Just wood.....

Apologies for the long post....

The older i get the easier i am finding it to alter my stubborn ways in some regards.

Its taken me being more philosophical about things to be able to do this. Some of the "gear clamps " that have caused the reluctance to change have deep roots.

I thought i would share these thoughts for sake of others that may have similar internal battles going on cause not talking about subjects don't help.

So for years now i have admired Allens growth in woodworking.
For those who have been around since Allen joined you may recall the milestones. I am not going to repeat them here but i want to let Allen know his role in this post.

Years ago Allen made the point about " its only wood" if you mess up there is more of it on the trees. These are not his exact words so please dont beat me over accuracy i am lucky lately just recalling the concept.

These words have echoed in my head for years.

See, a hangover of my youth has held me captive in a prison, mentally so to speak.

I grew up, i find out in my adult life, poor. I did not think i was poor and never felt poor and frankly perhaps poor is not the correct word but it will have to do for now.

To help describe what i mean, i will refer to things myself and my neighborhood childhood friends cobbled together and how.

This is not a " well when i was a kid post" where an old geyser like me tells a kid to be grateful for what they have. Its about the mental side of personal evolution.

So there were no shiny new nails in our collective garages.
If there were, they were often not what was needed.
So we were quite content to remove rusted bent nails and straighten them.
Similarly for all sorts one would need to build things like a soap box or tree house or fort or makeshift rifles whatever.

So move forward and through education, hard work one gets to a stage in life where one can indulge in a hobby.
One buys the tools one dabbles, then a friend pops over and gives you some wood.

Now you have a problem. Initially you don't realize it. I certainly did not.
The pressure is immense. Nobody realizes this.

How come you have no problem with playing with construction ply, home depot 2×4's and other relatively cheap wood.???

Then you read a post by Allen and it makes even more sense, have enough on hand so if you mess up you can replace and carry on.

So i think thats it....and begin hoarding wood.

That just put even more pressure in the cooker.

Years pass by small projects get tackled but there is a fundamental avoidance towards using "the wood stash"

You stand back admiring it like a lifetime achievement, like its gold. But now you have a problem. No project is good enough.
Your skills are not good enough. You are not good enough or worthy enough to mess with this wood.
The wood becomes a mental anchor.

Then as you get older and friends start to pass on more and more you realize but don't wish to fully confront the fact that you have limited time left to do something with "that wood".

It dawns on you that were you to pass, this "wood" may end up in a scrap bin at the community recycling center along with a load of your other stuff.

Then a friend makes a post, and you realize, this could be you and what you would be faced with is looking at your stash but not ever being able to even mess it up ever due to physical change.

So......finally i have pushed myself off the cliff and i am going to use up what i have doing whatever strikes my fancy regardless of how highly i value that wood.

What the heck, the alternative is the thought that this could end up in a scrap bin.

Now, I know my stash is nothing like what some of you have in terms of quality wood, but i am taking a cue from Allens words and going to turn the stash over....what the heck its only wood.

In addition i openly acknowledge, the skills don't get better by NOT making sawdust.

So take tip from me, USE Up "that WOOD" before some relative ends up having it tossed in the bin.

So yeah, maybe cedar or Ipe would be better for an outside table top, but i got poor grade cherry i made a big mistake buying, and this stuff is going to get used. If it lasts a short while so be it. Then i will get Ipe and do it again. But the stash is going. Lol

Hope this helps someone to make more sawdust and use that stash.

Rob Keeble said:

...maybe cedar or Ipe would be better for an outside table top, but i got poor grade cherry i made a big mistake buying, and this stuff is going to get used. If it lasts a short while so be it. Then i will get Ipe and do it again. But the stash is going...

Click to expand...

You can always think of the cherry table as a 'prototype' for the forthcoming Ipe' one.

Bridle joints, despite their cross grain configuration, can be attractive.

I feel like I have gone full circle.

I started out "poor" like that which you describe using rusty bend nails.

Then I had some money and used nothing but shiny new nails - then screws - then really nice screws.

I also USED to use up any bits and pieces of wood - then NEW #2 pine - then clear pine - then hardwood - then "other" materials.
I then managed to amass a respectable collection of domestic and exotic woods and "other materials" that I have now.
No project is good enough, yet, to use that nice stuff, so I am in the wood store on every project to get what I need, yet my stash continues to grow.

I have already had the conversation about the "value" out there in the shed, with the kids in the event that they need to know, --- BUT.

Yeah I hear ya man - I need to use it.

This is my retirement bank account,

My ultimate plan is to not need to buy anything - after I retire.
The money stream will be totally GONE after retirement, and the ability to buy will be GONE.

So, I will then again be "poor" and need to use what I have available, but the bank account will have had deposits made through the years, and the account balance will be higher than when I was previously "poor" with a low to zero account balance.