Saturday, September 16, 2006

Dustbowl

I have been sawing. All day. And sanding. My kitchen looks like an archeological dig, and I have have a tree's worth of sawdust inside me. I walk with a cloud of dust as I move and every surface is covered with the stuff. I have broken 2 blades, worn out one, and I had to stop when the motor of the scrollsaw got too hot. I am sure I have mentioned before that I tend to be obsessive. Once I start doing something I can't stop till I burn out (or burn out the motor), or run out of wood.

It is also true that practice makes things simpler. When I start sawing, I tend to be hesitant, and therefore slow, and as the day goes by, I get faster, which makes the movement of the wood easier, and the lines smoother, so there is less of the sanding to do. The slower you go the more mistakes you make, so it is easier to keep going than to rest and start again. Life would be immeasurably easier if I had a permanent workshop, of course, and somewhere to keep the tools in an organised fashion. It takes me ages to find the bits I need, and I still do not have a clue where my glue gun is. Neither can I find any drill bits for my Dremel. I also had to go and buy a small hammer, because it is physically impossible to use a big one with 1cm pins.

So, now I have to finish the sanding, and then paint what I have done so far, and draw the patterns on wood for the next wave. But it has been fun, and I am really pleased with what I have done. So far!

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