Simple jobs that bring a smile and a good-looking woodworking video
I’ve just finished what turned out to be a really simple workstation renovation job for a friend. They had a pretty good idea of what they wanted the finished workstation to look like, but hadn’t a clue how to get there.
They thought the job might be beneath me and that I wouldn’t want to take on this little project, but I’m glad they contacted me. Sometimes the simple jobs are the fun ones.
They had an “L” workstation that met in the middle at a 45° angle, as opposed to a more common 90° angle. It worked well 15-plus years ago when they had a large desktop computer that needed the space, but now laptops have taken over and with Zoom in their life in a central way, they had different requirements.
I met with them for about 30 minutes to go over our approach, then disassembled the extending arm of the “L” workstation and took it back to my shop. My client didn’t want to break the bank, and were fine with some basic imperfections, but I still wanted to do a decent job for them so that they’d enjoy looking at it and using it for years to come.
I ripped the solid partial bullnose edges from the work surface first, as I was going to reattach them once the piece was trimmed to size. With those edges put aside for safe keeping, I made a few trim cuts with my track saw to accurately and safely bring the work surface down to size. It was curved, so the table saw would have made these cuts dangerous. A bit of masking tape reattached the solid edging, then I applied iron-on veneer tape to the one edge that would butt up against the other existing work surface even though it would almost never be seen. A wet cloth to remove any glue squeeze-out, a file to round over the sharp corners, a few quick coats of shellac on the iron-on edge tape and I was ready to reinstall the work surface.
Once it was screwed to the rest of the existing workstation, it fit nicely and worked like a charm. My friend was very pleased with the new look and function, and admitted they thought this process was going to take a lot longer and be troublesome. We woodworkers have the opportunity to improve the function of a room and put a smile on someone’s face, and this is something I’m grateful for. My job certainly isn’t as important as my friend’s job as a cardiologist, but when something I do brings a smile to someone’s face, that brings a smile to mine.
This process took very little time or skill, but that’s what I think I enjoyed about it the most; an enjoyable few hours in the shop in order to make someone happy.
Good-looking woodworking video
We all enjoy watching videos. Good woodworking videos can be informative and teach us all sorts of things in a clear and concise manner. One of our regular contributors, Mark Salusbury, sent a video the other day made by a YouTube creator called “Omozoc.” The video details how the creator made a simple wooden milk crate. Woodworking-wise, it taught me nothing, but I really enjoyed watching it for audio and visual reasons. It also makes me wonder about the technical aspects needed to make this video. What I’d really like to see is a “How It Was Made” video about this video. I guess, in theory, it’s pretty simple: take a photo, move the items in the screen a tiny bit, take a photo, etc., but I’m sure when it came down to actually making the video it wasn’t as easy as it looks.
My favourite aspect of the video was the audio. It really brought the visuals to life, and made it seem like it was actually being made.
The other videos this creator has produced are also a lot of fun to watch, though none include any woodworking.
Have you come across any other videos that are strictly fun to watch, and are created in a unique fashion? Post any links below, as I’d love to see them.
Rob is a studio furniture maker and the editor at Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement. Instagram at @RobBrownTeaches
That’s a great video, it immediately reminded me of the Lawn Chair video by Frank Howarth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7l3_THa-Yk
I first watched this video when I was getting into woodworking and I definitely learned a lot just watching the tools do their work. Especially on some of the close-ups, like the jointer. You can really get an understanding on how it can make a warped board flat and true.