franco88

Pens seem to get the most ooohs for the effort, although they aren't the most appropriate gift for everybody. In my experience men tend to appreciate the pens most, while the women tend to like lidded boxes or bowls. I like the look of the yellow pine bowl on the table there. I have turned a lot of bowls from similar wood. That wood family with its "stripey" appearance it is a striking accent for any table.

For anything creative to emerge from the mind, something imaginative must precede it. Beautiful books feed my imagination. They are tangible.

Similarly, woodworking is made meaningful to me almost entirely because of its three dimensional nature. Holding in the hand or looking directly at an object, while in the process of creation, is to exercise the power of the creator. Meaningful work indeed.

Woodworking as an occupation is clearly not for everyone, but I believe everyone benefits from the exposure to problem solving and personal interaction with physical objects like wood. Taking raw materials and converting them to something useful is a satisfying experience that many people miss. I believe that anyone can, and should, have this experience; and it's all the better if the useful object is beautiful.
I feel that as a very experienced woodworker, I bear some responsibility to share as least some of my hard-won experience and the "joy of making" with those coming along in the craft. Teaching is just avocation for me but I hope to make it a way of life. Woodworking in a classroom/shop setting allows the student to have something besides a letter-grade. And as a wise artist told me,"it's therapy really, a remaking of the world that helps you see that you can be better too."

The current trend toward handcraft education is a good sign that this country is not headed for the dumper as quickly as some suggest.

I have been making storage drawers/bins out of empty lacquer thinner cans for years and have filled them up with all the small additional stuff one keeps for occasional use. They make it relative easy to find forgotten stuff and they already have handles on them. So make a bookcase and load it with these handy drawers!
Since the one gallon can is rectangular I cut the broad side down the centerline and free from the top and bottom and fold it in (leaving the rounded portion of the corner alone to act as a structural stiffener for the sides).