ckx707 said:
[blockquote]efmrrt said:
Have you given any thought as to what your doing this year?
#1 Build a real workbench
#2 Build a bed
#3 Complete at least 3 other smaller projects (less time on woodnet more time in the shop
)
#4 Insulate and heat the garage or make a shop space in the basement so I can get some shop time in the winter.
#5 Try some new finishes. Wipe-on poly is not the perfect finish for everything
P.S. I propose that we bump this thread every few months to see how we all do working towards our goals.
-Chris
[/blockquote]
Ok, it may be a bit early to bump a new years thread but with the upcoming holidays I'm most likely done woodworking for the year and I was curious to take a look back and review progress against what I set out to accomplish almost 12 months ago.
#1 Build a real workbench -
Done. It was a huge project but was sooooo worth the effort. This monster is now far and away my favorite tool.
#2 Build a bed - Delayed to 2014. The Roubo took up much of my woodworking bandwidth through the first half of the year and the last 6 months were busy preparing for and adjusting to life with our new baby boy and the few other small projects noted below.
#3 Complete at least 3 other smaller projects (less time on woodnet more time in the shop
) - Complete.
I made an
oak mallet. which came in very handy for the Roubo build.
I built an oak
bookshelf for our new baby boy's room.
Finally, I just wrapped up a
spalted curly maple and cherry treasure box that will be a Christmas gift for my daughter.
#4 Insulate and heat the garage or make a shop space in the basement so I can get some shop time in the winter - Delayed to ????. This project fell victim to indecision as we have been discussing bigger picture remodeling plans and the future vision for shop space is unclear. I may end up insulating the current garage shop in the interim but I'd hate to put a bunch of effort into it and then settle on tearing it down to add more space in a year or two. I did work on the Roubo in the basement a fair amount last winter but the noise was a problem with the bedroom directly above so this isn't a long term option. For now I'll just focus on non-woodworking projects and cruising WoodNet through the heart of winter
.
#5 Try some new finishes. Wipe-on poly is not the perfect finish for everything
- I'll call this one a success as I tried out a few new things this year. I used a 3 part homemade danish oil (Poly, BLO, and MS) on the mallet as well as the oak parts of the Roubo, I used a water based dye stain for the first time on the oak bookshelf, and I finished the treasure box with shellac (SealCoat) buffed out with wax.
Bonus - Another goal I was able to check off this past year was attending handworks in Amana IA. It was great to get to meet and talk to many of the premier hand tool makers and vendors all in a very cool old barn. Somehow I managed to keep my wallet closed most of the weekend but I did pick up a copy of "By Hand and Eye" which I was lucky to get autographed by George, Megan, and Chris.
I'm already starting to think through what I want to set out to accomplish in 2014 but I'll save that post for New Years.
How did your plans for 2013 turn out?
-Chris
