Every story has to start somewhere. It can be a beginning you have no control over, an opportunity that presents itself, or something that inspires you to take that first step (or leap) toward something new. The story of our blog began with inspiration.
It seems only fitting to begin journey of this woodworking blog by starting from the beginning. Over the years, I’ve built a lot of things: tables, nightstands, a headboard, a deck, and many more. I built things out of necessity, because we wanted something, or just for the challenge of it. However, I never really considered myself to be a true woodworker. I used dimensional lumber from our local home center for most everything I built, and simple butt joints and pocket holes for joinery. I had a miter saw and a circular saw and was able to make due for the most part. There were times that I wished I had a table saw to make rip cuts, but I was always able to work around that one way or another.
Inspiration is a funny thing that can strike at any time. My inspiration came one evening when I was relaxing with my iPad watching YouTube videos. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just letting the engine show me things it thought I might be interested in. There was a video in my feed by Steve Ramsey, who has a channel called Woodworking for Mere Mortals. I had seen one or two of his videos roll by in the past, and I had even watched one, but then I moved on and hadn’t thought anything further about it. On this evening, something was different. I don’t recall which video it was in particular, but it got my attention. Before I knew it, I was watching video after video from Steve. He has an entertaining style and a very achievable approach to woodworking.
And so began my interest in learning more about woodworking and trying to see if I could really become a woodworker myself. I found a bunch more YT channels that each helped teach me different approaches to woodworking: I Like to Make Stuff, The Wood Whisperer, Jay Bates, Fix This Build That, Stumpy Nubs, and Fisher’s Shop, to name a few.
I decided I wanted to try to apply what I’d been learning and also decided that I could really use a table saw. My table saw story is pretty cool too, but it’s rather lengthy. So I’ll just say that a very timely conversation with my Father-in-law (who is a true woodworker) got the ball rolling for me to acquire a classic Craftsman contractor saw on a rolling base we built custom for it.
This saw changed my whole perception on what I am capable of building and creating. I started small with Steve Ramsey’s Box and things took off from there.
I built my daughter a simple bed frame:
Then I graduated to a handy little drawer stack for my table saw goodies to fit in the empty space under one of the extension shelves:
That was all it took: Now I’m hooked.
This blog will follow my journey as I learn the ins and outs of woodworking. I’m certainly not any sort of professional builder or woodworker, so I’ll do my best to share any lessons I learn along the way. I’ll be involving my kids whenever I can safely do so (and have their interest to help) and I’ll be teaming up with my wife over at the White Lab House to build projects for her to finish or supplement her projects in various ways. It will be a family affair!
I’m excited at the possibilities the future can bring and all the things to learn! I hope you join me and my family along this journey. Who knows, maybe our journey can help inspire you along a journey of your own!