Top 10 most enjoyable aspects of woodworking

1. Nailing a Sketch – I almost exclusively wrestle with the design portion of a piece of furniture. The first 95% of the design process is agony, between 96% and 99% it’s quite enjoyable, and the last 1% is amazing. Persevere, no matter how frustrating it gets.

2. Finding a Wooden Gem – The lumberyard usually has what I need, but it rarely has anything truly surprising. That said, once in a while I come across something stunning and the design I spoke about above needs to be modified to suit the piece I’ve found. This hap­pens to me with both solid wood and especially veneer.

3. Breakout – Surprises certainly don’t happen each and every time I run a board across the jointer, but when they do it’s very enjoyable. Whether it’s curl in a piece of cherry, a bit of bird’s-eye in some maple or the incredibly straight grain of quarter cut zebrawood, there may be a surprise around any corner.

4. Sharp Carving Gouges – As many of you know, I like to add texture to an otherwise smooth surface. Not only is the pro­cess of designing the pattern fun, but carving it into the surface with a razor-sharp carving gouge is even better. But best of all is how it will feel afterwards, when you run your hand over the freshly textured surface.

5. Releasing the Vacuum – Not everyone has a vacuum bag, though they definitely should. Vacuum pressing is one of the most enjoyable techniques in furniture making. Having the ability to press veneer onto a flat or curved panel, or to press up layers of solid wood into bent laminations, expands what you’re capable of making and allows you to more easily create impressive pieces of furniture.

6. Reaching for My Festool Domino – Although they aren’t cheap, a Domino allows me to create strong, durable mor­tise and tenon joinery at record speed. Woodworking isn’t always a race, but when building is your profession, speed sure helps. It may be hard to justify the cost as a hobby woodworker, but if you can somehow squirrel away a few dollars here and there, you won’t be dis­appointed in the long run.

7. Seeing a Fixed Mistake – I’ve been working wood for over three decades, but I still make my fair share of mistakes. I sometimes feel I make more than my fair share, but that’s another story altogether. Re-making parts is painful and frustrating, so when I’m able to somehow make a mistake look like it never happened, it’s impossi­ble not to smile, breath a sigh of relief and never mention it to anyone.

8. The First Coat of Finish – We’ve all had the same experience. The piece has been nicely sanded, a finish has been selected and the first coat goes on. Even with high expectations, I’m often surprised by how great wood can look with a fresh coat of wet finish.

9. Standing Back and Admiring – Once the hardware has been installed, the doors have been hung with care and the surfaces buffed with wax and #0000 steel wool, it’s finally time. Stand back and take in your latest masterpiece, as it really doesn’t get any better than this. And if there is a tiny mistake or imperfection, not to worry; we’re hardest on our own work and nobody else will even notice it.

10. Telling Others – We’re Canadian after all, so there’s no need to get too boastful, but the look on someone’s face when you tell them you made that beautiful piece of furniture in your home is quite enjoyable. So many people think furniture and wood­work can only be bought at stores, so it’s nice to be able to surprise them.