Thursday, October 2, 2008

Things I Learned in the Shop Today

1. If you pound it hard enough with a mallet, it will fit.
1. a. Oh yeah...but it will split.
2. Tears shed on wood have grain-raising properties.
3. Titebond III has gap-filling, project-salvaging capabilities.
4. If you work with purpleheart, rest assured, you will get a splinter.
5. Sometimes it's best to walk away from a project.
6. Tiny pieces of wood are more difficult to work with than larger ones.
7. I might need bifocals.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kari,

It happens sometimes, to all of us (sniff...) But it does get better the next time in the shop. Unfortunately, it might require a trip to the eye doctor ;-)

Anonymous said...

My advice to you is to give in and come over to the "old side". For me, it was when I could no longer read the names on the medicine vials at work easily. Undoubtedly, I should not have let it get to that point (either at work or in the shop).

I find a cheap pair of dime store reading glasses works better than bifocals. Bifocals (or in my case, safety glasses with a reading glass area at the bottom) just leave me dizzy. I always have the wrong part of the lens in front of me.

I keep the reading glasses up like regular glasses when I am working and slide them down when I need to look at a distance (which is almost never in my very small shop).

Vic Hubbard said...

Love the new pic Kari! Cute hairstyle. You know you're one year behind me, and so it is only fitting you are needing bifocals now. I should have gotten them last year. My arms can't grow any longer, so this year I'm forced to get them. I hope I can adjust.

Anonymous said...

I've been in trifocals for years, bifocals for half a lifetime before that. Do it, you'll hate it till you get used to it - and then it will be a real help. Just don't look down when walking, especially when going up or down steps or a curb. And believe me, it's the trifocals that get in the way when cooking, woodworking and doing anything you need to see and do at arms length, suddenly visible only through small mid space of the lens! But when you need them they are the only way to see things at middle distance at all. Looking back, bifocals were heaven - so be not afraid!
Vincent

Anonymous said...

VC,

I for one thought your 7 things was funny. When you go to the eye doctor have him adjust the focus of the lower part to the length at which you do most of your work. My eye doctor had mine focus at arms nearly fully extended and they work great.

I got the hard line bifocals because they are historically accurate and had only a little problem adjusting to walking with them on.

Good luck.

Stephen

Anonymous said...

You gave seven really funny points about the trials and tribulations of working with wood and the only one your crowd focused in on was the bifocal one. I'm not sure what you can see in that result, but to me their views on your comments are a little myopic. It would seem their vision of woodworking discussions may be lacking in the peripheral.

Pat Caulfield said...

I buy a lot of cheap sets that I leave every where for when needed.

The ones used in the shop are from Woodcraft and in a couple of different magnifications depending on how close the work will be. Of course the ones I am wearing are never the right ones.

I look especially good wearing my wifes glass with the wild colors and the bead glass strap.

Kari Hultman said...

Thanks for the advice everyone. :)
Mitchell, well done--I love puns!
Pat, thanks for the visual!

Woodfired! said...

Hope you could see to get the splinter out. Have you ever worked with African wenge? Now they are splinters!

Kari Hultman said...

Mark, you are so right about wenge. I worked with it only once and thought "never again!"

Anonymous said...

Hilarious!!!!!!!!
If woodworking was easy none of us would do it as there wouldn't be any satisfaction with the finished product.