It was about a year and a half ago when I picked up a plane and started planing some scrap wood that Gavin had left lying around. He was just finishing up a tree bookshelf project and up until that point woodworking was just something Gavin did once in a while to get his ‘build something’ fix. The tree bookshelf was his third project, having already completed a piano bench and a coffee table. The bookshelf was beautiful, his first attempt at fine woodworking, and planing scrap wood was my first step towards finding a truly satisfying interest outside of my work.
I was captivated with how pleasing it was to plane. A good stroke produced the most beautiful curl of woodshaving and all I wanted to do was produce another good stroke. I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and building things. So far it was only something I did at work, like building microscopes, which I enjoy and am good at. I had started a few different hobbies which involved working with my hands, like knitting, and very briefly, building ships in bottles. But none of that stuck. There was something different this time, about woodworking.
It has been almost two years since that introduction, and my interest in woodworking has only grown. I have also wanted to write more, so this is the start of my blog. It will start as a woodworking blog, but I hope to eventually write about other things too. Hope you enjoy my woodworking journey!