What's the best feeling?

[Just George]

There's been thread here lately asking "the best this" and "the best that"

But what is the best woodwork feeling?

Today I spent time dressing old recycled timber. It was old, it had paint on it as well as some sort of stain/clear lacquer.

This is the second stage of cleaning this timber ready for use. The first was to de-nail it ready for the jointer and thicknesser.

It was an awesome feeling as I lifted it from the jointer table, turning it over to reveal what had been covered by paint/stain-lacquer for decades.

Then I guess comes the feeling when the project comes together when it's finally finished but cleaning up old timber is magic.

[journeyman Mick]

Finishing our dining table was a pretty good feeling. Finishing any project is pretty good, but in the case of our dining table I went out into the bush and cut down the tree, docked it up, snigged out the logs with my 4wd, winched them up on a trailer, took them to a mate's mill, took them home and stripped and stacked them etc etc etc until voila! quite a few years later a table (instead of the sheet of ply an two lengths of pine stud across a couple of saw horses which had sufficed for about 4 years:B ).

Mick

[Sir Stinkalot]

Almost as good as Micks .....

Using a piece of timber that was destined for another fate such as firewood, or decking.

[martrix]

It was an awesome feeling as I lifted it from the jointer table, turning it over to reveal what had been covered by paint/stain-lacquer for decades.
That would probably be it for me too. Either with a freshly sharpened hand-plane or a buzzer.

Finishing a project is not to high on the list of satisfaction, as I am usually over it by the time its almost finished.:rolleyes:

[Ticky]

Yeh, I'm with Mick. Making a project from a piece of tree rather than a board from the wood yard. Recycling old timber is right up there though. I love to recycle Jarrah.

Steve

[Harry72]

The best woodwork feeling... when its finally finished signed sealed and delivered!

[Knurl]

I agree with all of you. It's all about giving a piece of wood a new lease of life....the older the better. Even a piece out of the wood-bin (may not be that old really) and turning it into something useful. Timber deserves as much.

A sharp saw biting into a work-piece.
Running one's hand across polished timber.
Finishing that long long project.
A jig that works perfectly."...these are a few of my favourite things. When the dog bites, when the bee stings....":SOM 1965

[HappyHammer]

Having all the time you want and need in the shed.....

Knowing that you don't have to rush and you can potter around in the shed doing little bits and pieces without fear that you've wasted the little shed time you have.

I can't wait to retire.....

HH.

[rat52]

Planning, making the jigs is the best part for me. By the time the job is done I'm usually bored with it.

[Just George]

I'm with Matrix and Rat52, when a project is near completion, I'm usually bored with it too...

[silentC]

when a project is near completion, I'm usually bored with it
You last that long? I'm usually bored with mine before I even start. The best fun is in thinking about what you're going to do and how you're going to do it. I can do (and have been doing) that for years at a time.

I'm almost ready to start the kitchen island bench I've been planning for the last 18 months but I've changed my mind on how I want to do it now, so it's safe for another few weeks at least...

[derekcohen]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Thebest1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Planes/Thebest2.jpg

.... some weeks later (who is counting... :no: :U ) ...


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Furniture/ChestofdrawersforJamie.jpg


Regards from Perth

Derek

[Groggy]

I can relate to that Derek. I had the LV 4 1/2 out the other night and the shavings were jumping off by themselves. One of those effortless smoothing jobs where everything went right (I took off as much as I could without stuffing the job up - is that a bad thing :- ) , I looked for something else to plane but it wasn't to be :(.

I love it when you get in the groove and everything is 'just so'.

[zelk]

I'm with Rat52, I love my jigs, it's only a year or so later that I sit back and admire the piece made.
Zelk

[Just George]

The project that caused this thread has progressed a little today.

One of the end results will be a small bookcase to sit on an existing desk.

I surface planed the timber yesterday but ran out of time to thickness it.

I gave my little GMC Thicknesser a workout. Each piece went through 3 times - there are 40 pieces. The poor little thing stalled twice so I gave it time to cool down and then on with the job.

I'm very proud of the thicknesser, it came through with flying colours, at times it was labouring, the end result however is awesome.

[Lumber Bunker]

Wiping on the oil and seeing the timber GLOW for the first time it never looks as good again..

A close second.
Re-sawing a 12" wide board with great figure and opening it up to revel the book-matched pattern. Just great!

[Just George]

I gave my little GMC Thicknesser a workout. Each piece went through 3 times - there are 40 pieces.





This filled my dust extractor bag to the brim and then a little.


Thanks to those who supplied this recycled timber...

[AlexS]

The best woodwork feeling... when its finally finished signed sealed and delivered!

...and paid for!:2tsup:

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

As a turner, I reckon nothing beats the feeling when everything comes together and the curlies start flying over the shoulder in one perfect, continuous streamer.

On one occasion I happily turned a $50 blank I'd bought especially for a job away to nothing, it's that sort of feeling. :D

[Wood Borer]

I'm with Derek and SilentC.

I get a thrill out of designing the piece and then hearing, smelling and seeing those wonderful shavings all leading to the original idea becoming a reality.

[Groggy]

Have I had one too many, or can I really see a silly dog face in the lower right corner of Derek's work? :D

[derekcohen]

Amazing Groggy. I built that about 4 or so years ago, and that was the exact comment of someone at the time! :U

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Groggy]

Amazing Groggy. I built that about 4 or so years ago, and that was the exact comment of someone at the time! :U

Regards from Perth

DerekHey, I got an idea - cut it out and sell it on eBay - you'll be a hundredaire at least. There's always someone on the lookout for a dog with a wooden expression...


groan..

[derekcohen]

...There's always someone on the lookout for a dog with a wooden expression..

What about this one ... Aura the bench pup. :U


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a262/Derek50/Other/Aurathebenchdog.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Robynb]

Aura definitely took the cute pills that day!

[RufflyRustic]

I'll say!!!!

The best feeling?
When the muse hits, a design appears in my head, practically builds itself and turns out brilliantly!

:D

[BobL]

Some of these are pretty good;

Treasure hunt: When rummaging through a pile of firewood and suddenly a piece jumps up at you and stares you in the face and says "I want to be a _____"!

Or

Feeling of Relief: You finish a specific task or even sub task and there without any visits from the F_up Fairy.

Or

Beyond expectation: You start the finishing process and the grain pokes you in the eye and says "How about me eh"?

Or

Amazement: You have a limited amount of timber and manage to get exactly the right amount out of the pieces with the leftovers being only the sawdust from the cuts.

Or

Beyong Design Expectation: The appearance and operation of what you make turns out better that your original design (Very Rare)

Or

Justice: You bought that whojar-fandangler 5 years ago and haven't yet used it. Finally you're half way through a project and realize that it will be danged handy at this point in time.

I guess for me the best feeling for me will be is when all of the above come true in the same project.

Cheers

[Groggy]

Derek, while the bench pups are useful and perform well for their given application, I prefer the bench dog as they are more robust, require less skill to handle and are less prone to mess.

[derekcohen]

Groggy

She (?) looks more immovable than my little bench pup. :2tsup: Then again, I do have a bench dog similar to yours as well. He comes out for the big stuff.

But why ... why, I ask .... is your bench so clean and neat! :oo:

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Groggy]

But why ... why, I ask .... is your bench so clean and neat! :oo:
(looks down at Derek's clean bench photo with pup on-board and thinks "what the?")

That was after a major cleanup to recover lost tools, plus the bench dog's tail is really a bench brush that can be activated with a kind word.

Here is a pic or two of the workshop today :-

[journeyman Mick]

Groggy,
it looks suspiciously like part of your shed is being used as a laundry folding area. Either that or you're in the habit of using pink tablecloths as machinery covers. Being a real non-instruction-reading type bloke, I haven't actually read the code, but it seems to me that these habits may be sailing rather close to the wind. I do reacall Midge got quite a ribbing for having a tablecloth hanging from one of his benches.

Mick

[Groggy]

Groggy,
it looks suspiciously like part of your shed is being used as a laundry folding area. Either that or you're in the habit of using pink tablecloths as machinery covers. Being a real non-instruction-reading type bloke, I haven't actually read the code, but it seems to me that these habits may be sailing rather close to the wind. I do reacall Midge got quite a ribbing for having a tablecloth hanging from one of his benches.

MickAh, Mick, Mick, Mick....

It is a statement of my blokiness that I have the pink sheets outside covering my machines. It clearly says that they are not good enough to reside in the house and definitely not suited to be slept upon (how could you?). They are eminently suited to keep rust at bay and to be used for hand wiping, glue removal etc.

But nice call, you can't be too careful when it comes to code violations...:wink:

[goodwoody]

What about eating jelly with your fingers. Thats a goooooood feeling!:B

[journeyman Mick]

Ah, Mick, Mick, Mick....

It is a statement of my blokiness that I have the pink sheets outside covering my machines. It clearly says that they are not good enough to reside in the house and definitely not suited to be slept upon (how could you?). They are eminently suited to keep rust at bay and to be used for hand wiping, glue removal etc.

But nice call, you can't be too careful when it comes to code violations...:wink:


Fair enough, a bit like me wearing a pink tutu occasionally, it just throws my obvious blokiness into sharp relief:o . And they say it doesn't go with my steel blue boots, flannel shirt and akubra, hell, I'm a bloke my clothes don't need to ''go''.

Mick

[rsser]

Wot Skew said, esp with green timber. Streamers shooting over the shoulder, sap running down the gouge staining the hand black (making your friends wonder what the h*ll you've been up to!).

Or slopping the first coat of oil on a bowl and seeing the blackwood or whatever iridesce. (Not a verb? No argument when you see it.)

Or hacking into something nondescript to find some beautiful figure lurking inside.

[Neil Lamens]

Howdy:

The smell of the shop after cutting a bunch of cherry!!!

[jaspr]

Hi Neil

Welcome to the forum.
BTW - love your show!

jas