Over the past couple of years I have learned that I am not good at finishing projects. Looking back at my life, it is something that I have always suspected about myself. It isn’t something that is always easy to admit to oneself though.  I love the thrill of starting something new, but usually anything worth doing takes long enough to finish that it is no longer new and exciting.  Once a project is no longer new or exciting it is easy to put it aside to start a new and exciting project.

I have done that when renovating my house.  Ben’s room took years to finish, and that with help and encouragement from both my dad and Susanna.

I have done that in the workshop.  This past summer I added the last remnants of several unfinished projects to the fire pit.  They included a carcase from a storage shelf I started years ago before moving to Preston, pieces to a bed I was going to build for Will or Ben, and a section of maple butcher block I had glued up for a carving board.

I’m trying to limit the number of projects I have going on at one time.  This summer saw a few too many.  Two projects in the workshop (an island for the kitchen, and a saw bench for Will), a push to get the sailboat in the water before the water freezes, and painting the house trim.  Thankfully, Susanna has taken over the painting.  Unfortunately, I am still waiting for trailer parts to arrive in the mail – which makes it tempting to start a new project. But, I’m trying to focus on finishing projects.

The pieces from Will’s sawbench had been sitting around the workshop for a couple of months.  The boys were gone last week, and Susanna worked every night, so I had lots of evenings free.  I cut the last joinery out on the sawbench and prepared all the pieces for assembly.  I could have finished it last week, but since it was a project I started with Will, it seemed better to wait until he returned to finish it.

This morning we assembled the bench, and now I have one less uncompleted project hanging over my head.  Now to move on to finishing the other projects I have going on before I start any more.

 

I’m at a good stopping point in the workshop renovation, so I figured I’d start using the workshop.  Tie to jump into the kitchen island project.

This morning I milled the legs from white oak.  I spent some time thinking about how I would make the mortises and tenons for the project (8 total each to attach the apron to the legs).  The last project I had routed the mortises on the router table, and made the tenons using the table saw.   I thought about it, but didn’t really want to go that route.

I didn’t really want to do all the mortises by hand either.  So I’m using the drill press to clear out most of the wood from the mortise, and then cleaning it up by hand.  I made a mistake with the first one.  I should make the tenons first – then the mortise.  I made the mortise, and had to make the tenon to match.  I cut the tenon by hand.  It didn’t fit right off the saw – but it didn’t take too much to make it fit – so I’m pleased with how it turned out.   I also decided to make them haunched tenons.  I also plan on pegging the tenons – hopefully they are long enough to make it look decent.  I guess if I need longer tenons, it won’t be terrible to do by hand – I’ve only cut one mortise and tenon that I’ll need to adjust.

One of the advantages of doing things by hand – I’ll work on one joint at a time.  No need to set up the power equipment and batch the joints.  I can also listen to music while I do the handwork.  It is much more pleasant than using the big power tools.  Don’t worry, I’ll still use my power tools.  I have no desire to rip a 5 foot long piece of white oak by hand.  Nor do I want to take the 5/4 white oak and mill it down to 3/4″ without using the power planer.

I am feeling good enough with the workshop renovation to start the next project (using the workshop).  I am not quite done on the workshop – I still need to fix the trim around the new window and add trim around the other windows on that wall.  I also need to finish cleaning out the cut out area for the stairs (and finish the railing on the top).  However, I’ll treat those as separate projects and fit them in later this spring.

The next project will be an island for the kitchen.  I was inspired by the island built by Asa Christiana (of Fine Woodworking).  I plan to change the plans – his project is a little too large to fit into our kitchen.  I will make the island a little narrower and probably a little shorter (he didn’t give dimensions).  The base will be made from white oak, not butternut and the top from ash vice soapstone.

I’ll have to alter the design for more than the size.  Our kitchen feels narrow, so a longer, think island would be better.  I’ll put an overhang on one end (short side) and not the long side, but I will try to do the carving details that he added, and may modify some of the details on the legs.  It will be my first attempt at carving – it will be a good challenge (and I do have the Fine Woodworking article to help me).

Will helped me pick out oak for the legs yesterday.  I’ll try and get the legs milled this weekend.

It felt good to get back into the workshop after over a week out of town for work.  I took a little break from my workshop renovation to build a saw bench with Ben. He helped me mill the top from a piece of lumber (maybe wormy chestnut – I’m not 100% sure, could be wormy pine) before I left.

Last night he helped me get the legs cut from a piece of cypress I had below the barn.  He helped me mark out and cut the dadoes for the legs, but then got a little bored with the project.

I did most of the remaining work.  The stretchers are red oak (I had it laying around), and I didn’t make a bottom shelf.   I milled the lumber using the power jointer and planer.  However, I did nearly all the joinery by hand.  I can tell I need practice with the hand tools.

Ben helped me assemble the bench (glue and wood screws).   Tomorrow I’ll take the old workbench I made for the boys and put it on the second floor, leaving only the saw bench.  I have a thick piece of ash set aside to make the top of Will’s saw bench (when we get around to it).

One more project completed this year.  Now to the sharpening station (also spoken, “Kitchen table”) and sharpen some of my very dull tools.