My Journey in Writing, Ranting, and Woodworking

“A deadline is negative inspiration.  Still, it’s better than no inspiration at all.” 

~Rita Mae Brown

There isn’t a deadline for finishing my router table top.  I love working on my project and that joy is all the inspiration required.  So this quote doesn’t really apply at all, but I still like it.  Not because I agree with it, or because I know what it is like to be an author with a manuscript due, but because Rita Mae Brown has a co-writer.

She writes, among other things, the cozy mystery series, which she has co-written with her cat Sneaky Pie Brown.  I find her books delightful.  So when I saw this quote, I simply had to use it, if for no other reason, because I couldn’t find a quote from Sneaky Pie.

Though I don’t have deadlines per se, for my projects, I do have my own daily blog deadline.  It is not carved in stone, but I like to try to get the blog up by 10 pm central time.  If I can get it up earlier I do.  If I am distracted by snacks or something shinny on the internet, it can be a bit later.  The important part is that I do it every day.  I wouldn’t call my daily deadline a negative inspiration either.  I would call it fun.

I do create mini goals each day.  As I get better at understanding what is involved in projects I am able to set my sights on what is possible, given my time constraints.  A couple of months ago I would routinely underestimate how much time would be involved for something simple like sanding.  Today I wanted to get the router fence sanded and the hole cut.  I spent about an hour sanding and around 40 minutes on cutting, using the micro-plane, and chiseling the opening.

Of course I cut the opening with Marey the jigsaw.  She did a really nice job.  This was the first time I had cut a serious arc, and there was a bit of burning, as I wasn’t moving quickly enough.  Marey can get really hot if she sets her mind to it.  I have no doubt that I will get better at making Marey do my bidding in the future.  [Editor’s note:  In the interest of full disclosure, the name sake for which my Festool Jigsaw is named would not do anyone’s bidding.  It is important that we make this clear, so as to avoid any repercussions at the next Sauerkraut Days in Lisbon.]

After cutting out the opening, I tried to use my micro-plane, with the curvy blade.  I had purchased it some time ago, when I was overcome by the need for an impulse purchase.  This was my first chance to use it, and I was foiled by the handle.  It has a bit on the end, which rendered it useless in this instance.  I would not be tin foiled or saran wrapped and took the micro-plane blade out of the handle and used a piece of 1 x 2.  This worked tremendously and filled me with a great sense of accomplishment.  It is the little things you know.I was able to plane away the bits that hadn’t quite made it up to my carefully marked line.  After that step I used a file to clean it up a bit more.  I stopped and took a picture, then cleaned up the saw dust and took another one with the fence in place.  It is not connected yet.  I still have to think a bit about how I am going to approach the track I intend on installing on the face of the fence, and the shop vac connection piece, but that is for another day.

I really enjoy nights like tonight.  I felt I was efficient in my woodworking.  I didn’t have any terrible mistakes.  And I got to do lots of sanding.  I do love the feeling of a finely sanded router fence.  Now I need to sit back, possibly with a cookie, and form my game plan for tomorrow.