The year was 1993, when woodworking was still just a hobby for me, and my day job was an auto technician at a local service station in Tucson, AZ. I was really into Period Furniture at the time, and had just finished a cherry wood Queene Anne Highboy. The design incorporated beading strips around the drawer fronts for accent, and everything looked grand, a beautiful design well done. Mostly. In case you are not familiar with atmospheric conditions of different regions across the U.S.A., Virginia has a much higher humidity level than the desert southwest, which leads to wood expansion and consequently swollen drawers that won't fully shut on beautiful well made period reprductions. But we lived with it...and lived with it...everyday...for over two decades...not being able to fully close the drawers...and too busy to take the time to correct them...until two months ago. I had actually milled the replacement beading strips a year or two ago, but got busy until just after school started this year, and finally re-fit the drawers. Now at least twice a week I will say aloud that it is nice to be able to fully close the drawers.
Now that redo got me obsessing about some other projects completed over the years that need some retro work, like my first mandolin that needs some thinning and weight reduction, and a guitar back that maybe should be replaced because for some reason the outward dome shape became inverted, and though it sounds good, it looks not so good. And after finishing a violin reconstruction for a customer, I am needing to do a similar job on another violin my neighbor gave me that she would like to pass on to someone wanting to learn to play. Which brings me to the twenty year old boards.
When I first moved to Virginia, I purchased a stack of 10 to 12 foot white oak lumber and thought, "Oh Boy, the stuff I'll make with this!" And over the years I have made some stuff, but they lost their excitement, and so I still have some of these boards, and have decided to make new headboard/shelf units for us and our son. Refer to the Recent Project page coming soon. But I'll still have some left I bet.
Between bus driving and custodial work, which pays regularly, and luthery and woodwork, which is much more interesting but doesn't pay regularly, it becomes more difficult to convince the CFO (wife) that we should purchase a $2,500.00 spiral cutter planer, and when a woodworker must even bring into question whether or not to buy great new equipment, it's like staring into your vocational mortality. Will I continue doing this work? You can help by sending a check or cash to "Save the Woodworker". My address is on each page.
Now that redo got me obsessing about some other projects completed over the years that need some retro work, like my first mandolin that needs some thinning and weight reduction, and a guitar back that maybe should be replaced because for some reason the outward dome shape became inverted, and though it sounds good, it looks not so good. And after finishing a violin reconstruction for a customer, I am needing to do a similar job on another violin my neighbor gave me that she would like to pass on to someone wanting to learn to play. Which brings me to the twenty year old boards.
When I first moved to Virginia, I purchased a stack of 10 to 12 foot white oak lumber and thought, "Oh Boy, the stuff I'll make with this!" And over the years I have made some stuff, but they lost their excitement, and so I still have some of these boards, and have decided to make new headboard/shelf units for us and our son. Refer to the Recent Project page coming soon. But I'll still have some left I bet.
Between bus driving and custodial work, which pays regularly, and luthery and woodwork, which is much more interesting but doesn't pay regularly, it becomes more difficult to convince the CFO (wife) that we should purchase a $2,500.00 spiral cutter planer, and when a woodworker must even bring into question whether or not to buy great new equipment, it's like staring into your vocational mortality. Will I continue doing this work? You can help by sending a check or cash to "Save the Woodworker". My address is on each page.