This is more of my story about getting back in the wood shop – part 1. A moment back in the wood shop is sufficient to lift my spirits and elevate my mood. The whole day there can be a lifeline.
I’m not always in a good mood when I get here. Sometimes, I feel blue about the world I have to deal with outside my shop. It’s not always a blue day but, occasionally, it happens.
Wood Shop As A Mirror of Myself
Inside, I find succor for my soul. The early day light and the lingering calm from the night renders the space peaceful and surreal.
My eyes roam the room. I just cannot believe that I get to spend another day here, in my wood shop, on my terms. I remind myself to accept those things which I cannot control. There is plenty on my own “lifebench”. Control that, indeed.
Ironically, a lot of my best work is born while working in this melancholy state.
This somber quiet in my mind allows ideas to flow. I recognize it as a form of meditation.
For me, woodworking is an outwardly way to express my feelings and thoughts. There is no preplanned path leading from here to there in my head. I do not think of that when I’m concentrating on my work.
All I know is that my heart starts pumping, I’m working up a sweat and the little gray cells in my brain are rearranging.
The wood stacked against the wall invites me to touch, measure, and imagine. I’m engaged. What can I start making today? My negative energy starts to dissipate. My positive energy recalibrates. Now I don’t feel so bad.
Free time in the Shop
I like coming to the wood shop when there is no deadline or pressure to do anything at all. When I catch time like that, I turn it into a good thing. Having “nothing” to do is calming and gives me time to think and plan the next day or the next week.
This is the free time that I wished for during the busyness of working. I treasure it.
Before I end the day, I always pick up, clean, sweep, walk out and close the door.
When I return the next day or the next week, that serene calm wraps round me once more.
Many woodworkers have felt this.
Mindfulness Keeps Things Off the Shop Floor
There are times when I get so busy and preoccupied working on a project, the room and most things in it “disappear”. The only thing I have eyes for is the project. This, I believe, is true for a number of reasons.
Working on a project requires concentration. As the project comes together according to plan, I keep my mind on what I am doing. I keep my eye on that prize and on any sharp edge!
The wood, the tools, the vision, the plan – all are on my mind. Every moment I’m making micro-adjustments by hand and by eye. I don’t want to mess this up!
I don’t want to do a slip and fall, either. Injuries right now aren’t nice. The pain of a cut hurts badly enough. However, an injury, especially to the fingers alters how I hold a tool or do anything after that. It brings back a little bit of that novice trepidation from the time I was just learning.
My old shop teacher’s advice about the advantages of teaching myself to be ambidextrous painfully comes to mind.
Downtime is Still Shop Time
Free time in the shop is a time to regroup. I read my notes, review my wish list, and best of all, I play.
I experiment with my tools and pieces of scrap wood to see the effects of finishing, sawing, planing, joining, gluing, and anything else.
Its a good time to craft a jig for a future project.
All the articles I’ve bookmarked in books and magazines call for my attention. I do not consider any of that time wasted. I get a lot of great ideas that way.
I clean, wipe down and sharpen my tools. And I still research how tools work, even the ones I’ve had for many years. A lot of bad habits are reformed or corrected this way!
Hmm…I think I will comb through those tool catalogues again and add more tools to my dream wish list.
I play with a box of wood samples from my projects. It’s a “live” reference that I keep to remind me how well the wood and I got along. It’s just a handy aid when I’m envisioning future project ideas.
In addition to new wood, I use reclaimed or salvaged wood for my projects. A partial list of wood I’ve used for projects, big and small, includes:
- pine
- maple
- oak
- purple heart
- poplar
- butternut
- walnut
- ipe
- ebony
- zebra wood
- mahogany
- cherry
- aspen
- pecan
- ash
- hickory
- douglas fir
- alaskan cedar
- elm
- tigerwood
- plywood.
Sometimes, an idea or solution to a nagging problem may appear. I appreciate when I can just work it out in my mind. That’s even better, isn’t it?
Getting out of the wood shop: Lumber yard visit
Visiting the lumber yard at my leisure is something that I treat myself to. When I’m not in a rush to get wood for a specific project, I can walk around. That’s still shop time to me.
I see exactly what is in permanent inventory – the wood that is always in stock. Wood on my wish list may be there or only available through special order. I’ll find out how I can get it when I need it.
I take the opportunity to learn more about the lumber company’s policies regarding cutting large pieces and plywood sheets.
I have my favorites, of course. Red oak, at one time, was the only wood I used until I developed an allergy to the sawdust. Pine or poplar, usually plentiful and cheap, have their place, especially if paint will be the final finish.
Zebra wood, an exotic wood from Africa is one of my favorites. A computer desk that I made many years ago is my favorite zebra wood project. It can be difficult to work and it stinks like a zoo when it is sawn or planed, but it is a great wood to finish.
Walnut and maple are my other favorites. Ebony is an interesting wood that is almost too nice to cut. It finishes beautifully. I just love to look at and touch it when it’s polished.
Mesquite and pecan intrigue me. They are rustic woods that transform into things of beauty when given the right treatment. Pecan is a challenge to work with, but I love the projects that I have made with it. Mesquite is on my wood wish list.
When I’m feeling brave, I pick a piece of wood I haven’t worked with. I bring it back to the wood shop to research its working and finishing properties.
The real cost of wood is more than money
Certain species of wood are difficult to find depending on where you are in the world. Lumber yards all over the country will ship wood to you. Often, choice of wood is based on availability and cost.
Increasingly, once plentiful wood species have been designated as endangered. Now, domestic and international trade in these woods and wood products is closely monitored and limited by environmental agencies. Add to that the fact that import tariffs have increased the price of all woods.
Every time I hear about trees being deliberately planted anywhere in the world, my heart smiles.
I am finding that the quality of wood, even in the best lumber yards has deteriorated over the years. That is not a good sign. Over-harvesting, fires, and mismanagement have contributed to the change. It is not going to get better any time soon.
It will take decades, if not centuries, for trees to grow. It is disheartening to think that the world’s resources are depleting so fast and won’t recover anytime soon.
Finding What You Need
in the neighborhood
Woodworkers consider themselves fortunate to have access to trees, fallen or otherwise, in their yards or on their property. After a storm or other catastrophe, word may make its way round about fallen trees in the neighborhood. It doesn’t take long for wood-hungry foragers to hone in. It’s like bees to clover!
Fallen wood or reclaimed wood – it’s appreciated the same. You just have to chop it and haul it away. Always manners please: when obvious, get the permission of the property owner of the tree or property before you haul it away!
I appreciate all the days in my shop. That’s why I try to get back to the wood shop as often as I can. As I said earlier, even melancholy days help me uncover the best parts of myself:
• perseverance •resourcefulness •humility •self-compassion •
Naturally, they are always within reach.
Take care of your shop self.
– Shirley J
♥️
