The Slightly Confused Woodworker

I am a bit more at ease today, having purchased my second new car in a three month period. While that sounds like it should be a bit nerve-wracking, I’m finding myself a bit more relaxed. Nobody likes making car payments, but my mind is at ease knowing that both my wife and I have two new and reliable cars, and that no sudden expenses will be exposing their ugly selves to us, and I also don’t mind saying that both vehicles are much more fuel efficient than our last cars. So with our vehicle problem out of the way for hopefully at least five years, this should free me up for at least a few woodworking projects over the summer, shouldn’t it?

This coming weekend being a holiday weekend, I had planned on getting a few things done in the woodworking sense. However, my father-in-law is installing a new kitchen and I had promised him that I would re-wire it on Saturday. Imagine my joy and surprise when I found out that it was knob and tube?? With that fun-filled day already taken, I thought that Sunday might be the day, until I realized that I would probably be spending much of the day at my mom’s house, as we usually do every year for Memorial Day weekend. Monday, the day itself, I am hoping to get a little more of the material prepped for my bench top build. I would also like to honor the members of the armed forces, both past and present, by letting the Stars and Stripes fly once again, and perhaps teach my daughter the lyrics to God Bless America and maybe perhaps the most important phrase ever written in regards to freedom-We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Though she is much too young to really understand the words, it really doesn’t matter all that much. There is a power in them that goes beyond mere reading comprehension. Just as I, as a little boy, was moved upon hearing the Declaration of Independence read aloud for the first time, though I barely understood what it meant, I think she will be proud to have said the words nonetheless.

So not this coming weekend, but the following weekend, I think will be my true return to the bench. In the meanwhile, I have chisels and plane irons to sharpen, and some sawing practice to do. I purchased my first Japanese style saw last week, one made by Marples. The handle is plastic and not so fun to grip, but the blade seems decent. Here’s what I’ve found out by messing with it for an hour or so…Firstly, the saw is no more accurate than a western style saw. In fact, it isn’t as accurate in my opinion. Maybe I feel this way because I’ve been using western style saws for so long, or simply because the Marples saw isn’t a very good one. At the same time, I’ve heard it said many, many, many times that Japanese style saws are much better for a beginner because they are much more accurate. Supposedly pulling the saw through the work stiffens the blade in the cut, making binding and kinking much less likely. That is completely false in my opinion. While this is the first Japanese style saw I’ve owned, I have used them before, and they bind and kink the same way as a western saw does. Secondly, I’ve come to the conclusion that Japanese saws depend much more on the sharpness of the blade rather than the accuracy of the sawyer. Sure, you should always use a sharp saw, that is a given, but extending your arms into the cut, i.e. cutting on the push stroke, is a more natural, and stronger way to saw. Japanese saws get most of their accuracy from the fact that the teeth are extremely sharp, effectively cutting the wood more easily. Again that is just my opinion. Somebody will argue with me and here is my rebuttal. Take most acts of strength and motion and tell me which way they go…Yeah, it’s forward. Bench press, throwing motion, running, walking, swinging a tennis racket or baseball bat. Why, all of a sudden, when my entire life my body and muscles have been trained to move and work forward, would I want to start sawing and planing backwards. You can say that sawing and planing on the pull stroke simply takes some getting used to and I will answer with the same sentence I just used. Why? I can saw and plane just fine on the push stroke. I cannot and will not deny the beauty and skill of Japanese woodworking and craftsman, I’m only saying that for the moment I’m happy doing what I’m doing. I will admit this, the rip side of the Japanese saw does a pretty decent job and made the saw worth the purchase, though I would still use my western style backsaw for joinery, such as tenons and dovetails.

After all of that it has just occurred to me that I really need to start woodworking again soon. God only knows what odd tool I’m going to find myself with next. I’m not one to wish the days away, but I’m counting down the days until I can woodwork without interruption for a few hours. I miss it. I miss the feeling of just starting a project and the optimism that comes with it. We all know that by the time the project is finished there will be some pleading, and cursing, and compromises involved. Still, that is what makes woodworking so much fun; every new project is a renewal of hope. So, I will try to be patient, and live every day to it’s fullest until the time comes when I can woodwork again, when I can take a few boards, and an idea in my head, and dream about what can be.