Lesson Learned From Working Wood

( There are no woodworking tips or tricks in what follows, no tool
evaluation, no gloat or neener, no How To secrets. If that’s what
you’re looking for skip what follows.)

You’ve heard the expression “never judge a book by its cover”? Well as
I get farther (or should it be further?) into woodworking it’s more like
“never judge a piece of wood by first impressions”.

I’m a wood phreak. If it’s got visibly interesting grain, or is really
hefty, or WIDE, I want it. And if the price is right - I’ll buy a
couple hundred board feet, regardless of what it looks like - I can
always paint it - god forbid. Since I got into turning I’ve become even
less discriminating. If it’s wood and doesn’t have big cracks and
splits I want it, figuring a little bandsawing will get me something I
can turn into something - even if it’s just a pile of chips.

I can’t count how many times a nondescript board, or a downright ugly,
nasty piece of wood - you know - the ones with the knots and grain
direction changes that are a PITA to work, or that old barnwood or
weathered fence post - contains a bit of beauty just below the surface,
or will play with light once the surface is smoothed and burnished or
given a coat of oil or shellac. The surprise may hide beneath layers of
paint, behind an inch or two of mossy bark or under a chainsawn surface,
a skip planed face, or inside a piece of split log firewood.

Maybe it’s because of these experiences with wood, that I find I engage
people I encounter more often. And like finding something interesting
in a piece of wood, the same is often the case with people - a guy with
a blind man’s cane at a bookstore who isn’t blind yet - but his vision
is deteriorating rapidly. He was a fender and body man. Now he uses
his sense of touch to find all the imperfections in a car body which
can’t be seen but felt BEFORE it becomes visible as the finish is being
rubbed out. And he’s finally getting around to learning to play the
guitar, something he’s been meaning to get around to and finds he’s a
natural. He has “an ear” he’d ignored when he could see well and his
hand coordination and strength are perfect for the guitar. A hospice
worker who suffers from depression - first impressions says WRONG! Then
she tells you of the people she’s helped and some of their amazing
stories and it all makes sense. A retired county sheriff who worked at
a courthouse and helped folks who would otherwise be ground up by the
system, guiding them through the process, lending a hand when needed,
changing lives by his efforts. Thirty years and he never drew his
pistol. A single mother with a teenager who has all kinds of birth
defect related health problems, whose strength makes Arnold look like a
wimp - yet she’s one of the most optimistic people I’ve met. The frail
little old lady walking her little dog- Mary is her name - the old lady,
not the dog - who has lived all over the world and seen and done so
many fascinating things. The illegal immigrant with a can do attitude
and does - with gusto. He walked through the desert - THREE times - to
get here, and I’m grateful that he did and that I’ve gotten to know him.

Like finding something interesting in a piece of wood, the same thing is
often the case with people I come across. When there’s an opportunity
to engage a person I encounter in conversation - I do. Figure the worst
that can happen is that they won’t respond and walk off. No big deal.
BUT MOST OF THE TIME - I meet a really interesting person and learn a
great deal from them.

So if you’re a wood phreak, try working with people - there are often
pleasant surprises - just under the surface.

charlie b