Doing woodworking

Patients often give up their woodworking after they have lost vision. That is truly regrettable. All they need are some lessons about how to do some basic woodworking skills a different way. Nailing wood is something that is an essential part of woodworking. We teach our patients to make two strokes to hammer a nail. The first is a light tap for location purposes. After locating the nail head, the patient can take fuller swings to drive the nail into the wood. We also suggest taking smaller swings of the hammer to reduce the possibility of missing the nail. Sawing is also an essential woodworking skill. We teach patients to use large print or click ruler to measure. Once the cut line has been determined, we teach patients to use an awl to scratch the desired location into the wood. The awl now has left a tactile marker to use to locate the saw blade. We also suggest using a clamp to keep the wood steady so there is no need to hold the wood with the other hand. 

We are pleased to say, that with our help, our patients often resume their woodworking. One even sent us a picture of one of the toys he made for his newest grandchild.