Some of us claim to be tool fanatics. Some of us love working with wood. But a man in Lake Placid, FL claims the prize as the oldest guy I know still working well with his hands in the shop. Fran Smith, 92 years young, spends most of his ample free time designing and building furniture pieces in his garage, which he uses as his woodworking shop. His makeshift shop includes tons of tools, like a lathe, band saw, table saw, drill press and benchtop planer.
From the article:
“I started (woodworking) in Fort Myers in 1982,” explained Smith (who would have been 64 at the time). “I didn’t know how to work a router. I bought a router from Sears, but I didn’t know that you had to have bits.”
Not knowing how to use the tool did not deter Smith.
He pressed on, learning how to woodwork without any formal training, and even inventing tools to suit his needs.
“Nobody taught me this,” explained Smith, showing how he created his own chisel to carve out decorative niches in his table legs.
Smith gives away most of his creations to family and friends. That’s quite the hobby. It’s always cool to see this level of enthusiasm (not to mention aptitude) from someone who could just as easily be fishing or spending his days lying around in a hammock. Instead, this 92-year-old is making beautiful things – and then giving them away. How cool is that?
Source: Highlands Today
