pure lust
I love wood. Everything about it. The smell, the texture, the way a freshly handplaned board shimmers in the light. However, you can’t let your obsession with that new pile of air-dried cherry paralyze you–staring wistfully at it instead of sacrificing a small percentage of it to the floor as sawdust. That’s the problem we novices face every time we head to the shop. The crude drawings are complete; the cut list has been done and redone, scribbled out and done again; now I actually have to cut something. Boy, is this the perfect board for this rail. I hope I don’t screw this up . . .
The “Bronze Oak Leaf” is the symbol of an apprentice in a great series of books called “The Ranger’s Apprentice” by John Flanagan. The series is geared more towards teenagers, and nowadays an eleven-year-old (my son) seems to qualify. Anyway, my fondness for white oak notwithstanding, I thought it an apt title for a novice woodworker’s adventures in learning the craft.
Hopefully this can wind up a place where we can share ideas and maybe a chuckle or two over the stupid things we do while we learn how to do things once and do them right.
Well…I agree! I’m in the same boat! I bought those books for my son, but never read them…perhaps I should? However, I’d rather be in the garage building a viking sea chest, or finish my viking boat!
For work, I am constructing an old tenon and mortise timber structure, and I appreciated your advice about them! It is so much work cleaning out the mortise…three hours! i am struggling to discover another way of doing it to save time…without buying any expensive tools!
Take care mate! Keep making sawdust! God Blesss you! And your boy!
Thanks for the feedback Dan. It’s nice to know someone actually read this stuff. Keep in touch and keep makin’ sawdust!