Roads not taken, projects not done
I make lots of some things, and not so many of others. But there are some projects that, for one reason or another, I’ve just never attempted. Some are projects…
I make lots of some things, and not so many of others. But there are some projects that, for one reason or another, I’ve just never attempted.
Some are projects that I have no desire to do because I’m simply not very good at a necessary process to accomplish them. I am not good at carving, for example, so I just don’t want to do any project with carving as a central feature.
Others I don’t do because I just don’t have that much interest in them. I appreciate and love to look at well-done marquetry, and have even done a bit. I’m good enough at it that I could do more, but I don’t really have the patience for it and, thus, no real desire to do it.
There’s nothing at all wrong with either of the above reasons for avoiding certain areas of woodworking. There are so many interesting things to do in the woodshop that not doing projects for a lack of skill in one area or a lack of interest in another is nothing shameful. There’s plenty else to keep me busy for years to come.
But there are some projects that both interest me and fall within my particular skill set that, for lack of better description, I’ve just not gotten around to. At the top of my list of such projects is a rocking chair. I’ve collected dozens of photos and clippings of rockers, and sketched out some great ideas – I even have a folder on my computer filled with them – but even though I really want to do one, I just haven’t managed to get to it yet.
Another item I’ve always wanted to do is a tall clock. I’ve made too many clocks to count, and each time I make one I look forward to that future tall clock project. But after many years of making smaller clocks, I’ve still not gotten to that tall one.
These are just two examples, but there are many more. On the downside, I can’t help but sighing whenever I look into my project-ideas folder in the realization that there are so many projects I still haven’t done.
But on the other hand, I suppose that means there’s just that much more to look forward to.
Some day.
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.
