Friday

Part 2

Part 1
Now, where was I when I realized I had too many beers in me to write... Oh yeah, I was rambling on about wanting to become a woodworker.
Anyway, I didn't really build anything until we bought our house 10 years ago and I had the whole basement all to myself for building things. I slowly started to gather tools, which I also needed to renovate the house with, it was built in 1914 and had little done to it since then except in the 70's when it had a little work done to make it into rental, in other words, some very cheap and shoddy cosmetic work, it needed help.
As I started to get tools I also started to build things for pleasure, small wooden boxes and then drawers and cabinets, this is a combination small box and cabinet, about 14 x 16 inches, then I chopped off the ends of two fingers and didn't build anything for two years. I was afraid of my tools. I finally signed up for an evening class using only hand tools, no machines, and finally got back into it and started making more complex things like a coffee table and the headboard for the bed. My tools don't scare me anymore, but I'm much more careful with them.
For years now I've wanted to learn to build windsor chairs, to me they're the pinnacle of woodworking, and done traditionally entirely handmade, no power tools. A few years ago I was signed up for a course but things didn't work out well and I didn't get to attend the class. This year though is going to be my year. I'm taking the class, hopefully I won't have to quit my job to do it ;) I'm cleaning out my workshop and remodeling it to be more efficient, I'm going to build a proper workbench and get some new tools. Yes kids, the Lars is starting a new part of his life.

8 comments:

Günter said...

Das Leben besteht nun mal aus Veränderung und das ist sicherlich nichts schlechtes

Lars said...

Es ist auch wohl an die Zeit, ich brauche dringend was neues.

Günter said...

Ein neuer Partner?

Lars said...

Nej, er wird gar nicht weggehen. Vielleicht soll ich ein paar Freunden denn aussuchen;^P

Anonymous said...

you lost parts of your fingers? oh man that must really hurt! i like my fingers, thats the reason i dont use any tool

Lars said...

Nur die fleischige Teilen zwei Fingerspitzen, sie sind meistens wieder zurückgewachsen, aber ja es tat wirklich Weh, und kann noch Weh tun, man lernt.

Anonymous said...

Wow i when i look at the things you´ve build so far are you sure, that you are no woodworker already?
And if you want to change then go for it i think it´s important to do something you really like, and for the fingers ... uhhh that´s something that really scares me you know, if i imagine i would loose my fingertips --> no more guitars, i can totally understand that you were a little afraid of those machines for a while ...

Lars said...

Yes Zing, I'm sure that I am not yet a real woodworker, I'm working on it though ;^)
The thing with the fingers is scary. It was my left hand so not as bad as it could have been, though bad enough. The middle finger got hit the worst, it's the longest, and will never be quite right, both fingers even after several years are quite sensitive. Live and learn.