Friday, July 31, 2009

The Folding Rule...

The Folding Rule

I would be going to Columbus next Sunday to spend a week in a Windsor Chair instructor training class. I had many of the tools I would need packed into my tool box but there were a few last minute additions I needed to track down. I needed a folding rule… Where did I put it? Oh yeah it was in my oak toolbox. Now my oak toolbox is on the top-shelf in the classroom. I went into the classroom, hefted the toolbox down and gently set it on the workbench. As I lifted the lid, my eyes were instantly drawn to the folding rule in the top tray – the folding rule with all the numbers worn off. A wave of emotion swept over me and stopped me dead in my tracks. I had to close the lid, stop and compose myself. That rule was not the rule I was looking for. That rule was HIS rule, and the numbers were worn off by HIS hands and he was gone. I would never get to see him slip it in and out of his blue striped bib overall’s pocket again. I would never see that rule in his hands, hands that were so frail from 95 years of wear, yet so strong from 95 years of wisdom. I would never get to hear one of his wonderful stories again. He was my Grandpa Virgil and he was the reason I love working with wood. As long as I can remember, I loved spending time with Grandpa. He had wood and he had tools, but most of all, he had a desire to share. He shared his knowledge, he shared his passion, and he encouraged my brother and I by allowing us to help him. When I saw that rule, all these emotions and memories came crashing back in an instant.
…and in that instant I really missed my Grandpa.
Over the next couple of weeks, I thought about that moment, and I asked myself :
What am I doing to make a difference in a young person’s life? Was I doing the things that would spark the same emotions from someone in my family? What kind of legacy would I leave when I’m gone?
I challenge you to ask yourself the same questions. The school woodshop is all but extinct. The youth of today need people with a passion for woodworking to share that passion with them. In this age of television, computer games and video games, kids need someone to encourage and mentor them. There isn’t a structured environment for kids to develop an interest in woodworking, but you can help to create one. My son was helping me in the workshop at a very early age. His first project was a miniature table and chairs set he built for his mother out of scrap wood he found in the workshop. He drew the pieces out and would ask me to help cut them. It wasn’t a masterpiece; no instead it was a treasure which we still cherish some 15 years later. Our last project was to make a “New Yankee Workshop Episode.” Three recipe boxes in 35 minutes, complete with all the bloopers was something to remember all our years in the workshop together before he went off to college.
There are many safe and fun things to do with kids in the shop. The scroll saw is a safe tool where the only limits are your imagination. The lathe offers a tremendous opportunity for fun, simple projects. You can turn a wooden pen in less than one hour. I must warn you this can be very addictive! What a great way to personalize Holiday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or birthday gifts. What a great way to help kids build self-esteem and confidence. You can show them how to create a treasure with their own two hands.
The patina on Grandpa’s folding rule was like that of a fine old antique. It wasn’t created in a single week, not even a year. It was created over a lifetime. You too can make a difference in a young person’s life by sharing your passion for woodworking. It may take a lifetime but the payoff is well worth the investment.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

What's on your Bucket List ?

I was talking with a customer in the store about woodworking, politics and life in general when I asked him if he had seen the boards I was going to use for the Spice Chest. He hadn't so we wandered over to bench where the boards were. "Wow" he exclaimed, "these boards are too nice to be cut up for a spice chest, they deserve to be a pie crust table or a small tea table." Well, you know a pie crust table is on my bucket list I said to him and we debated the virtues of using these boards for the spice chest or a tea table with ball & claw feet. That whole conversation got me thinking about my woodworking "Bucket List". I have always had a list of projects that I wanted to do but I hadn't ever really written it down. So I thought it was a good time to look over my mental list and write it down.
So here is my "Bucket List". The first thing on the list was to build my own toolbox. So when I saw a toolbox plan in Woodsmith # 85 I knew I had to build it. It was a great challenge, mostly because it had a lot of drawers and a top that had to be neatly fitted. It was a project that I did early mornings at the store and it is now a centerpiece in the classroom.
The spice chest was a project on the list. The spice chest has a lot of drawers that are hand cut dovetails. This is a skill that I wanted to master so I chose this project specifically for that. I also think this project has a great historical appeal, it was a centerpiece of the house to hold your valuable spices and if you knew how to get into the hidden drawers then who knows what you might find!
I have always wanted to do a pie crust table. This is a project that would challenge your skill level in several areas. This is a piece that would call for great turning skills. You would have to turn the center column as well as the pie crust top. After you do the turning then you better have fine tuned your carving skills for the pie crust rim and the ball and claw feet. I have the plans, I have some of the wood, I have a lot of practice to do before I tackle this one.
I have always wanted to build my own workbench. A BIG, MASSIVE one that wouldn't move when I went to use it. The problem I have is that I don't have the big massive shop to put it in or build it in. This project would be a challenge, Can you make the top flat?, can you build the dovetailed Tail vise to the tolerances required to make it work well?, and oh what fun to build the storage module underneath!
In addition to projects there are skills that I spend a lot of time focusing on. These would include:
Sharpening, I am on a quest to learn as much as I can about what a sharp edge is and how you can achieve it consistently. Once you begin to understand what sharp is you will never work with dull tools again. Woodworking is so much more fun with sharp tools.
Finishing is another area that you can never learn enough about, There are so many different finishes, stains and dyes that you can literally spend day and night studying how all these finishes interact and how they can enhance your woodworking. Remember that most people will judge your woodworking by the finish you apply!!

Design is an area that I need to work on. I can build anything you put in front of me if I have the plan, but if I have to draw the plan I am in for a lot more trouble.

I suppose as time goes by I will add projects to my bucket list, and certainly I will finish some of the projects. Each project I do will help me to build the skills I need to become a better woodworker. What's on your bucket list??

Monday, July 20, 2009

When something seems wrong ...

Have you ever done something that didn't seem just right but you did it anyway? You know that the old woodworking adage is measure twice and cut once! Well this last week, more than once, something didn't seem right and it wasn't, but I didn't listen to my inner voice. The first thing that wasn't right... I brought a Saw Stop table saw home, as I am setting up a shop in my Garage. I was all excited and wanted it to be just right so I put a new blade and a new zero clearance insert on the saw on Tuesday evening. I came home on Wednesday and decided to cut through the zero clearance insert. On came the saw ... I began to raise the blade but it was hard to raise. I checked several things, but all seemed well, must be harder to cut through than I imagined, so even though it didn't seem right I just turned the crank harder!!! BANG !!! I tripped the cartridge and busted the new insert. I knew instantly that I had left the riving knife in the saw and by forcing it the riving knife hit the blade and tripped the cartridge. So much for my new blade and insert.
The second example was not woodworking related but just the same I didn't listen to my inner voice. We decided to paint our foyer. I went and got on my "old" painting clothes, a pair of white shorts with orange trim and an old white t-shirt. As I was trimming I had a drip which I wiped up with my finger and decided to wipe it off on my old painting shorts. Now just as I got ready to wipe it on my shorts... a momentary pause, you know there should be a lot more paint spots on these shorts because I do this all the time when painting. Oh well they must have come clean in the last washing or two. On went a big gold spot of paint. I didn't think any more about it until I was putting away a pile of laundry that I had neglected in the chair for my dresser. I got to the bottom of the pile and what did I find? My painting shorts, the white one with the orange trim and all the paint spots. I immediately thought back to the instant of hesitation and once again I should have listened. I now have two pair of painting shorts! The moral of the story. If it seems like something isn't right, its probably not, so stop for an instant and double check. You might prevent a lot of aggravation!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Spice Chest Project

I have always had a goal to do certain woodworking projects. One of these was a spice chest. I chose pieces that I thought would be a great challenge. These projects would stretch my woodworking abilities and showcase my skills. I had not found a project plan that really piqued my interest until I saw this spice chest article in Fine Woodworking by Steve Latta. After reading this article I knew it had to build it. I will not tackle the inlay on the first one but when you see the wood I am going to use you will understand why. I purchased the complete set of plans from Fine Woodworking and am anxious to get started on this project. I invite you to come along on this project and share the progress with me in this Blog. You won't be able to feel the wood, or smell the sawdust but I hope you will enjoy building this Spice Chest with me.