The $64,000 question

Over decades of making things, and making mistakes, I’ve developed a gaggle of questions that I ask myself about a project before I pick up a tool (when I remember that is).  They don’t apply to every job, but they do make me stop and think.

1. Have I done this before? (Hint - usually the answer is "no".)
2. How many do I need?
3. Would construction benefit from an accurate jig or repeatable process?
4. Does it need to interact with (eg fit into, sit on etc) something else?
5. What type or level of finish will it have?
6. What level of precision is required?
7. Does it have a left, right, front, back, top or bottom? (Hint - this is a big one.)
8. What is the ideal tool set and do I have it (and does it matter)?
9. Should I consider buying one instead of making one?
10. Have I really thought this through? (hint - a lot of times the answer is "no".)

It’s not a bullet proof recipe, but it does often bring to light some aspect that I would have otherwise overlooked.

There are also some other questions that I occasionally ask myself.  These have been picked up from various online sources and tweaked by me, for me.  Maybe they will work for you too.

• Where do my thoughts first go when I wake up in the morning?
• What is my greatest worry?
• What, if I can’t have, do I get distressed or anxious about?
• What person or activity do I often find myself anticipating?
• Where do I seek comfort when things get tough?
• What preoccupies my thoughts?
• Where do I find my self-worth or identify?
• What is my greatest hope for the future?

My reasoning is that if God doesn’t somehow feature in at least some of my answers then perhaps I need to reconsider the boundaries around, and balance within, my life.  



A clock comprising a large gas pressure valve, recycled bolts, chain from my Dad's shed and
any hours work.Answering question 7
really took some thought.



Leadlighting

Workshop

One way I while away many enjoyable hours is with lead lighting.  It's amazing how some odd bits and pieces of glass and lead can be turned into something not only useful but beautiful.  The real skill in making a good lead light window is to cut and grind the individual pieces very carefully - with the aim of them fitting together with a consistent gap between them. 

 

A gap?  Yes, there needs to be a space between each piece to accommodate the lead that brings cohesion and structure to the finished window.  Without the lead, you just have a jigsaw of loose pieces lying on the table.

 

Thought

Sounds a bit like a church family doesn't it?  All the pieces, regardless of size and nature, have a part to play.  They must fit closely together.  After all, it's not like other pieces of glass can expand to fill a void.  And the lead - read Romans 12:4-5 and see what you think.

 

"In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvellously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t."  Romans 12:4-5 The Message

 

A treasure

I was helping Mum clean out a corner of one of Dad’s numerous back yard sheds a while back when I found a treasure.  Dad was supervising – 84 years gives you that right – when I lifted up an old file handle.

“Chuck that old thing”, Dad said instantly.  But I didn’t have the heart to.

Dad used to sharpen a lot of chainsaws during his sawmilling days and if you’ve ever tried it you’d know that the small tang on the end of a round file is hard on your hands.  That’s where a file handle comes in.  Usually a turned piece of timber it can be transferred to a new file when the old one becomes blunt.

This handle had split a couple of times in its life, probably when it was being hammered onto a new file with gusto.  The split pieces had been nailed back on and then several turns of fencing wire added for good luck at some point.

When Dad looked at this particular handle he saw something broken and useless.  But I saw something that had been thoughtfully repaired so it could continue to serve its original purpose.  Granted, it had some scars, but in many ways they just added to its strength.  Sound familiar?

"Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked him to take it away. But his answer was: My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak. I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me.  I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Good News Translation (GNT)

Red gold

Workshop - I picked up four old matching cedar doors from the Grenfell tip recently.  Picked them up quite literally as they were lying on a big pile of building rubble.  They are pretty rough, with broken glass and 7 or 8 coats of paint ranging from battleship grey, through a festive yellow to a faded eucalypt green.   On the plus side, I've salvaged a couple of locks and four hinges.

Even with all that paint and disguise I could tell they were cedar by the colour and softness of the timber where the paint had chipped off.  Cedar is magnificent, so highly revered by cabinetmakers in the 1800's that it was referred to as "red gold". These doors, with their hand cut mortise and tenons, deep sculptured moulding and delicately applied shellac, would have provided a beautiful entry to the house they were once a part of. But at the rubbish tip, with all that paint and garbage, well, it was pretty difficult to imagine them ever looking very inviting.

Over the years I've stripped a lot of paint with a hot air gun, which in comparison to sanding is quicker and cleaner.   The challenge though is to remove the paint without scorching the raw timber or melting the paint into the grain.  My approach is to hold the hot air gun at a 60 degree angle, 5cm-10cm away from the surface and crank the temperature up to around 500c.  Using a very sharp chisel to lift the paint I direct the airflow about 3cm ahead of the chisel.  Bearing in mind that the idea is to soften the paint not liquefy it, the trick is to keep moving rather than hover on one spot for too long.

It's a slow process that takes 3 to 5 hours a door but eventually the years of paint, dirt and grime fall away to reveal the gem underneath.

Thought  - As Christians our purpose in life is to grow more like Jesus and to achieve that we sometimes need some serious renovating before the gem underneath is revealed.  And just like stripping paint, this isn't an instant process, especially if our true purpose is obscured by a bunch of layers we've spent years building up.  I like how Eugene Peterson put it in his paraphrase, The Message  "...everything connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And take on an entirely new way of life -- a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you" (Ephesians 4:22-24 The Message)

My anvil

Workshop - For years I have wanted an anvil, but all the ones I have seen have been way over my tool budget (yes, there is a budget).  That is, until the other week when I spotted an advert for one on Allclassifieds.  The seller, Don, had gone to great lengths to describe his anvil, including its smaller than usual dimensions and rather “used” nature.  He had also priced the anvil at a very fair price.  I called Don, who again pointed out that his anvil was about half the usual size and, being old, had a good few dings.

 

Despite these facts, or to be honest because of them, I agreed to buy it, sight unseen.

Nette and I picked up my “new” anvil the next day after work and it is exactly as Don described it - what a gem.  It’s about 100 years old and came from a farm in Victoria that had once belonged to Don’s family.  Don was retiring and downsizing his workshop so I was more than happy to give his anvil a new home.

Thought - God is pretty big on truth in advertising. Consider Leviticus 19:35 "Don't cheat when measuring length, weight, or quantity” (The Message) or James’ “let your “yes” be yes and your “no” no (James 5:12).   Would being more mindful of these verses change how you act?

Sanders aren’t just for sanding

Workshop - The quarter sheet DeWalt (check out its background here) is still going strong and is perfect for how I work.  For example, on a stool I'll often sand the middle of the front rungs to mimic the wear usually caused by years of fidgeting feet. As such, a sander for me is more a sculpting tool than a timber finisher.

Consequently, I tend to use the edges and corners of the sander, wearing out those parts of the paper well before the middle is spent.  That’s where the quarter sheet sander is great, the edge to middle ratio is definitely in my favour. 

If you use sanders like me I’d recommend giving a quarter sheeter a whirl, and the DeWalt in particular.

Thought - The “edge to middle ratio”, what an interesting analogy for the public and private faces we have.   With the sander, the closer the edges are to the middle the more even the wear.  Is the same true for us? 

I like the way The Message puts this idea… "And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.” Matthew 5:33-37, The Message.

A metre isn't always a metre

Workshop - I purchased a 1.2 metre long steel ruler a while back, figuring that it would be more accurate than a tape measure for laying out the leadlight for our house.  It took me a while to twig as to why my leadlight cartoon wasn’t square. After exhausting every other possibility I put the ruler against a steel beam and sure enough, it bowed by a couple of millimetres in the middle - enough to make a precise drawing imprecise.  

I took the ruler back to the shop, who were disbelieving until I held it against a flat steel shop fitting.  They were even more astounded to discover that every long ruler in their shop was the same. 

The solution was to buy a much heavier aluminium number as I realised that I not only wanted a measuring device but also a straight edge.

After this I checked all my rulers, tape measures and machines, only to find that a metre isn’t always a metre.  The most extreme variation related to the clip movement on some tapes which could account for a variation  of +/- 3mm depending on whether you were measuring by pulling or pushing the tape.

As a result of this discovery I now try to use the same measuring device throughout a project.  I figure that even if it’s slightly incorrect, it will at least be consistent.  One day, if I ever find the time, I’ll calibrate the whole workshop.

Thought - We all have some point of reference against which we measure ourselves, be it subconsciously or not.  For some of us it is the trends and views of the world around us, indeed that is the default “standard”.  For others, it is God's fat letter.  When you have a moment, consider Proverbs 20:9-11 .

Against what, or who, do you calibrate yourself?