Woodworkers With Disabilities

[pawnhead]

Not having looked around the 'net' much, would this forum be one of the biggest as in subject matter available.I know there are others esp. overseas but they tend to be centered on one area or centered on their own egos.
Just curious?

If you're talking about forums in general, then WWF is a long way from the top. It's not rated on Big Boards yet but it would rate a mention near the bottom since there's over 500,000 posts, so I've just submitted the URL. The top board has over a billion posts and almost ten million members.
According to their figures, we'd come in at number 1,929 from the top. We'd probably be lower than that though, since Sawmill Creek isn't mentioned either, and they have 681,146 posts compared to WWFs 587,880 posts. They aren't as diverse since they don't have 'home renovations', musical instruments', ' wooden boats', but there are forums that specialize in those topics. WWF is the most popular home renovations forum in Australia AFAIK. It would be amongst the most popular woodwork forums in the world I'd imagine.
As far as diversity, it doesn't take much to open a whole lot of sub-forums, and a good deal of the sub forums here only have around 20 or less posts in them.
I'm a member of an Australian computer forum called OCAU, and they are very diverse. Whilst they don't have quite as many sub-forums, there's nothing with under a hundred posts so they just haven't split up their categories as much. Their most popular sub-forum is general discussion, followed closely by current events, where you can debate what's going on in Australia & the world, and have heated political debates if you want (they're not as restrictive with their censorship, and the 'F' word is OK. I reckon it should be because you hear it on the radio all the time), there's a science forum, sport & fitness, TV & DVD, food, music, photography, general discussion, phones, pets, toys, a very active motoring forum, lifestyle (where there's many posts about home renos), careers, gaming consoles, buy & sell, and absolutely everything you could possibly think of that has anything at all to do with computing, split into a large number of sub-forums. The demographic is a lot younger than here, but there are a lot of older posters as well
They are about the biggest forums in Australia of any description with 5,993,026 posts, and when they open up to the public shortly, they will probably overtake Whirlpool forums, becoming the biggest. .

But WWF are the best forums on the web, but then I'm a bit biased, since I'm an older carpenter/builder.

[Wild Dingo]

Sooooo?? have we resolved the issues yet?

Im disabled... and hell Im bloody proud of it!!... nah I look "normal" sound "normal" and for all appearances am "normal" but Im not!! DAMNIT IM NOT FRIGGIN "NORMAL" an any buggar that says I am is a liar!

Disabled? yep... hobble around with a knee thats totaled need bifocals to see anything less than an inch in size I have "procrastinators syndrome" and am ADHD along with being a compulsive also manic depressive and addictive personality... riddled with insecurities and the old artists disability of being too close to the fine line that I keep tripping over... I also refuse to wear shoes which can be a real disability when doin shyte like welding an walking on steel on a hot day Im also a quater caste which is more often than not seen by both my own people and society in general as a disability... oh and Im severely color blind... ssshhh dont tell the whollopers but I often dont see the traffic lights or train lights and need a co driver almost constantly

But does that stop me?.. mmmm?? NOT A FRIGGIN CHANCE!! I mean Ive done pretty much anything Ive set my mind too... why some of the absolute bestest people I know are "disabled" but to hear and meet them you wouldnt know it... other than by their physical stature... wheelchairs sorta automatically do that eh wheelin?

I think as a people one of the absolute best thing we do here on the forum is to offer help assistance and encouragement to EVERYONE regardless of color race religion politics or "physical limitations"

YOU and everyone else in life are ONLY disabled by what you percieve you cannot do... perhaps you cant do something due to that "disability" BUT you have an imagination USE IT to achieve that something... maybe it wont be bloody whang dang doodle an fine but by god it will work FOR YOU! and ergo your no longer "disabled" by your limitations... limitations by the way more often than not set by those considered "abled"

People like Niki are the cream of the crop in my book... simply because theyre always thinking of ways of doing things that are simple easy and achievable by ANYONE... and thats brilliant in my book!!

Sometimes I think polititians and dogooders social workers whatever SHOULD spend some time and I dont mean an hour either but a few weeks restricted by the very "disability" they themselves would help or be seen to help... then they WOULD have true empathy and actually flamin well do something to change things!!

Bandaid solutions are a panacea to achieving.

[wheelinround]

Dingo's disabled well I'll be then again aren't we all.
He's a 1/2 cast and the rest well even with out any of that Dingo I could tell straight away you are a TOP BLOKE mad as a cut snake but a TOP BLOKE..

Well said even down to the comment on Niki's work and jigs.

[Wild Dingo]

mmm seems somehow I forgot that one wheelin ...ahem... added to the above list Im also disabled in that Im as mad as a cut snake!!

HEY!! I didnt forgets that one!!... thats the fine line I keep trippin over mate

soooo??? whats yer excuse!!

[wheelinround]

mmm seems somehow I forgot that one wheelin ...ahem... added to the above list Im also disabled in that Im as mad as a cut snake!!

HEY!! I didnt forgets that one!!... thats the fine line I keep trippin over mate

soooo??? whats yer excuse!!

My excuse for tripping over well its no long the pleasure of ales n spirits (bloody arthritis) had to stop drinking.

Tripping over a symptom of my disability which I have had from age 7 sort of diagnosed at age 14 still not 100% sure what its is yet they are still doing DNA tests 1st round scored nothing got those results 12 months ago. One day I met get the gumption to tell what it is.

Being mad well I get that from my mother, and the life I have had to live because of her.

[Hakim]

Hi all, I am on a disability pension and have have been toying with woodwork as a way of 'rehabilitating' myself. As an old burnt-out psych nurse I do a little disability support work and have started a 'men's group' which has a base in a community garden and focuses on woodwork. We have training wheels with a focus of safety and I am the one-eyed man in the land of the blind.

I also work with a man who has had a stroke and has significant left sided deficits: his left leg and arm are paralysed and he has 'left sided neglect' meaning he tends not to see things on the left. Verbal and cognitive skills are intact and he is well educated. I am wondering what is the likelihood of him being able to be able to start with in working with wood which will give him a positive experience. Any suggestions?

Many thanks,
Hakim

[echnidna]

he's capable of some woodwork.

You could try him with a hand held coping saw making jigsaw puzzles etc.
Glue a printout to a thin piece of ply/masonite.

You'd need to clamp the material so he can use it.

He has a reasonable chance of picking it up fast so he may be able to go onto more advanced things.

[toolbagsPLUS]

Saw just the thing the other day for picking up those spilled screws and nails a magnetic broom. Magnetic plate about 250mm x 70 on a broom handle. Bunnings $14.95. Waste of time if you use brass screws of course

Cheers

Steve

[Hakim]

Thanks echidna. That is a good place to start. And staying away from the power tools is probably a good idea too I was thinking of a scroll saw but ...

Hakim

he's capable of some woodwork.

You could try him with a hand held coping saw making jigsaw puzzles etc.
Glue a printout to a thin piece of ply/masonite.

You'd need to clamp the material so he can use it.

He has a reasonable chance of picking it up fast so he may be able to go onto more advanced things.

[echnidna]

You need tp drift into sharp edge tools and power tools until he starts to develop hand skills

[Hakim]

Thanks again, Bob. It's also a good chance to make sure it's his cup of tea - don't want it to be a case of what works for me should work for him too.

Hakim

You need tp drift into sharp edge tools and power tools until he starts to develop hand skills

[wheelinround]

Just saw this post hows it going Hakim any success

[Hakim]

Hi Wheelinaround and thanks for your interest.

My friend with the stroke has just gone into a nursing home for a couple of months while his wife goes overseas. So woodwork with him is probably on the back-burner for a while. Taking the suggestion of making jig saw puzzles, I have spoken to the boss at the rehab program for people with acquired brain injuries he attends. The plan is to produce some tangrams with a picture glued to one side before cutting. The pictures can be in a series that increase in complexity. There are lots of options there.

With the mens group, a couple of the men with schizophrenia have decided they want to try making wooden spoons. Any suggestions for a wood that's easy to carve but durable. I have a few old jarrah posts lying around but wonder if that might be too tough for a beginner project.

What are you up to, woodwork wise?

All the best,
Hakim

[echnidna]

radiata pine without knots or pith should be quite adequate for beginner spoons.
Maybe you can scrounge some shorts/offcuts from any nearby timber merchant

[Hakim]

Thanks Bob,

My local Mitre 10 has a chuck-out box and I shall visit in gratitude!

Hakim

radiata pine without knots or pith should be quite adequate for beginner spoons.
Maybe you can scrounge some shorts/offcuts from any nearby timber merchant