Revisiting walnut
· 3 min read
It took me nine attempts to see the pattern. Most of the work happens before any cutting starts. Between planing boards and cutting dovetails, the second one taught me more. The shift showed up gradually, then all at once.
Before and after
I altered my mind about workbenches twice while writing this. The workbench is the first project and never the last. Oil finishes are forgiving, easy to repair and age beautifully. I design on paper first, then let the wood change my mind.
Good chairs is chiefly a series of little, unglamorous decisions. There is no single right way to approach planing boards, but some ways are kinder than others. The small things matter less than the habit of paying attention.
- Do less cutting dovetails, more designing a chair
- Start with dovetails and nothing else
- Do less designing a chair, more planing boards
- Revisit hand planes after a week
- Ask someone at the workshop
Where it started
Good furniture should last longer than the person who made it. The best advice I got was simply to slow down. Some of this will be self-evident; some of it took me years. I altered my mind about shavings twice while writing this. A sharp chisel is safer than a dull one, and much more pleasant.
A card scraper helps, but it is not the point. Between designing a chair and finishing, the second one taught me more. Between cutting dovetails and finishing, the second one taught me more. The hand-cut part is seldom the hard part; consistency is. The trick, if there is one, is to leave enough room for mistakes.
The middle part
The joint fit on the third attempt, which is about average. Below are a few jottings, roughly in the order I worked out them. A friend once described hand planes as quiet work, and the phrase stuck. The first nine weeks were chiefly about unlearning.
The result is not perfect, but it is truthful. Most of what I know about joinery came from getting it wrong first. Somewhere between the workshop and home, the notion finally made sense. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed.
Most of what I know about dovetails came from getting it wrong first. It took me six attempts to see the pattern. A friend once described walnut as quiet work, and the phrase stuck. I keep a short list of things to try next; finishing is near the top. It took me three attempts to see the pattern.
Little, repeatable steps beat big plans almost every time. I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer.
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