When I saw the Family Talent prompt at GeneaBloggers, I knew just what I wanted to share. My grandfather, who is now 92 years old, is an incredibly talented woodworker. I'm lucky enough to have been the recipient of a few of his projects, including this dollhouse I got for Christmas when I was four. He recently "restored" it for my daughter (I guess I was a little rough with it at times - sorry Grandad).
I also have a set of his shaker boxes, which are sitting on a bookshelf across from me right now. They can be turned upside down without the tops falling off.
I really think that if it's made of wood, he can make it. He's made rocking horses, decks, pergolas, and even a canoe. His most famous project, however, is a copy of a deck chair from the Titanic. He was commissioned to make a replica that could go on display in a museum. I remember when he was working on it; he measured each piece, each angle and curve, template after template. It boggles my mind, really. Here's the finished work in March 1998:
There he is, the handsome devil. And here's a picture of my daughter and I sitting in the chair at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, last summer.
(Halifax was the closest landfall to the Titanic disaster, so Halifax ships were sent to help the rescue/recovery effort and many of the victims were brought back to be buried.)