As it turns out this woodworking thing is harder than it looks. And sometimes, the simple stuff can be more challenging than you would think.

I am working on a Christmas gift for my father-in-law. Yes, I know it is September. Yes, I realize that Christmas is several months away. But after the way my first two attempts went, I am going to need all the time I can get.

This is going to be a quick post. A lot is going on in the shop and in the day job that is keeping me pretty busy at the moment. I love being busy. Downtime is really nice when you need a break but having a project going constantly means that there is always something to be done.

Boxes. Let’s talk about boxes. Simple right? Well, that is why I have said the same thing all along. This is a learning experience for me. You can watch all the youtube videos you want, and read all the books you can find. But at the end of the day, nothing beats practice. There are going to be a lot of boxes that aren’t quite square. There are going to be seams that don’t match up. That is just the nature of the beast. And unless you have found a way to get Titebond Type 1 apart, there are going to be some ruined pieces of wood.

One thing that I have to keep telling myself is this; There is no such thing as wasted wood. There are scraps, off-cuts, chunks, and bits. But as long as you learn each time you attempt something new, then the wood is not wasted. The time is not lost. As long as you identify what went wrong, then you can grow from each effort made.

I just finished reading The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F**k by Mark Manson. And in that book, he makes the statement “Action isn’t just the effect of motivation, sometimes it is the cause of it.” And I love that idea. Basically what he is saying to me is that just getting out into the shop (even if you just royally messed up making something as simple as a box) and working on whatever it is I am working on, will provide me with the motivation to keep working. He is right. I can’t tell you (my wife could) how many times I have started off working on something that should take 5 minutes and ended up working for hours.

Moral of the story here is that learning from a mistake is just as rewarding as completing a project perfectly. Whether it is through reading a book, working on a project, talking with a colleague or spending time with a parent. I hope everyone is able to learn something new as often as possible.

Thanks for reading another episode of me rambling,

-Blake

PS: Some products from projects that I have been working on recently (Amazon affiliate links);

Titebond Original – Amazon has this as a 3 dollar add on item. This is great to add to a larger purchase. I like to keep a second bottle so that when I run out mid-project I am not stuck having to run to the store for more

3M Sandblaster Sandpaper – This stuff is fantastic. Amazon has multiple grits available all for reasonable prices. It is another thing that never hurts to have around the shop. I keep a good amount of 80/120/220 grit on hand.

Red Devil Glue Scraper – This thing is awesome for taking off squeeze out glue so that you can eliminate a bit of sanding work (who doesn’t love less sanding?)