6 posts tagged “woodworking”

If you're worried about getting a job - or keeping one - start a company of your own. By doing so, you'll reap the rewards of your hard work and you'll only get fired if you fail. This is the land of opportunity. Live in it. --Bruce Campell Actor best known for B-movies such as The Evil Dead

After yesterday's post, I stared at my monitor and cried. A deep, cleansing, cry - from the belly & soul. As it often happens, I experienced a moment of serene clarity once it was over, and knew exactly how to proceed.

Part of the depression I was suffering was from a frustrated inability to know what to do with the next stage of my woodworking career. Should I go to school? Should I work for another craftsman - even if that means commuting an hour out of the city each way? Should I set up my own shop - and if so, where do I find clients? Should I get a basic hard labor job, to build muscles & garnish a paycheck?

This stream of questioning looped in my brain non-stop, even while sleeping - as evidenced by an increase in teeth grinding. None of the options I was looking into felt right.

It took writing it out and crying it out for me to see the bigger picture. My goal is to be a successful woodworker in Hawaii, to have my own business, and to bring my man there with me. In keeping with this goal, I realized I have no choice but to set up my own shop. It is not the easiest option, but it is the only one that can work. If I spend $90,000 on a proper education - I will regret it; if I commute 2-hours a day to work for someone else I will kill myself; if I work a hard labor job for little pay, I will likely return to the ease of temping in an office because it pays more & doesn't hurt as much.

I have to establish my own business.

To do so, I have created a list of all the tools I will need - the bare minimum of equipment to do basic refinishing work. Soon, I will be looking for a patient - a table, or dresser, or desk that I might practice on to build my portfolio and test out my setup. This is definitely the scariest option and to accomplish it, it is likely that we will have to move out of the city to a place with a bigger garage. I don't want to have to learn a new town, as well as learn how to run my own shop, but if that's what needs to be done - so be it.

I cancelled my appointment at the DMV. I am keeping my Hawaii license - for now. There may come a time later on when I need to change it, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Also, I cancelled my interview at the lumber warehouse in Oakland. The commute and meager wage would not bring me closer to realizing my dream. Right now, I have to concentrate on doing everything that will make ShopGirl Studios a reality.

I'm scared. But relieved to finally have direction.

Dear Elephant in the Room,

Hi! What is it that you so urgently needed to discuss with me at 6:00 this morning? Before we begin, I would like to graciously thank you for extending your office hours, though it is still dark out - the regular 4:00 am wake-up call really wasn't working for me. Okay, you have my full attention now Mr. Elephant, what may I help you with?

Oh, you just wanted to remind me that I don't have a job, my bank account is dwindling, and what? I'm 28-years-old facing certain failure at life. Really? Why so harsh? I really don't think I'm a failure - I just like to joke about it sometimes with that self-deprecating humor that everyone...Oh, you're serious? Oh. Not kidding. Okay, then.

Let's see - when was the last time we had these early morning conversations? I remember, it was the Summer of 2003 and I had just graduated from college. I moved to a rural outer island of Hawaii and couldn't find work. We often woke together to peruse the internet for jobs abroad and work-from-home opportunities. Those were good times - the gripping fear, soul-crushing doubts I would ever amount to anything better than a valium-soaked housewife, and most of all - the insomnia. If it weren't for that part, I believe I could actually ignore you, Mr. Elephant. But, as you know, I am a champion sleeper and this restlessness will not be tolerated.

So, let's stop wasting time here: You think I won't be able to find a woodworking position in the Bay Area? You think I won't amount to anything in this field without Frank's tutelage? You're doubtful I will find a Furniture Design program without further accruing major student loan debt?

All valid concerns, Senior Elephante. I suppose, there is a chance that nothing will work out for me here - but is that really the likely scenario? I mean, I have no doubt that this is what I am meant to do in life, so surely, something must pan out eventually, right? Perhaps I simply haven't tried hard enough - I mean, these things don't always work out overnight (though admittedly for me, they often do).

Is it a back-up plan you want me to formulate? Because you know it's not like me to settle for anything short of perfection. Would you be satisfied if I simply tried harder? You want me to call these woodworking folks rather than emailing? Shall I meditate on this opportunity unfolding before me? Or do you simply get-off on watching me pace the house alone in the dark?

Fine. I will take this early morning opportunity and keep seeking my next woodworking position. But, hey - just in case you are friendly with The Universe - may I also put in a request for a yoga guru to enter my life and guide me along in my practice? Oh, and the woodworker/employer and the guru don't have to be the same person, but that would be awfully convenient, huh? Just saying...

Yours,
Miss Scotch

It was like starting from zero. For some reason, I was a clueless moron yesterday that had to relearn everything I'd ever been taught about woodworking. Thankfully, my project turned out far better than I had imagined. In fact, at halftime I had completely given up hope it would turn out at all and resigned to start over. Nevertheless, I soldiered on and in the end it worked out.

The commission came from a family in Southern California, 5 sushi boards w/ chopsticks. The original purchase was the set of 2 boards I was selling on my Etsy at a discounted price and then 3 more boards were added later. I decided to royally hook this family up. I went to the lumber supply store and picked through a massive stack of milo for an hour to
find the perfect milo board. I made their sushi boards from the same plank, which just felt like the right thing to do, considering they are a family and all...

I photographed them in 3 stages. The first image is after I lacquered the underside, the second is the top of the boards untreated, and the last is the food surface treated with macadamia nut oil. Someone, please remind me to never, ever, take a month off from the woodshop again? Thank you.

(Thank you all for your feedback! I am so glad the reviews were positive! Sadly, the tables haven't sold like I thought they would, but I did manage to sell one (thanks, gurl!) and I will be putting so much love in that table - love is going to be emanating from that thing like the sun for decades. Also, the platter below didn't sell :( If any of you have any ideas on how I can draw more traffic to my etsy site, PLEASE let me know! Lastly, I had to bump the price on the table to $225, because that is the actual production cost without me having to eat any of it - I was going to do so only because I thought I would make it up in quantity.)

Hey, everybody! Sorry I've been MIA for the past few days, been furiously working on 2 new items for my online store. As I mentioned before, it was important to me to design a table I could build for around $100 and ship for $25...and I did it almost did it! I also created a multi-functional platter that can be used as a plant stand, condiment tray, dining table centerpiece, desk accessory, etc. Please have a look and tell me what you think! All constructive feedback is greatly appreciated! I've been working on these too long, I've lost perspective! :)

$225

$42.50

10 comments

Today was my first day back in the shop. It has been nearly 2 years and let me tell you, there were several moments when I wanted to give up. As I type this now, the muscles in my neck and shoulders are ablaze and my arms feel as though they are being ripped from the sockets by men on horses.

And I smell like a goat.

This morning I awoke just before sunrise and got in the shop early. At 1:00 pm I took my first break. I walked into the house and checked my cell phone for messages. Once I sat down on the floor, it was only a few moments before I passed out cold. Frank came in the house about 20 mins. later to check on me - the only reason I woke up at all. Had he not, I probably would've been passed out til' Tuesday. All told, we finished up 2 chairs today and made some good headway on a dining table. Right now, I want you to come into the shop and meet my tools:

Last night I attended the Bay Area Woodworkers Assoc.'s monthly meeting. As predicted, the room was packed with surly old men and I was the only female in the house. The meeting was held in a community rec. center and is a floating get-together they've held monthly for the past 25 years. I was elated upon my first sighting of a stiff old guy in Carharrt limbering in from the parking lot. I knew that I was home...

Amongst my people.

I love sassy old woodworkers. They are my preferred segment, my niche. When the president asked if there were any new visitors that would like to stand up and say some words... I stood up and a gust of wind blew towards me as curious head's whipped in my direction. I introduced myself...moved here from Hawaii, built custom furniture, took a desk job writing about furniture, now looking into building again, blah, blah, blah. Half of them were afraid of me and half of them were overcome with joy to see a woman in the room.

During the coffee break, I met a lot of nice folks that seemed eager to help me out. I took lots of business cards and got offered a job in Sunnyvale. They seemed enthusiastic to see the kinds of things I was working on and I handed out a lot of Frank's business cards. I told them that I was going back to Hawaii for awhile but that I would return soon enough to look for work in the Bay Area.

They held 3 lectures - the first one was a bit dry, although informative, on calipers. The second lecture concerned bent lamination techniques and was highly fascinating. The third lecture was INCREDIBLE. Somehow, they managed to bring in waaay famous designer, Eric Pfeiffer, to give a lecture on design and the business aspects of selling one's designs, manufacturing them in the Eastern Bloc/China and then rolling in giant piles of money while sweaty $100 dollar bills stick to your bare skin. Oh wait - I mean, taking woodworking to the next level, in the business sense.

All in all, the meeting was more informative, helpful and inspiring than I could have possibly imagined. It helped restore my confidence because I realized I remember a lot more than I thought I did. I was right there with them during the technical lectures and chomping at the bit to learn more about the large scale design/production aspect brought in by Mr. Pfeiffer. A fire has been lit beneath me and I'm dying to get back in the shop & get dirty!