Wednesday, August 5, 2009

What Kind of Woodworking Do You Do?

Wasn't it Will Rogers who said "I never met an aspect of woodworking I didn't like."?

I'm all over the map with woodworking. There are just too many things I'd like to try.

I call myself a woodworker, but when people ask what I make, I always hesitate. Well, I've built a few handplanes, I've made a few pieces of furniture in different styles, some home accessories, a few pens, and then my voice trails off with a shrug. "Stuff", I say.

I've tried chip carving, string inlay, turning, rustic woodworking, spoon making, and now I'm trying carving-in-the-round.

I've mastered nothing, but I'm sure having a good time playing at woodworking.

I've found my passion in a general sense, but can't say that I've discovered that one aspect of woodworking that is really "it." I even totally stink at certain things, like my latest craze, carving-in-the-round. But I'm determined to "get" this. I would really like to be able to reproduce the antique handplane in the photo.

Understanding carving and making your knife or gouge do what your brain wants can be two different things. I know you rough out a shape, then work in levels, from high to low, gradually removing more of the waste area. I also know you always carve downhill, from a high spot to a low spot. But that's all I know. It's a challenge, but I would like to be able to claim to be a Woodcarver someday.

Some people can readily answer the question "What kind of woodworking do you do?" Some cannot. And for those of us who love every aspect of woodworking (except for turning--I'm not wild about that one), perhaps there's another term for what we do.

Jack-Of-All-Woodworking, Swiss Army Knife Woodworking, Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Woodworking, Evolving Woodworking?

I know....FUN Woodworking!