That would be as in “know your limitations” and find a way to work through life anyway. The actual one-liner was delivered by me to my daughter Faith, as she worked her way through a fairly difficult bit of woodworking. She gave me permission to post it here and to use some of the wonderful photos. So, I might just be making up for that sub-500 word Cherished Blogfest post.
“You are neither plumb nor level”
The raw slab. She wants that section with all the damage
This started when Faith decided that she wanted to make a set of bookends for a friend. She liked the ones I had made last winter and was hoping to find a similar hunk of wood to use. The store where I bought that wood is 30 minutes north of our house and Faith is 45 minutes in the other direction. That’s a lot of driving to maybe find a piece of wood. So, we decided to use Facetime. I drove to the store and walked around the wood room pointing the camera at anything and everything interesting. They didn’t have much. This kind of wood comes to the market in waves, and, apparently, we are in a trough.
After ruling out all of the smaller pieces, I turned the camera to some large boards. We spied that mess at the right, tucked in with some thick slabs, and I took it out for a closer look. Faith was sold. She imagined that she could extract the interesting portion around those knots for the bookends. The remainder, she thinks, will make a nice bench.
A little information about that board will soon be necessary. It’s Black Locust. It’s about 6’ high and 2” thick (182 x 5 cm). It’s heavy. That board weighs about 60 lbs (27.3 kg). That wood is hard. Very hard.
Since Faith was thinking ahead to that bench, she wanted to preserve some long stock to use as legs. That meant cutting a rectangle out of the slab. The only tool I own that is capable of doing that is a jigsaw, and it’s barely capable. The first thing she needed to do was to drill two relief holes at the inside corners of that rectangle, so she could turn the blade 90° when she got there.
I gave her a cordless drill with a bit that was about half the size of the hole she needed. It’s easier to enlarge a small hole than it is to drill a large one in a single pass. I made today’s one-liner as she started to drill the first hole, holding the drill at multiple angles, none of them 90°
Realizing how critical it would be to have that hole perfectly perpendicular to the surface, she asked if we couldn’t somehow use the drill press. We wrestled the 60lb slab through the garage and up onto the drill press. Several clamps and outrigger supports later, she was ready to drill. Back on the saw horses, she missed the line a little, but she actually did pretty well considering that the blade only poked through the slab at the very bottom of its stroke. That causes vibration and makes the saw hard to control.
Once she set the target hunk free from the slab, she was on a roll. Surfaced, cut, arranged, cut some more, sanded, sanded and sanded, oiled and voilà, bookends!
This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s One-Liner Wednesday. Yes, I realize I exceeded 500 words. It felt good. You can check out the other entries, some of which are actually one line long over at Linda’s place.
If you have 7 seconds to spare, you can watch that slab make one pass through the planer.
I love these Father/Daughter wood projects. :-) Beautiful bookends, and I can only imagine how much they will be appreciated by the lucky recipient.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Judy. Faith has become quite handy in the shop. It always makes me feel good, Now to see what she comes up with for the design of that bench.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Be sure to post a photo please. :-)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will, Judy. Hopefully, I’ll be able to convince Faith to write a post about it. If not, I will :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am always amazed, Dan when I see your teeny tiny daughter at the work bench, surrounded by tools. Her friend is going to love the bookends. Thanks for being Faith’s FaceTime dad so she could get the job done – 1,000 points to you for that. Unfortunately, I have to deduct 500 for being gabby.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Mary. I’m pretty sure Linda said “have fun” and the whole “one-liner” thing is more a guideline than a hard and fast rule…I think… Oh well, I’ll pocket the 500 net points. It’s still a good day.
We have had some funny times in the shop, where Faith’s (lack of) weight has been a problem. Once, when she was helping me with a bit of car maintenance, I told her to push down harder on the handle of the vise, and she lifted herself off the floor. “OK, let’s turn that around so you can pull up on it.”
LikeLike
LOL. Faith needs to eat her Cheerios…or lift heavier tools!
LikeLike
I give Faith a lot of credit, Dan, because I know how difficult it is to saw through hard wood. Those bookends are beautiful and she did an outstanding job selecting where to make that final cut. I bet her heart was up in her throat hoping that she was making the correct cut and that cut would be exactly as she envisioned it to be. Great post!!! <3
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Amy. It really does make you nervous. You know that, once you make that cut, there’s no going back. She has a very good eye for what will look good. Her photography always amazes me. We take pictures of the same places, but her are always a different composition. I learn a lot from her.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I get involved in some projects like that and once you do it there is no going back. Meanwhile your heart is in your throat. I know I signed up for her blog but I don’t seem to get posts in my reader. I bet you both learn a lot from each other. :) <3
LikeLike
Beautiful work! And I love the one line, so very true!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. These did turn out very well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love wood. I like the look, the feel, the smell … and these bookends are beautiful.
I’m always amazed by creative people who can ‘see’ a piece of work from the raw material.
I LOVED Mary’s deduction of points for being gabby. BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
… but the back story was important :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. Mary runs a tight ship. I should have read her post first, then I could have told her “you’re full of crap” like her mother did :)
She knew that she was going to use that section, but it took a good long time to decide precisely where to make the cuts.
LikeLike
hehehee!! … and I’m sure Mary would have had a cheeky response to that too :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
:)
LikeLike
The bookends look great! I love the grain, and knot. She picked a great place to cut that slab to show off the knot and pattern of the grain.
Kudos, for going up to the lumber store and Facetiming Faith the choices! I love Facetime!
Looking forward to seeing the bench she’s got in mind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! The Facetime thing was amazing to me. I don’t use it often, but it really was like bringing her into the store. It’s pretty clear what the bench will look like. It’s certainly going to be heavy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool woodworking post, Dan. Happy hump day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Teagan. I hope your week is going well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Looking for another new strategy… to get out west. The last “light at the end of the tunnel” was actually a freight train speeding toward me.
Seriously though — beautiful work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish I had more contacts out there. As it is, I have very few.
LikeLike
Teagan, how far out west? Wish I had some contacts for you in Southern California! Best of luck! 💛 Elizabeth
LikeLiked by 1 person
:o Amazing, especially if you think that today I’ve gun-glued missing pieces back to mom’s disco ball and felt kinda proud.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You should feel proud. Any one who looks at a broken thing and says “I bet I could fix that” gets a gold star in my book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
:D Truth be told: amore noticed and he told me to do it. But I did.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fabulous Faith! I’m thinking here that I would never be able to produce such a fine pair of bookends. I can see that Faith truly enjoys her woodworking projects. What a great time for bonding, sharing, and learning for you and Faith. Have a super-duper day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Elaine. She does enjoy woodworking, and she’s getting better and better. I’m looking forward to her making that bench. It’s going to be hard, because that board will have to be planed by hand.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Quite a set-up there, Dan — you two do nice work! Hats off to Faith.
LikeLiked by 1 person
She’s really turning into quite a good little woodworker, Paul. Thanks!
LikeLike
Wow, those bookends are cool :-). Congratulations to Faith!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. They did turn out nice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those bookends turned out beautifully. Faith is so lucky that you she knows her way confidently around those tools. I cannot think of any of my friends or their kids (boys and girls alike) who know this. Great parenting, Dan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lois. I’m so glad she enjoys this hobby. Woodworking is still popular but I don’t know what the age range is. I’m guessing there aren’t too many 30-yr-olds. I hold I’m wrong.
LikeLike
Gorgeous bookends! :D The puppy didn’t enjoy the video very much, but I did!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my. Our dog hated it when I tested it last night. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m amazed that anyone could take that piece of wood and turn it into such gorgeous bookends. The closest I’ve ever come to woodworking was the wood-burning kit I received when I was 12, and I nearly burned the house down with it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks CM. she has a pretty good eye and lots of ideas. She’s also getting pretty good with the how to.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dan, this was quite a fascinating project! Congrats to Faith for producing beautiful bookends! Love the way you & Faith work together! Makes me smile! 💛 Elizabeth
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Elizabeth. We have fun. I’m curious to see what she has in mind for that bench.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me, too! Need a photo of that! 💛 E
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good job, Faith. Nice Coaching, Dan
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks John. She’s a pretty good student. And, she has a very good eye.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would say.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I watched all 7 seconds of that video and I liked it. I enjoy the woodworking stuffs. Reminds me of my grandfather and many happy hours I spent in the shop, “keeping an eye on granddad.” lol
Those are awesome bookends. Faith has a good eye, I say again. :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Faith does have a good eye, and she’s pretty good at coaxing her vision out of the slab.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love that piece of wood! I’m always impressed when people can pick up wood (or any naturally occurring object) and imagine all the wonderful things you could create out of it– it’s like what Michelangelo said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” She seems to have developed that skill well! I was thinking– oh standard bookends at the beginning of the post, but the pictures showed the unique grain and knots she thoughtfully chose–lovely work!
LikeLike
Thank you. We don’t often do “standard” anything. She has s very good eye and I think she had an idea of what these would look like as soon as we found that slab. It will be interesting to see if that slab yields an interesting bench.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Father – Daughter project; you guys are just like a pair of bookends! Good job to both of you. :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha, thanks. It’s interesting how it switches to me helping her, but that’s the beauty of passing on a skill.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The purpose in life for parents! :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great pictures and post. Whenever I see such pictures I remember my college days when I had to handle such projects. The only difference is that my projects were metal based, so I never worked on wood. We usually had these workshops Sunday morning 7 a.m. and I used to hate it because I would party around with my friends late Saturday night and I would be in no mood to wake up and head to college on a Sunday morning when people are still lying in their bed enjoying their sleep. However, I love the wood projects you work on. :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I also enjoy working with metal, but I don’t have many of the proper tools, so the work is never of more than a utilitarian nature. Getting up for school, or going to work when others were partying or sleeping off having partied, was never fun. I used to have to start work at 3:00 am on Saturday morning. So while friends were partying Friday night, I had to be careful or pay the price.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was so bored of these workshops that I switched from Mechanical Engineering (Science) to Arts. I’m actually glad I switched because before that I had no interest in reading, writing, history and even fine arts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, if that’s what brought you here, then I’m glad you switched.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Robinia pseudoacacia | Find Me A Cure