New from Hickory

dwhitener

New User
Daniel
Hello all,

i'm past due to introduce myself. My name is Daniel and I live just outside of Hickory. I started woodworking back in the summer of 2019. Before that, I would have laughed at you if you told me I'd be interested in making furniture one day. Growing up, nobody in my immediate family did much woodworking. My grandfather had a small shop, but I'm starting to think everyone from that WWII generation did... so many men from that era seem like they could do anything.

One day back in the spring of 2019, I was surfing around on YouTube. I saw some guy (Paul Sellers) "shaving" wood with a hand tool. I had no idea a hand tool could be so sharp. Then I saw what he could do with a sharp chisel - I was hooked! Before that, any thought of woodworking conjured up images of loud power tools... to know that I could build things without loud power tools got me in the game. I wandered into the Klingspor store one day and bought a #4 plane. I soon realized I needed a bench... but I couldn't build one of those nice benches Paul had without some other work surface to build it on... so I built a basic garage bench to get started and then bought a bench vise to go with it so I could start making some shavings. Fast forward a year later to summer of 2020 and I finally built the bench I originally wanted. I've also gotten over my dislike of noise and collected some power tools to make a few things easier. I have discovered a love for tools I never knew I had... especially measuring/marking/layout tools.

To date, my interest seems to be focused on table type things. For my first project, I made a white oak top and bolted on some metal legs and called it a coffee table. This summer I opted out of buying the stand for my bandsaw and decided I could "make one cheaper"... big mistake - so wrong, but now I have the nicest walnut bandsaw stand a guy could ask for. I'm currently working on a small trestle-style dining table and benches for our breakfast nook area. As soon as the finish dries on that I'll post some pictures.

I am surprised how much time I spend reading about finishing. It seems like science, magic and art all mixed together some days. But I can't stop buying new finishes. After all, I told my wife I was done buying tools for a while -- but I didn't say anything about finishing supplies!

I'm excited to be here and wish I had found this interest earlier in life. I love thinking that something I make will hopefully be enjoyed by generations to come. I work with computers by day and everything about that world is so intangible. I spend all day clicking around on computers and have little to show for my time at the end of it all. My young kids ask me what I do at work and it's so hard explaining or pointing to something. I love being able to point at something and say "I made that". Shaping wood into something useful and maybe even beautiful is such a pleasure by comparison.

Nice to meet you all and I look forward to posting more soon.
daniel
 

Raymond

Raymond
Staff member
Corporate Member
Welcome aboard, Daniel! You have indeed come to the right place to get your 'fix' enabled!! :D
 

Oka

Casey
Corporate Member
Welcome to the forum ............. and the addiction. If you have to be hooked on something, woodwork is a good thing to be hooked on.
 

sawman101

Bruce Swanson
Corporate Member
It's a pleasure to meet you Daniel, welcome to the family. There are several woodworking clubs in Hickory, and they all meet at Klingspors, although meetings are currently suspended for them until the C-19 threat abates. There is Western Piedmont Woodcrafters, Woodturners, Woodcarvers, and Scroll Saw Clubs. I'll post on the forum here when any of the clubs resumes their activities. All of them welcome visitors so you can see what they do and judge for yourself if you would like to become a member.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
Welcome Daniel,
We are glad you found us!
As I tell most people, when we can't be in the shop, Garage, etc. making shavings we are here talking about it!
 

DavidP

New User
David
Welcome Daniel! I look forward to seeing the trestle table. It sounds as if you are becoming quickly accomplished. As for finishes, I found Odies Oil and few years ago and rarely use anything else. Check it out.
I’m in Granite Falls and new here as well. After a 4 yr hiatus I’m getting back to turning. I understand what you said about your job. I’m a nurse practitioner and though I like what I do, I have really missed creating and the sense of accomplishment, or frustration, that comes with it.
 

dwhitener

New User
Daniel
Welcome Daniel! I look forward to seeing the trestle table. It sounds as if you are becoming quickly accomplished. As for finishes, I found Odies Oil and few years ago and rarely use anything else. Check it out.
I’m in Granite Falls and new here as well. After a 4 yr hiatus I’m getting back to turning. I understand what you said about your job. I’m a nurse practitioner and though I like what I do, I have really missed creating and the sense of accomplishment, or frustration, that comes with it.

I finally got around to posting pics of the trestle table today... here is the link.
 

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