I began taking shop class in 7^th grade at the Bermudian Springs School District. In that year, I made a light using the lathe. The next year I made a small cabinet. In 9^th grade, I made a serving tray (the only year I could not choose my own project). The next year, I made a wardrobe and, after that, I made a barrister's bookcase. In my last year of high school, I made a grandfather's clock for my senior project and received the shop award for that year. Since then, I have made a few odds and ends, but I have retained the skill to this day and count it as one of my most valuable learning experiences from high school.

I began making this Grandfather's Clock at the start of my senior year in high school in 1999 at the age of 17 and completed it in the year 2000. This was my most ambitious project at the time and remains as my greatest. It took a lot of time to create this clock. Every week, I went in to school an hour early so that I could put in extra work than the one shop period a day allowed. I must give credit to the Bermudian Springs High School shop teacher, Doug Myers, for allowing the students to make any project they wanted. He supported my decision to create this clock as my senior project and I received the shop award for the best project of the year.

At the time I made this, I was only beginning to consider eventually going to law school and becoming a lawyer. I completed this project in the Spring of 1999, at the end of my 11^th grade in high school. I always wanted to make a bookcase and one that would prevent everything inside of it from getting dusty. A barrister's bookcase was the obvious choice.

This light was my first shop project which I think I made in 7^th grade. This was really a lot of fun to make since I made the whole thing on the lathe (and if you haven't used a lathe, they're a lot of fun).

This was a small project I decided to make in my own shop just for the fun of it. I always wanted to make some sort of box or bowl because it seemed like it would be hard to do (and maybe because my Great-Grandfather enjoyed making boxes as a woodworker). I was only going to make one, but the scrap piece of wood I used was long enough that I thought I might just be able to get two out of it and include lids for each. I'm really proud of how they turned out, but they did take a lot of precision in making them, especially hollowing out the inside (I'm sure there are special tools for doing this, but I didn't have them). I've always liked the one white mark down the side of each because it makes them unique and shows they are a pair.

If I had to make it again, I would have made it in two parts. The picture does not really show how big it is (and, because of where it's placed, this was the only angle from which I could take the picture where I could show the entire wardrobe). I'm glad I made it because I use it everyday, but now that it's in place, I think it's safe to say that it will never leave the room that it's in.