Surfacing Lumber

I have some more posting on the Welded Coffee Table and the Traditional Tool Chest build to do, but I was in the shop tonight working on some of the more boring, but rewarding, monotonous work in the beginning stages of any project; surfacing.

I forget sometimes why I do what I do.  Deadlines; spring housework; the insanity that is Kids’ Sports.  Honestly, what did I do before I had kids?  I must have been either really bored or really lazy.

I’ve been working mostly on commissions lately, hence the “deadlines” crack.  I made some commitments to some family members, and I don’t want to let anyone down, so I’m feeling a little rushed to get some heirloom-quality, hand-down-to-your-grandchildren solid furniture out the door.  I certainly don’t mind the commitments.  That’s what family’s about.  But I’m not a rusher.  I typically take my good-old time to make sure that what leaves the shop bound for someone else’s home is as near-perfect as this severely flawed mortal can conjure.

So, while I was picking through the pile of white oak from which I chose to build this latest project (it’s a surprise; I can’t name it just yet), I was thinking how ugly the wood I chose looked in the rough.  For as straight as that white oak was when I cut it down, it sure looked like it was going to be a bear to flatten out these boards.

I flattened one side on the jointer; still not impressed.  But once I started my surface planing routine, the beauty of the white oak started to show through.  I don’t write this lightly; I actually paused to look at what I was getting out of those boards.  Great color, great figure, just. . .nice.

I started to feel a little better.  Started moving a little more fluidly.  My planing routine is pretty regimented, and I’ll cover that in a later post, but it started feeling less like drudgery and more like woodworking.

The wood, man.  Remember the wood?  I think I do.