What is your favorite woodworking task?

[Mark Woodmark]

What woodworking task do you enjoy the most? Mine is either fabricating the various wood parts before assembly or researching and purchasing tools....HA!!!:D

[Aaron Wingert]

For me it is hard to beat long streaming curls flying off the bowl gouge!

[Rod Sheridan]

Buying new tools............Rod.

[Steve Milito]

purchasing tools....HA!!!:D

+1
I've achieved artistry level at this skill.:D

[Matt Day]

I like it all (well, maybe not sanding and finishing ;)), but I really like seeing rough sawn lumber come off the jointer and getting the first look at the grain. Especially when some figure presents itself!

[Jim Terrill]

I like it all (well, maybe not sanding and finishing ;)), but I really like seeing rough sawn lumber come off the jointer and getting the first look at the grain. Especially when some figure presents itself!

I will second that and add the smell of freshly planed wood. Some of the aromatics of woods are really amazing. Granted some of those are what makes them bad to breathe, but you can't win them all...

[Jim Rimmer]

Making joints; dovetail, rabbet, box joint - it doesn't matter. I just like to see my work, and hopefully accuracy, come together in a beautiful joint.

[John Mark Lane]

Varnishing a finished piece.

[Rick Fisher]

Jointing and re-sawing.. I also like surfacing rough lumber..

[Mr. Jeff Smith]

Deciding on what project to tackle. (And the necessary tool purchasing I'll need to do) :)

[Prashun Patel]

Putting on the very first coat of finish. It's when the color comes alive, and you don't notice all the flaws and dust nibs at this point.

[Rob Woodman]

Being the first person to walk up a staircase I designed, built & installed :D.
Rob.

[glenn bradley]

Milling stock to oversize dimensions.

[Van Huskey]

For me it is the (final) dry fit. It just feels like the point at which I can see the "real" overlay the plan in my head.

[Bob Riefer]

I haven't started yet, just learning and acquiring basic tools so far. But, the part of the woodworking course that I took that really got my gears spinning was the thought process behind jigs, how they evolve, how the time spent there can give you repeatable results etc. My mind is process oriented, so this just clicked for some reason.

But of the actual woodworking that we did in the course, I think face jointing to see the grain for the first time was really a neat step.

[dennis thompson]

Just walking into the shop is enough to make me happy
Dennis

[Brian Kent]

Doing something that looked impossible yesterday - usually by getting some well-seasoned advice from the long time woodworkers.

[Victor Robinson]

I don't know why, but I really like squaring up lumber. Maybe it's because I've only recently acquired (and tuned) the tools to do it well, but it's very satisfying to me to have perfect 90 degree corners and the perfect kiss between the wood and a flat cast iron table.

[Trevor Howard]

Just walking into the shop is enough to make me happy
Dennis

+1 to this, which doesn't happen much lately :(

[Kyle Iwamoto]

+1 on putting the very first coat of oil/finish. Seeing that grain pop out and come alive.

Then the let down of the scratches and chipout....

[Curt Taylor]

Use to be running a piece of rough sawn thru the planer and getting to really see the grain pattern for the 1st time, now it's opening up a new log on the bandmill to see whats inside.

[Phillip Ngan]

Discovering grain when a rough board emerges from the planer, and making that grain pop when applying a coat of oil. Which leads me to think that making chopping boards will maximize my enjoyment to effort ratio.

[Louie Ballis]

Putting on the very first coat of finish. It's when the color comes alive, and you don't notice all the flaws and dust nibs at this point.


+1 on this one, hopefully without the dust nibs.

[Brian Kincaid]

ANYTHING on the band saw. So much fun :D

-Brian

[mreza Salav]

Everything except SANDING!! I hate it.
Finishing can be both good and bad, if I'm happy with it it's a good thing, but sometimes it ruins a piece. My best ever project has my worst ever finish and it gets worse with time:(
Someday will take it to the shop and sand it to bare wood and re-finish it:cool:

[johnny means]

I love the peace and quietude of assembly. No dust flying, no noisy motors. I can turn on NPR and listen to a show without interruption. This is when I can really find my "Happy Place".

[Chas Fuggetta]

I enjoy seeing curly strips of wood falling to the floor like virgin snow in a spring storm. :cool: Ok, I enjoy hand planing. It's relaxing.

I also like the feel of assembly. Seeing how it all comes together at the end...and the inevitable surprise it brings. :rolleyes: Of course being a novice I haven't finished many woodworking projects per se, but I have done enough home improvement projects to know that feeling of surprise.

Being a novice at an enjoyable task is a bit akin to exploring a new lover. Discovering more about the task at hand and about yourself and how to improve is a never ending joy to me.

When I taught martial arts, I heard a lot of people say, "Practice makes perfect." That's not true. It should be, "Perfect Practice makes perfect." If you practice a task with sloppy technique, you will only go so far. If you practice perfect technique, the chances of becoming more than proficient are so much greater. I really REALLY enjoy working with wood and don't wanna be 'just a woodworker'.

"He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist." St Francis of Assisi.

I see so many artists here...Kudos to all of you.

[Steve Griffin]

Besides putting the check in the bank, I like

-Design and drawing the of project
-Interacting with customers
-Sanding. Thats right--I like sanding . Hand sanding, 6" ROS, belt sander--it's all good stuff. Brings out the beauty of the wood, is mildly challenging but easier than most the other steps.
-Bandsaw. Sort of makes me feel like a race car driver, looking for the smoothest, closest to the pencil line route.

-Steve

[Tom Walz]

+1 for hand plane

Been about 55 year since my Grandpa Kane taught me how to use one. Still remember the smell and the magic of the curls.

Also really enjoy sitting back with the paper and cool beverage with my feet on the new porch railing.

[scott allen]

Seeing the look on my Daughter's face when I've completed a project for her. A 4 year old's smile is like no other.

[Steve Friedman]

The moment right before starting a project, when the last project is done and everything is clean, shiny, sharp, and ready to go.

Steve

[Curt Harms]

Jointing and re-sawing.. I also like surfacing rough lumber..

This is mine as well. See what I got :).

[Zack Teal]

ANYTHING on the band saw. So much fun :D

-Brian
this mine to band saw work is really fun and i think the band saw is my favorit tool.

[Joe Shinall]

A few things are pretty high on my list.

#1. Getting away from the huss and fuss of the everyday real world. Work, family headaches, work...

#2. Trying anything that I have never done before and succeeding! Nothing makes me feel better than a new method done right the first time.

#3. Last but not least, the look on everyone else's face when they see the project for the first time.

And then there's of course, being on here meeting new friends. :D

[Harold Burrell]

Oh, man...

I had something in mind...but with every post I read I thought, "Yeah. That's my favorite, too."

Bottomline...I like it all. (Well...except finishing. Only because I suck at it. Fortunately, my wife enjoys it.)

I will add this to the list, though:

I enjoy mistakes. Well, not the mistakes per se. But the satisfaction I get from whatever "redesigning" I have to do to fix it.

You know, kind of a macho "man vs. wood" thing...

[Kevin Gregoire]

researching tools before making a purchase or would it be purchasing a tool just after
i got done researching it? i would say the last one.

[Karl Brogger]

While I haven't done it yet, I think it will be the last day I have to walk into the shop.

As of right now its going to the mailbox for a check.

[Neal Clayton]

the dry fit of the parts. when you start with rough lumber in the morning and wind up with (in my case typically a door or window) that has 30+ joints at the end of the day and they all fit like they should, the world is a happy place ;).

[Karl Card]

nothing better for me than to find the wood at a great price.... like 350 bdft of brazilian walnut for 64 bucks... or free quartersawn red oak just to get it out of his barn.. I absolutely love wood itself.. i got 4 cherry crotches drying out in the dining room... got 100 bdft of cedar in the shop, 30 bd ft of quartersawn red oak, multiple boards of exotics and pen and bowl blanks out the arse... I mean i like making stuff out of wood also but wood and i are like a baby and candy, just cant get enough...lol

[Jay Jolliffe]

Wrong thread

[Larry Edgerton]

While I haven't done it yet, I think it will be the last day I have to walk into the shop.

As of right now its going to the mailbox for a check.

As a professional I can share this sentiment, as far as my day to day work goes. The government is so far up my butt that I no longer enjoy much of my work. I look forward to the day when I can just work in my shop, away from the mainstream and all of the inspectors. [OSHA, code department, DEQ, EPA] They make my job a pain in the butt.

That aside, I still like to work in the shop on an unusual project as long as it is not multiples. I get bored on multiples. Cabinets are boring, but a nice custom entry door will hold my attention. I like working with hand tools, but the realiity of making a living means that machines do most tof the work.

I am closing in on zero payments, and I think when that day comes I will enjoy my work a lot more as I will be working at a pace I choose, not a pace dictated by the finance company.

[Mike Harrison]

I enjoy it all, from dropping and hauling the log to the sawyer, to installing the last bit of hardware. I consider myself a hack, but the sense of accomplishment is very theraputic.

[Bill LaPointe]

The tools, both hand and power. I enjoy tinkering with the tools and shop every bit as much as making something.

[Lee Koepke]

I like planning the projects .. but my "FAVORITE" is probably tied between:

Picking the perfect piece of wood for the most visual impact

and

Finding a really cool use for the cut-offs left from a project.

[Jay Allen]

I really like the feel of a good fitting joint, Dovetails or Mortise/Tenon but deep vessel hollowing is high on the list too.

[David Nelson1]

I guess for me, in my wood infancy, is laying things out and not having to re-plan them because I have gotten a process out of sequence or didn't account for something. Actually its the learning something new, ya know when the light finally comes on. :D

[Lee Koepke]

I guess for me, in my wood infancy, is laying things out and not having to re-plan them because I have gotten a process out of sequence or didn't account for something. Actually its the learning something new, ya know when the light finally comes on. :D
:D for me its the inevitable trying to figure out how to fix something because i cut out of sequence or didnt account for something.

I miscalculated my drawer width on the entertainment stand i am building now, but fortunately, the mis-cut dado was on the inside and ultimately provided me with an easy clamping edge so I could use smaller clamps ...

[David Nelson1]

:D for me its the inevitable trying to figure out how to fix something because i cut out of sequence or didnt account for something.

I miscalculated my drawer width on the entertainment stand i am building now, but fortunately, the mis-cut dado was on the inside and ultimately provided me with an easy clamping edge so I could use smaller clamps ...

LOL yeah that too. That's when the light comes on:eek:

[Eiji Fuller]

I love it all!

Well not the cleaning up part, but everything else.

[Steve Griffin]

While I haven't done it yet, I think it will be the last day I have to walk into the shop.

As of right now its going to the mailbox for a check.

While making money is probably near the top of my list, I still enjoy making sawdust.

If I had your sad attitude, I'd already be out of the trade. Life is way too short to not like what you are doing.

Good luck, because it's the only thing which will help you.

-Steve

[Lit Jones]

in order best to worst:



design - the initial sketchup version, through the many iterations to make it perfect. Waking up in the morning with a new idea and tweaking or redoing a working design to make it even better is very exciting.
completing any project - and changing my route around the house or town so I can admire it each time I pass.
assembly - when the pieces start to look like the design.
figuring out how to do something perfectly - especially when a crazy looking jig is purpose built to accomplish it.
many more OK tasks.
some tedious tasks.
milling lumber to make it square.
man handling sheet goods, and large lumber to make the parts.

[Karl Brogger]

While making money is probably near the top of my list, I still enjoy making sawdust.

I used to love it, I'm just burned out for putting so much effort in, for so little return. I still carry a sense of pride, and that is trully the only enjoyment I get is knowing I provide a proper value.
If I were paid to sail, ride motorcycles, shoot things, or fornicate, eventually I'd end up hating it.



If I had your sad attitude, I'd already be out of the trade. Life is way too short to not like what you are doing.

I like the air of superiority here Steve, bravo. As for life being to short, wouldn't you mean life is too long to not enjoy something? Seems like it'd hold more true using the inverse of that statement.


Good luck, because it's the only thing which will help you.

True to all of us at times. I'm just holding out for that powerball ticket.

[Michael MacDonald]

Karl.... ouch! rough perspective.

moving on... I saw a lot of posts about assembly. I think that rings true for me. seeing a project come together with tight joints. good feeling.

I was surprised I didn't see much in the way of power tools except the BS. (BS is nice, but don't have one myself, and jigsaw is not so nice.) I really like getting a sharp new blade for the TS and ripping the first board where it cuts like butter--better than you expected. It's like hitting the sweet spot on your 3-iron (also better than expected).

[Michael Trivette]

I know you are all gonna call me a liar. (and being a fisherman I can stretch the truth a long way)

BUT

Believe it or not i really love sanding.
I own alot of power tools but no sanders at all. NONE

I love sanding a rough piece of wood and I sand by feel not sight.

The only thing that feels as good as a freshly sanded piece of wood is well umm too explicit to mention here.

[Cary Falk]

I love buying and setting up the tools the most. I could mess around in the garage all day. I guess I do woodworking to justify buying tools.:D A close second is milling up the rough lumber and putting a project together. There is something about taking a stack of boards and transforming it into something that gets to me. Third would have to be finishing the project. The time in between 2 and 3 I have usually checked out of the current project and mentally moved onto the next one.