I was thinking about that this week end showing my projects to one of my
friend. And suddenly it strucked me : I don't really care about the projects
: it's the fun to have/use tools !

Yes, it's a hobby for me...


a écrit dans le message de news:
...
How is it that we, as woodworkers, gauge our progress from rank amateur
to seasoned craftsman?

I realize that everyone's process is different, but I feel certain that
every woodworker has certain waypoints on his or her journey. For
beginners, it may be as simple as a straight cut with a circular saw.
For seasoned veterans, perhaps the hand-cut full blind mitered
dovetail.

For myself, I started in woodworking because I had an original idea for
a coffee table, and was too frugal (i.e., cheap) to pay someone else to
execute my design. Countless hours later, I had one hell of a sturdy
coffee table. There came a tremendous satisfaction in finishing a
project, even if it was nothing but a bunch of strips of plywood. That
was Milestone #1: Completing the First Project.

Another milestone for me was my first decent set of hand-cut dovetails.
It took 6 tries, and they still don't look 'good' but at least I
didn't burn these. Oddly enough, to date I have not used a dovetail
joint in a project I've built.

Some other milestones for me include first (good) M&T joint, first
working jig, first improvement to existing machinery, first commission,
first (good) panel glue-up, and first project SWMBO would allow me to
leave in the house. I may be using the Milestone moniker a bit
loosely, but you get the idea.

I hit another milestone today. It was this:
"Dude, those are way nicer than what you see in the stores." That was
my buddy, referring to a pair of end tables I made this weekend.
Admittedly, he furniture shops at Big Lots, but the reverence was
genuine.

Also, for some of y'all, there's got to be a point at which you don't
reach many more real milestones. The learning curve has pretty well
flattened out. I mean, is there ever a point at which woodworking
becomes purely rote execution, or is there _always_ a challenge in it?
For all the work I did on two end tables (and two accent tables last
weekend), I figure I've got small tables down cold. At least, small
tables with 2x2 legs and 4" aprons and dowel joints.

So what is the standard by which we measure our growth? First project?
First dovetail? First commission? First cabinet? Or maybe Last
cabinet, Mr. Watson?
Anyway, I'm rambling a bit, and was curious.

-Phil Crow