15 Things I Learned In The Shop Today

1. When the dust collector is full, I need to empty it immediately. Turning it off and continuing to generate sawdust is a poor option. Breathing sawdust is why there is a dust collector. (repeat as often as necessary).

2. It’s great having lumber. It’s not great when you’re out of storage space. Again.

3. Jarrah is a pain to work with. Splintery as oak, harder than maple. And the dust is an irritant. Prices are going up.

4. I need to drink more.

5. Cutting board CAD is a thing. Designing at the computer, building in the shop … I’m getting better at what I do.

6. I need a drum sander. Really. I need it. I just don’t have anywhere to put it.

7. When the bee dive bombed me – again – while I was using the table saw, I was done playing. I discovered that a dust collector hose disposed of the problem, permanently. I need my dust collector.

8. Really big cutting boards need a lot of materials. A lot of work. The 17″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″ end grain monster that I’m finishing weighs 13 pounds and drank a half pint of mineral oil. Prices are going up.

9. I’m using my LOUD planer so much, Velda now hates coming into the garage woodshop. Mission accomplished.

10. Love my planer.

11. I can see the end of my gorgeous stash of 8/4 black walnut, and it is not a pretty sight. It hurts when I cut every new board from the lumber rack.

12. Finishing takes a lot of time, and I always under-estimate how long it takes to plane, route and sand the latest stack of boards.

13. What happened? Suddenly, my hands are drying out. But when I use the lotion Mrs M made for me … I’m good. Note to self: lotion works. Maybe Mrs M is on to something.

14. The problem with regularly using 10 kinds of wood: I’m always out of something. Yesterday, I had to go buy more yellowheart. Today, I used the last of the padauk. (sigh)

15. Why doesn’t Europe have prettier hardwoods? Except, of course, for olive, which is, a) never available; and b) insanely expensive.