World’s smallest woodworking project

I think it’s a great idea, as her work life has her on the phone or computer just about all the time, with very few tangible things to show for her hard work. A craft, like crocheting, gives her a chance to do something completely different with her brain, while creating something she can see at the end of a project.

When you think about it, crocheting is very similar to woodworking, in that most people do it as a hobby so they can relax and enjoy themselves. It also allows people to make something that they can see and maybe even give to a friend or family member.

She started with literally no knowledge of the craft about two weeks ago, before taking a two-hour introductory course at a local yarn shop. There, she learned a lot of the basics and kickstarted her learning. Like woodworking, there are new tools to familiarize yourself with, new techniques to wrap your mind around and lots of mistakes to learn from. She likely pulled all the yarn out of the small basket she was making about 30 times in order to start fresh before she was able to continue until the end of this first project.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Again, the comparison to woodworking is apt, as new woodworkers sometimes practice cutting a joint a dozen times or more in pine before they reach for the maple they’ll use for their finished project. And I’m sure there are many mistakes made in the maple, too, only for a decent amount of it ending up in the firewood bin. It’s all about learning and becoming more familiar with the skills needed to be successful in whatever craft you’re taking part in.

Going swimmingly

She’s got some skills now, an assortment of tools and a decent amount of knowledge about the different stitches that can be used. Now that I think about it, she almost loves the tools she’s collected more than the final outcome. I’m not surprised, as she’s a bit of a gear and tool collector, much like many of the woodworkers I’ve come across over the years. I guess a very basic human trait is amassing tools so people have the potential to do things in the future.

Woodworking to the rescue

As her first project was nearing completion, she realized she was going to have a small challenge. As she worked her way up the perimeter of the simple basket, with each row spiralling its way on top of the previous row, it became obvious the sides of the basket would have to end somewhere, causing one remaining step where the last stitch was made.

This got me thinking about options to camouflage the step where the last stitch would be made. Obviously, this was when I turned to woodworking to find the best approach. Some sort of a button could not only hide the last step, but also provide a nifty little detail that would look nice and add another dimension to the project. I didn’t want to overpower the project with a large, unsightly detail, but if I could keep things simple, and keep the yarn as the focal point, all would be well.

To the shop!

At the end of a day in the shop, I reached into my stash of exotic offcuts with a big grin on my face. As I’m sure you all know, it’s rare to reach into this small bin, even though these bits and pieces have been waiting patiently for years, sometimes decades. It does happen from time to time, so keep growing your exotic offcut bin, everyone!

I’ve never made a button before. Projects are rarely that small. I marked out a small circular button from what I think was a piece of cocobolo, drilled a couple of holes in it, then cut it out. I then chucked a small burr in my rotary tool and added an even layer of texture to the circular outer edge of the tiny blank. I then sanded the two faces and eased the edges, applied a few quick coats of shellac and headed home with what I realized was likely the smallest project I’ve ever made.

My wife loved it, and quickly sewed it onto the basket. It covered up the step nicely, contrasted perfectly with the colour of the yarn she used and looked great. Thankfully, the button doesn’t overpower the basket. Even small projects can be very satisfying.