Learning technique is a major component of woodworkers.
Bob Hutton
The pivot hole is just a tad tight and squeaks. A shelf is so tight it springs up. Or the sliding door in the cabinet won’t open anymore. Any of a number of wood- or plastic-related items in our home can change over time, especially since most of us moved from somewhere else, and just about everywhere else has a wetter climate than SaddleBrooke.
Often we have issues around the house that at one time would have been a non-issue for many of us. We took care of our own home fixit problems. Or remember when the neighbor would come over and ask you how to fix something? Or the widow down the block who let simple things go, afraid to call anyone for fear of the cost? We would have simply stepped into the workshop and fixed them. We had tools, workspace—all we needed to take care of our own issues as they came up—or anyone else’s, most likely. We gained a lot of satisfaction from being able to overcome simple adversity.
We are here in SaddleBrooke now. Many of us have outfitted our garages with tools for simple, everyday adjustments, but not a fully capable workshop. Other communities have woodworking shops for their members. Many do. And those of us who have lived in those communities and volunteered in the Woodworking Club found that neighbors appreciated the willingness that the club had to help them. Personally, hardly a day went by that a neighbor didn’t come in for a little fix or advice on an issue. All were helped in some fashion. Some of them became members and started into a new world of learning.
There is a marvelous group here in SaddleBrooke unmatched in any but a few places—Senior Village. They come to your home to help in so many ways. The volunteers go far out of their way to help their neighbors. Many of my friends volunteer in some capacity. Home repairs are but one of their groups that fill needs for their members. Please look into the options they have available to you. And although they don’t replace the local contractors, they do take care of what they can. But often they are held back by lack of the right tools or machines to really do the job as they would like. What a change it would be for them if a facility were here for them.
Eventually, although the original builders of our community omitted it, a woodworking shop may be built here. SaddleBrooke One is working through details of a total overhaul and enlarging of the Arts and Crafts Center, and Gift Shop. What a wonderful upgrade that will be! And soon after, on their planning horizon is a wood shop. The support of neighbors is what drives all upgrades and improvements forward.
The Woodworking Club meets on the first Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. in the Saguaro Room. For more information, email [email protected].