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In Dr. Bones' opinion, it's patience and adaptability that are the most important things when it comes to working with wood. "Woodworking is a skill you have to hone; no one starts out as a master craftsperson. Also remember there are so many types of woodworking: woodturning, furniture building, carving, knife making, ring making, box making, etc. It may take a while to find the type of craft you like," he explained to Bored Panda that it can take a while for hobbyists to get to grips with the craft and to figure out what exactly they love doing most.
The woodworker suggested that anyone wanting to get into the craft start off with some YouTube how-to videos. "While you’re watching, think about what kinds of craft work with your temperament and existing skills. For example, I do not have the patience for hand carving or furniture making. But turning small items like pens, rings, bottle stoppers, and bowls? Those are fast enough projects where I can have a finished item in no time, and there’s enough variety that I won’t get bored," he said that we have to honestly evaluate our character, not just pick what projects look nice.
"There’s an old adage that a poor craftsman blames his tools, and that’s mostly true. Woodworking tools can be very expensive, and in some cases, price does equal quality. However, there are a lot of garages and shops full of topline equipment that can only produce mediocre items. Having the right tool for the job is really all that matters. Once you have experience with it, you’ll know when it’s time to upgrade. That’s a skill too," Dr. Bones told Bored Panda that the skill of the craftsman is more important than starting off with top-of-the-line tools.
The professor also revealed how he began working with wood in the first place. "I started woodworking after a couple of cross-country moves for work. I needed a table and a desk. I didn’t have a lot of money at the time. I had worked in a furniture shop for six years prior to going to grad school, so I had practical experience putting items together," he shared.
"A trip home for a funeral introduced me to life-edge wood, and after playing with it for a while, I was hooked. I didn’t have the room (or the patience) to build furniture all the time though, so a friend suggested a lathe to me. After making like 50 pens, my wife demanded we start trying to sell what I make."
The ‘I Love Woodworking’ page has 118k followers on Instagram, and the pics shared by the page really show just how versatile of a building material it really is. Of course, when you’re a master craftsperson (and have the patience and scars to prove it!), creating such awesome designs is simply a question of time, not skill.
We also firmly believe that even though having the right tools for the job is important, they’re not what truly matters. Imagination, perseverance, grit—these are what help you create wooden heirlooms. No matter if you’re using a hammer handed down to you by your grandpa or a super expensive one made out of some high-tech titanium alloy. Tools are important. But they’re not all that’s important.
Now, most of us might not be master woodworkers here (though we know someone who’s building a Viking boat in secret), but we’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way. And yes, some of the knowledge was hard-fought.
One of the first things that we learned in the workshop was that you should always sand wood along the grain if you want the end result to look smooth. Moreover, pick the type of sandpaper that’s right for the job: coarser for the start, finer for the finishing touches. Of course, you can always change the angle at which you sand to get different effects.
Something else that we learned is to always be super focused when we’re hammering nails. There’s a lot of pressure here not to end up like some cartoon character with a throbbing thumb. So you’ve got to be careful yet decisive, firm yet flexible. There’s a lot of philosophical wisdom running through our minds when our hands are in danger.
At some point, you’re going to get a splinter. When working with wood, splinters are always a question of ‘when,’ never ‘when.’ Though we’ve had some really bad ones, honestly, splinters aren’t as bad as they look in movies and TV shows. You have to remember not to panic.
