic was "set up", as when the actual cut was made I had my hand on the handle too. THe saw is too big and heavy for her and I knew that if it kicked back, she wouldn't be able to control it. The cuts came out "alright", but since I've got a high level of OCD in me, we ran the pieces through the table saw to even them all up.

That's great.  My wife and I get a lot of "non girly" things for our daughters.  We got a circuitry set for our oldest daughter, for instance. I have a degree in engineering, so this comes naturally to me.   My oldest is only 6, though, and it'll be a while before we start a project like yours.   

I've never been happy with the way cuts turn out using a circular saw for long cuts, even with a guiding edge.  I want to buy a plunge saw one day, but they require a significant investment especially if you want to be able to cut 4x8 sheets. 

Personally, I'm afraid of most of the tools I own.  Heck, even a battery powered drill can almost take my hand off, if the drill gets caught.  I'm not sure whether that fear makes me a better or worse "craftsman" (hate to say anything I do is elevated to the status of a "craft", but one day maybe something will be). 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Unless I'm building a deck, I don't like using the circular saw, even with the edge guide for most things. I use it mainly when accuracy doesn't matter, but a reasonably straight line does. When you're making repeated cuts, you can have as much as 1/8" variance between several boards. I guess it's due to the guide flexing. Admittedly, this is a cheap guide. I used it in this case to make the pieces a more manageable size to feed through the table saw. Hefting a 5'x5' sheet of 3/4" voidless Baltic Birch through a small contractor grade table saw and only cutting a 6" swath is impossible when you're alone. And "no"....a six year old girl can't help with the outfeed of lumber that big. haha

I'm not afraid of any of my tools, but the table saw is the one I find myself clenching my jaw while I'm using, if that tells you anything. 

[Captainhemo]

Awesome project Bob !   A big    to you  and especially Abbie. 
I too think it is great to see young ones learning to do  more with their hands other than  using keyboards, touch pads, and game conttollers
Has she decided on how she will be finishing her cabinets yet  ? 

Built a pair of X LS Encores for my neice last Xmas.  Although she didn't help much in the consruction of the cabinets, she did help with the painting (although she didn't realize they were for her).  We did them in purple to match   the trim in her room.  had to come up with a  "cover story" to get the right color match which ended up being kind of funny

When I tell my neice about this project she is going to want to know  what SHE is going to get to build.  She hasn't  read the thread yet but I already  know it is going to be an ispieration  to her !! 
Great stuff  , looking forwar to  reading more

-jay

[Bob in St. Louis]

Has she decided on how she will be finishing her cabinets yet  ? 

Thanks Jay.
Yea, she's already been researching design ideas. 
So far, it looks like it's going to have a Phoenix motif....The bird, not the city.
Let's just say, they're going to be colorful.   

[Captainhemo]

I bet they turn out  really cool

I am predicting  some changes to my neice's speakers once she sees them   

-jay

[Bob in St. Louis]

Good luck with that. 

[Vapor Audio]

Very cool Bob!  Keep the updates coming. 

I guess you forgot to tell her, #1 rule when making sawdust is not to wear fleece ... it'll become a permanent part of her clothing 

[jimdgoulding]

Makes my heart glad this is so cool.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Ryan - Hey man. What's up!? 
Yea, I didn't pic the clothing, Mom did. Everything from the moccasins to the fuzzy socks to the bright red sweats...that's all Mom. 

Jim - Thank  you!

We didn't have much time today. Mom had her gone all afternoon so I didn't get much time with her. 
While she was gone, I did got the 320 grit palm sander and smoothed things out. She hates the dust, so I didn't figure she'd mind much....and she didn't.

When she got home, we (her mostly) filled all the nail holes and low spots. While she was doing that, I was installing the 2"x6" PCV pipe for the port. Of course I'm not taking pictures of myself, so you'll just have to use your imagination on the little parts I completed.

The next time we get a chance to be in the workshop will be Thursday. That's the beginning of a four day weekend for the both of us.

Anyway, here's what we got completed today.