Ah, resolutions…
Depending on how you look at them, they could be the best or worst part of flipping the calendar to January.
Here are my plans for 2010: instead of vowing to drop 20 pounds or remodel my basement—both of which are equally unlikely—I’ve made a couple of woodworking-related resolutions this year. The first one should be easy to pull off:
1. I’m gonna tame my tangled mess of air compressor hose.
Sounds ridiculously easy, doesn’t it? Right now, it lays on the floor in a pile where it gets in my way, because the hose has a memory to it and doesn’t coil up easily. I kick it around and shove it here and there, but I need a better solution. Retractable? Maybe hung from the ceiling? This year I’m going to figure something out. (Advice anyone?)
2. I still want to learn how to cut dovetails by hand. That one didn’t happen last year, but it’s on my radar again.
Number three takes a deeper breath: I’m going to install a maple floor in my shop.
I’ve had the flooring stacked in my garage for two years now, waiting. And waiting. The front bumper of my car almost kisses it every time I pull into the garage, and I swear sometimes it mocks me. So, I’ve just got to get it done before the wood starts to petrify.
My boss Rob Johnstone has a few resolutions of his own:
1. I resolve to finally get my shop organized. (Which includes the rolling lumber rack with panel saw attached that I promised this year … But is still in the “cerebral design stage.”)
2. I resolve to try to turn at least one bowl per week (or thereabouts).
3. I am going to put down a pretty fancy quarter-sawn long leaf pine floor in my living/dining room: if doesn’t sound like woodworking to you, wait until you get a gander at it.
Evidently, I need to call Rob about that flooring project of mine…
So, we’ve laid our gauntlets, such as they are. How about you? Got any woodworking resolutions for the new year? Tell us about them, and let’s try to get a running start at 2010. Deal?
Catch you in the shop,
Chris Marshall, Field Editor
