My 4-H Story: woodcarving

By Lars Carlson

Guest Contributor

BOONE COUNTY – I like to do things with my hands and my tools. I started last year building and rehabbing birdhouses for people at church. I did a Natural Resources 4-H project on birdhouses and feeders and I started to notice that there were many birdhouses that needed to have new bottoms or roofs. I like to use screws to replace the broken wood, and I use license plates for the new roofs.

I have been learning how to use power tools. I have used a chop saw, router, sander and a power drill. I got a cordless drill from Santa last year for Christmas.

My Dad taught a workshop at Live it Up in DeKalb last year. I helped him teach older kids how to use tools, and they made a wooden shelf. It was fun to have older kids listen to me.

I also help my dad with projects. This year we built a backdrop and street lights that were used for decorations at the National Holstein Convention. We also replaced the floor in a livestock trailer, replaced the back on a hay rack, and we built a small building to be used to house calves.

This year I made a hat and coat stand for my fair project. I painted it blue and red for the Chicago Cubs. It has a baseball on the top. I used a saw, router, drill press and a sander. My Dad helped me by cutting out the base on the bandsaw. I am not quite experienced enough to use the bandsaw yet.

I cut 4×4 to the right length, and I used the router to round off the corners. We used the drill press to drill the holes for the pegs at the top, and I used the sander on all the parts to make it smooth for paint. We had to drill a hole and put a peg in the ball to put on the top of the stand.

I like this project a lot. I am going to make another one that will be red and black, and instead of putting a ball on the top, I am going to put a toy tractor on it, and it will be sold at the FFA auction at our school.