Final Post

The title of this post may be slightly misleading, as I still have some posts that I want to share, but I want to take this opportunity to reflect back on my project. The biggest success in my project was how the stand came out.  I am extremely pleased with it, and feel really good about presenting it on Monday.  Throughout this project, I have learned a lot about time management.  I wish that I could have done more in the beginning of my project, as I have found that in the past few weeks I have been scrambling to complete my project on time.  I would have liked to be done with the building by now, so I could focus on the magazine article, but that didn't happen, and I still have to complete the woodworking.  Overall I am very glad that I decided to do the WISE program, it has been a wonderful experience.

Presentation Plans

• Present project idea, reason for building stand.
• Talk about my design, the aesthetic (influences), and the functional aspects
• Talk about some challenges I had in building the stand (new techniques, finishing)
• Present a selection of tools that I used in my project as well as some wood samples
• Talk about my research into woodworking as a business (costs, ways to sell work, how to have a larger profit margin)
• Talk about how my tools affect my working style/speed
• Talk about my magazine article and present my process for writing it

Sample Presentation

In the sample presentation last night (which was very good), I was unsurprised that the full time was not taken for her speaking section.  Even with Katherine's speaking skills it was hard for her to take up the entire time.  This is because a half hour of talking is a very hard for anyone to take up.  For my presentation I will have to carefully plan out my presentation time, so it is organized, and so it fills up the entire time.  To do this I plan on bringing lots of visual aids (tools and wood), and will go into detail on some of the techniques.

Some Reflection

Recently I have been looking back on the earlier parts of my journal, to see how I can improve my journal.  In the beginning of my project, my journal was not so great.  Mostly this was because I was not really doing anything on my project, so I did not know what I should journal about.  My mentor was super helpful about this, she helped me by making sure I knew exactly what I was supposed to be doing for my journal.  It is still hard for me to write about topics outside my hands-on work, but looking at my more recent posts, I am very pleased about how my journal currently is. 

Base Joinery

Moving on to the base joinery, which consists of a kind of half-lap joint that I had never cut before.  To prepare, I read Tage Frid's primer on mortise and tenon joints, and then I cut a practice joint.  It was surprisingly easy. 

I find that chalk rubbed in the cut-lines make them more visible on dark walnut.

One down!

Marking out the thickness of the column.

Halfway done.

Unfortunately one of my joints was too tight, and while I was fitting it, it snapped.  Luckily it was easily repaired with some glue.

All done.

So far this was one of the most fun parts of the project.  Most of the work has been milling, which is slightly boring, so it was nice that I was finally able to do some real joinery.  Iwas also very proud of the way it turned out, that (besides the one component breaking) everything went together very smoothly.  Overall I am very happy with the base.

Frid, Tage. Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking. Newtown: Taunton, 1986. Print. 

Thoughts About Final Presentation

I am beginning to brainstorm ideas for my final presentation:

• Bring in completed project
• Bring in wood samples
• Have slideshow of some interesting aspects of the build
• Answer a few of my research questions
• Present my magazine article

Power vs. Hand

As a follow-up to my post yesterday, I want to talk about why I could not earn a living with my woodworking, as I am currently set up.  When I first started purchasing tools, I only purchased hand tools, mainly because I could not afford or fit any power tools in my shop.  After a while I bought a bandsaw, a drill press, a grinder, and a router (all relatively small and inexpensive).  Why is this important?  Because about 80-90% of the time I have put in to this project so far has been milling.  Milling is making the wood the correct dimensions so I can cut joinery into it.  My current process it to use my bandsaw to rip the stock to the correct width, hand planing to flatten and square the faces, and hand sawing to cut the piece to length.  Almost every woodworker who makes money from making furniture has power tools to do almost all of these tasks, simply because milling by hand takes way too long.  If a task can be done more efficiently one way over another, it is unrealistic to do it the more inefficient way, and milling with power tools (using a jointer and planer) produce excellent results much quicker.  So to really start making money from woodworking, I would need to mechanize in order to reach maximum efficiency.

Learning Observations

Learning involves memorization.  This has proven to be very true about my project, however my memorization is different than most.  Mine is physical memorization, teaching my body to be able to plane more accurately, to be able to saw exactly to a line.  I have vastly improved my woodworking skills throughout this project.  Being in the shop regularly has really helped with this.

My project is a perfect example of how learning is inconclusive.  Although I already possess the basic skills needed for this project, at every turn there are opportunities to learn new techniques and improve my skills.  For example in the joinery for the base, the joints a modified version of something I have done before, but are slightly different. The person I interviewed, Chris Lowe, told me that it takes at least 10 years to begin to feel comfortable with this work, but even for someone who has worked as a woodworker all their life, there are always new skills and techniques to learn.

Happiness Revisited

I feel the most happy and contented when I have just completed something well that is very challenging, whether mentally, physically, or both.  This article on flow reminded me of something that my dad once told me; that nothing worthwhile gets completed in a 9-5 job.  Although this may sound like an insult to anyone who works from 9-5, it is not.  What he meant, and what this article explains, is that success is a "unintended side-effect of one's personal dedication."   That success and happiness are both things that come from stretching our bodies and/or minds to do things that we are passionate about.  In my project I am currently towards the lower part of the "flow channel."  right now the work I am doing is fairly repetitive, but is a necessary part of my project.  Soon however I will move upwards towards the more challenging region as I must begin working on some techniques that are very new to me, such as bridle joints.

IC Journal "Comfort Zone"

I class we listened to an essay about stepping outside your comfort zone in order to expand your horizons.  I agree with this attitude, and after hearing this I immediately thought of my experiences running.  When I was racing I always tried to push my comfort zone, so I wouldn't settle in to a slower pace.  For my project I need to try to push out side my comfort zone, which is when I work at a slower, more comfortable pace.  This will allow me to not only get lots of work done, but it will also allow me to learn how to work quickly and more efficiently.

Reading an Old Journal

For the past two weeks I have been reading the journal of a past WISE student who built a coffee table for her project.  It was very helpful to see an example of a completed journal in order to see what a full journal is like.  Some of the strengths of her journal include how in depth she goes when she describes her progress.  She gives the reader a really clear idea of what is going on with her project, and her progress.  I really enjoyed her descriptions of what she has been learning (such as tool use, lumber selection), her journals show clearly how she learned throughout the project.
Some things she could have worked on was that she never included any titles in her posts, which made them slightly hard to follow.  Also her journal could benefit from more goal setting and schedule making.
Overall I really enjoyed reading her journal, it gave me a better idea of what is expected from me.

Preliminary Timeline

In order to stay in a schedule, I have made a preliminary timeline.
3/9- Buy lumber
3/11- Figure out rough layout on lumber
3/18- Dimension lumber for post and base

Hesitation

Before every project I start, I always procrastinate a little. I worry about not having a complete design before I buy lumber, and I basically question every aspect of the project, over and over, in order to try and foresee any problems that might arise. Right now that is happening, so this weekend I plan on buying lumber, as a way of motivating myself to start right in.

Interview

Lowe, Chris, ‘Professional Woodworker’  “Your Approach to Woodworking”  Interview. 1/30/2012

Chris Lowe is a professional woodworker who was just finishing up his most ambitious project when I met up with him.  Lowe is working an organ case at Cornell patterned after a 17^th century German organ.  The Cornell organ is built with similar methods as the German – including hand planning all surfaces – to ensure an excellent reproduction of the tonal qualities.  The case took about a year to build, and weighs approximately seven tons. 

Lowe started woodworking by watching what his grandfather would do around the house; he would sometimes include him in making small projects.  With his father he built models, everything from wooden ships to planes.  In his senior year of college as an English major, he started wondering what he would do with his degree, so he began building a couple pieces and selling them.  After school he opened his business. 

Lowe usually finds clients by “word of mouth,” he never has to do any advertising.  Many jobs come as referrals from architects or home builders who know about his work.  For most projects he will do several rough sketches, often using design books for inspiration; one of his favorite styles is Greene and Greene.  He then meets with the clients to map out basic functionality and style options.  Once a rough design is figured out he will design the joinery and other details that do not concern to the client. 

The one aspect Lowe enjoys most about woodworking is being able to make people exactly what they want at a very high quality level; to be able to provide a piece that is not a compromise in design and construction.  The organ case is an excellent example of this.  The organ case will last hundreds of years and is the only one of its kind on this side of the Atlantic.  On top of being able to provide a useful and high quality product, Lowe also enjoys the hand-work associated with building, especially dovetailing and hand planning.  All surfaces of the organ case are planed by hand and where they are not covered by hand made mouldings, the dovetails in the corners shine as examples of old-world technique not used very often today. 

Working on the organ case has certainly been a challenge for Lowe, but most of his business traditionally comes from building custom kitchens.  It is these in these kitchens that Lowe is most proud of his design work.  He loves being able to reinvent the inside of a house, often taking out walls or adding windows, completely transforming the interior into something more beautiful and functional.  However, if he didn’t have to run a business he would like to make smaller furniture, such as tables and chairs, to be able to  use fine detailing skills.  He would also add more curved components, which are beautiful but add a large cost to the total cost of the project. 

            To come up with a cost for the project, Lowe makes a list of everything that needs to be done, from material cost, to hours spent on a specific part of the build.  He then adds a little extra to cover other costs, and to make a profit.  Sometimes he gives the customer a price, and they agree to it, but he usually tries to steer the customer towards a build first pay later system, as this allows Lowe to give a more accurate price, which saves the customer money, as he does not have to add on extra cost to give himself a cushion.  For the organ case, it was a flat price that they paid him; he even had a penalty if he delivered late.

The one piece of advice Lowe gave me was to not be scared about starting something.  He said that it takes at least 10 years to begin to feel moderately comfortable with any craft, and woodworking is no exception.  You have to start somewhere, so don’t be intimidated.