Lucky day
It’s Friday the 13th, but as I write this I’ve already had two instances of good woodworking luck. The first was just a happenstance of timing. I had pitched an…
It’s Friday the 13th, but as I write this I’ve already had two instances of good woodworking luck.
The first was just a happenstance of timing. I had pitched an idea to a publisher about a woodworking/DIY writing project, and after a bit of back-and-forth discussion to set the parameters of the project, I’ve been playing the waiting game.
Several weeks went by, and I’d pretty much written it off and moved on to other stuff. But a surprise email waiting for me when I logged in first thing this morning brought the good news that the project is a go. Perfect news first thing in the morning on Friday the 13th. Now, that could have been my big work accomplishment for the day, which typically calls for playing hooky the rest of the day, especially if it occurs on a Friday.
The weather here today is incredible, they kind we’ll all enjoy every day of the year once I’m crowned king of the world. My plan to celebrate this plum of a project was to take advantage of the weather and my ebullient mood and enjoy a nice hike on one of the trails in the nearby Wayne National Forest, located just over the river.
While driving up Route 7 to one of the forest trailheads, I happened to go past a large lumber company. I’ve driven past it before, but always got the feeling that it dealt mainly in large-volume construction orders and so had never stopped in. As it happens, I need a smallish piece of 8/4 white oak and had exhausted all my usual local sources earlier in the week without luck. (No, a glueup wouldn’t work; it had to be solid 8/4.) I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I’d have to send away for it. Since I’d already planned to goof off the rest of the day I figured I had nothing to lose by stopping in.
Not only did they have 8/4 white oak in stock, but they had a piece that was the perfect size, about 6 board feet. They must have considered it scrap or something – it was on the small side for construction purposes – and gave it to me for $12.
So here it is, not even 11:00, and I’ve already had two excellent strokes of luck on this Friday the 13th.
Can’t wait to see what happens after lunch.
A.J.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.
