Santa’s Workshop – Pleasant Grove Location

I’ve been making little ones out of big ones. It’s how I spent my weekend. And most days over the past few days.

My regular job is all about computers. And meetings. And Teams calls. I do very little tangible, or tactile work. Although my boss says I use more paper than anyone he’s seen. Still, it’s not really building anything.

I think that’s part of the reason I enjoy woodworking. You start with a board. come up with a design and then use lots of power tools to try to make something that resembles your design. Sometimes it works. Other times. . .you throw it in the scrap pile and start over.

There are multiple steps in creating a wooden toy, or piece of furniture. First there’s the design. Then, there’s selecting the wood. Then, cutting it to shape. Assembly. Sometimes it’s glue, sometimes it’s staples. Sometimes it’s nails. Sometimes it’s just fitting two pieces together very carefully. Sanding comes next. (My least favorite part.) And then paint, or stain. And often a final topcoat.

I saw a meme that relates to woodworkers.

My scrap pile is more than just a pile. It’s literally a wall of wood pieces in my garage. And yet, I constantly adding. The biggest problem with trying to build a project using scrap pieces is length. You can always make a long piece shorter, but it’s not really possible to make a short piece longer.

That’s why when you are starting a project it’s important to always cut the longest pieces first.

It’s less than two weeks until Christmas, and like the man in Robert Frost’s poem, Stopping By The Woods On A Snowy Evening,

The wood is lovely, dark and deep
But, I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep

A few pictures of making little ones out of big ones.

Stay safe

Rodney M Bliss is an author, columnist and IT Consultant. His blog updates every weekday. He lives in Pleasant Grove, UT with his lovely wife, thirteen children and grandchildren.

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