Plea for Help

MY friend is an ex paratrooper who has lost his sight and recently taken to woodworking. He has become very skilled at picture framing but now wishes to try other woodworking projects.

I have made several wooden patterns for him but have now exhausted my ideas. Please can any member help with suggestions or plans to help him with his hobby.

Any help would be appreciated.

JMAC.

A little more information may help, Such as What tools he is able to use, you say you have made pattern for him what are they for and also what is he able to do.

There is a gent on another forum who is only visually impaired who through the Saint Dunstans Blind Association is able to do woodturning. Maybe not what your friend wants to do(woodturning) but the do run other courses might be worth a try

Tell your friend to come on here even if it through you we will endeavour to help

JMAC, There is a chap who has posted on here by the name of Tom O'Donnell who said blind people can use a router with templates www.routingwithtomodonnell it might be of help to your friend,

Take care,

Ivor.

Hi Derek

Being computer illiterate I have cocked-up two replies to you so hopefully third time lucky!

To answer your questions I have made patterns for A Bird Box for Blue Tits, a Shaker Step Stool and a Lap Book Rest.

The tools he can use are as follows - Jig,Hand and Coping saws,a cordless screw driver and he has a talking rule. He finds making straight cuts easy by using a guide. Curves prove difficult so I try to supply patterns with relatively small curves.

I passed on your comments about St Dunstans so he will be in touch with them soon.

Hope this info is helpful.

JMac

How about making jewellery boxes with the aid of a tenon saw and a hand plane and a combination plane. If someone could make a shooting board and a donkeys ear these would be of a great help in many projects. Then progress from there

I am in the proress of making a shooting board for him but please explain "donkey eay"

Thanks about the suggestion about jewellery boxes

JMac

Ivor,

Thanks for the suggestion - I looked at Tom O'donnel web site and got some goog ideas

Thanks

JMac

JMac a donkeys ear is the same as a shooting board but designed to plane mitres as used in things like boxes. See picture below.

It might be worth contacting your local REMAP panel. (**LINK**)

REMAP is a charity that exists to help disabled people with devices and adaptations that are not otherwise commercially available. Each local panel is made up of volunteer engineers who excel in thinking up unusual solutions to technical challenges.

I have done some volunteer work for a local remap panel in the past, working on projects as diverse as a mechanism to help a quadraplegic woman put on and take off her reading glasses, a chair-raiser to allow a child with restricted growth to sit at a normal height classroom desk, and a paddle-operated buzzer to help a severely brain injured man communicate with his carers.

Welll done with that Paul, where would we be without volunteers

Ron