Monday, April 23, 2012

Celebrate the Journey!

 Remember the things you made when you first got into woodworking? Some of them are probably still in your home or the home of other family members.

Now that you’ve progressed way beyond that level of work you probably sort of wish those other pieces just didn’t exist anymore, at least not in a prominent place in the house, and even though there are some quite good pieces now in the collection it probably just irks you to no end when your family members are showing visitors around the house pointing out the pieces you’ve made and they always include the ones you wished they would leave out of the tour.

Yep…..,me too, but hey let’s get over it. The truth of the matter is this. You probably put a lot of time and effort into those pieces and even though you had not perfected your dovetailing and finishing skills and most probably assembled most of the components with screws in lieu of finely executed joinery, they probably turned out pretty good in spite of everything you didn’t know at that time. Why else would they have stood the test of time and still be in your house when the assemble in 10 minutes particle board stuff has long been gone to the dumpster?



After 4 years of construction we finally moved into our new/old house about 6 years ago. I was really torn about which pieces I wanted to transition into the new home and which ones I would have just as well left behind. We had the perfect place in our new kitchen for a corner cupboard and we had a pine corner cupboard that I had made many years ago and frankly was quite proud of at the time. I resisted the idea of moving that cupboard into the kitchen and for many years it was part of the furnishings my youngest son used in his living quarters in the Garden House. I knew I could make a much better piece and had good intentions to do just that.

But time passes and people want planes and I aim for them to have planes so the corner of the kitchen that so deserved a corner cupboard was occupied with an iron baker’s rack that I really didn’t like at all, but due to my stubbornness about the corner cupboard we were forced to live with it.

Recently our youngest moved into an apartment. When we finally settled down from the celebration of finally having an empty nest we had to decide what he was to take and what was to be left behind. We decided he should not take the pine corner cupboard to his new digs. I cleaned out the corner cupboard and went over the outside with a dark scratch cover liquid which in this case actually accentuated all the nick, dings and scrapes the soft pine cupboard had received in it’s years of service.




The cupboard combined with a table that I also didn’t consider one of my better efforts now resides in our kitchen and I have to admit I was wrong this entire time. Both pieces look very at home in their new location. Julie resisted the temptation to say I told you so, but I certainly would have deserved it.

Furniture is part of life. Especially when you’re talking about pieces made by someone in the family. Woodworking is a journey and those pieces that you’re not so proud of are part of that journey and were a necessary part of getting you to where you are now in your woodworking skill set. Don’t be embarrassed. Celebrate the journey!


Ron

10 comments:

  1. Nice post Ron.
    Woodworking is not the only journey, so is life. Many of the pieces I made in my early woodworking days have become the fabric of our daily life and the kids (now gone) see them as part of the fabric of thier/our life. A bench in the entrance way lived life without incident everyday in our household, I took it into the shop for a finish tuneup and one of the boys dropped by and was horrified thinking we got rid of it, even though no one had made mention of it before.

    Don't underestimate the impact those "early" pieces make on those around us - I am sure your son has warm feelings about the corner cupboard that seems to have gone full circle - and may yet again...

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  2. Well, my "early" pieces don't look half so good as yours, but my first three bookshelves are still holding their full loads of books (and now children, when they can get away with it) and haven't collapsed yet. They've earned a permanent place in the house by virtue of sheer tenacity

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  3. Hey Ron, Those are beautiful pieces and they look perfect there. By the way, Julie asked me to tell you, "I told you so." :o) It is funny but my best pieces from earlier on are upstairs in two bedrooms, neither of which is being used. Nor do they look as beautiful as yours but I really enjoyed the post. Thank you, Fred

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  4. The corner cupboard looks great there, Ron! Much better than the bakers rack! I remain envious of your home. So beautiful. I really appreciate the tour last year.

    Jim

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  5. Ron,

    You're right as usual.............Julie knows best.

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  7. So FJ what you're saying is that I'm right when Julie's right.....right? I can accept that. (Grin)

    Ron

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  8. Ron, The corner cabinet and table look great in your kitchen. I gave an early coffee table to my son when he moved out to get married. The table was built before I understood the importance of squareness and that wood continually moves. I've begged them to let me build them a new table but for some reason they like the out of square and split wood top table. It is okay to keep less than perfect work but never give it away or it may haunt you the rest of your life.
    Lloyd

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  9. You're right Lloyd, I know there are some pieces out there that will continue to haunt me. By the way I really enjoy your Cabin Woodworks blog.

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  10. That is a beautiful house, Ron! I personally want to own a house with this kind of ambiance - very peaceful. It's the kind of place I would love to live until I get older. I hope that you are doing your best to keep this house in shape so it could live for many years to come. This would make a priceless thing to pass on to your family's next generation.


    Kristopher Washington @Paramount Title Corp.

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