Signs of spring
Everyone has their favorite first sign of spring, but woodworkers or, at least this one have their own. Heres my official Top-10 First Signs of Woodworking Spring list….
Everyone has their favorite first sign of spring, but woodworkers or, at least this one have their own. Heres my official Top-10 First Signs of Woodworking Spring list.
10. You probably think the first sign of spring is when my whack-job neighbor starts mowing. Nope, that starts in February. Her true connection to spring is when she adopts her 24-hour mowing schedule, which shes now done, meaning that there wont be any quiet time in my shop till next November.
9. Woodworking gets interrupted with, unfortunately, my own lawn mowing. But not every 24 hours.
8. No heat needed. Its perfect shirtsleeve weather in the shop.
7. Glue flows as it should again.
6. Similarly, finishes dry as theyre intended to once more.
5. Traffic on all the woodworking forums slows to a crawl. In winter, woodworkers only have two things to do: woodworking and hanging out on forums. But when the weather changes, so does their use of free time.
4. Sales! Woodworking suppliers know woodworkers are finding other ways to spend their time, so they entice us to get back in the shop with bargains galore.
3. Birdhouses become a staple of shop output.
2. Trips to the local lumber supplier turn into an excuse for a drive in the country.
And the No. 1 sign of spring:
I can throw the garage door open and use the leaf blower to give my shop its once-a-year, dust-and-spider blowout. Generally in the direction of my neighbor.
Till next time,
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.