Retirement of the old workbench.

After finishing the Roubo workbench, I had to find another place for my old workbench. I considered keeping it on the loft in the barn, since I could then give it to one of my children, when they were to move away from home (they are 7, 10 and 12 years old, so there is still some time left).
Then one day my next door neighbour came by and I showed him the new and finished workbench. He asked what I would do to the old one, and I explained it to him. He then said, that he had always thought that it could be nice having one.
The day before he had said that he wanted to start woodturning, now that he was getting near his retirement age (67). I off course said it was a good idea, and even supplied him with a set of turning tools that I had picked up some years ago.

My wife asked me, if I needed any help to move the old bench, and I said that I wasn't quite sure if it should go to the barn anyway.
I told her about our neighbour, and we agreed that it would be better to give it to him as a birthday gift.
So she helped me load it into the back of the truck, and we drove up to him (he lives across a field, some 500 m away).

I can't forget the look on his face, as we gave it to him. He said that he had wished for a workbench since he was 12 years old, and now he finally got one. He also said (even in front of his wife), that it was the best gift he had ever received.

I talked to him two days later, on his actual 67th birthday, and he said that his grandchildren had visited him in the morning, and they had never seen a workbench before. So he had found some old wooden bodied planes and they had tried to plane a piece of wood. The grandchildren had really liked it.

So the bottom line is, I hope that by giving my old bench to my neighbour, I have made it possible for him to start a woodworking hobby, and he has got the potential of getting his grandchildren to work wood as well.
I think that is a better retirement for my old bench, than being kept in the barn.