The Shoe Bench Part II

     The hobby of working with wood should be something that one enjoys doing.   It is the desire to be a master craftsman, but over all it should just be something that one enjoys doing with his spare time.   In fact the definition of "hobby" is as follows:  "A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time."  

     Last week, I had written about how I had made up two hard maple panels out of some left over flooring boards.    This week I started to assemble the bench.    Again, there is no plan, it is basically coming together from some scribbled notes that I had made.    The plan was to have three cubbies on the bottom and three drawers on top.   One drawer above one cubbie.  I did something a little different this time.   I stained all the boards with the exception of the hardwood maple.    Usually I wait to stain until the project is assembled.    I used a light colored stain that will match the cupboards in the house where this bench is going.

   This is where all the glitches stared to show up.   Usually I don't share the mistakes in my workmanship.   I try to figure out a way to hide my errors. (I have been doing this since the day I started first grade.)    All the pieces were cut square, but once the base was assembled the top was 1/4 of an inch shorter across than the bottom.   (Not so serious.)   Next, when I was cutting my dado for the drawer supports, I cut them on the wrong side of the line.   So instead of having a 3 inch deep drawer as planned, I would only have a 2 1/4 inch deep drawer.   (This is a little more serious.  Still would work, but a little more serious.)  Lastly the middle section was crooked.   And it seemed that it was enough that it was noticeable.    I could not make a crooked drawer.   (That was serious.)
   


     I slept on it for one night.   The next morning the sledge hammer came out.   I have not done this for sometime - meaning I have not destroyed a project that was more than half way done.   It seemed like there was always a way to utilize a project, but this just started out wrong and seemed to go down hill from there.   (So -obviously there is going to be a blog next week called "The Shoe Bench Part III".)

   Well my little buddy,  we can either haul this wood to the scrap pile and hope that there will be a plan down the road where we can re-use some of this lumber or we can haul it out to the fire pit and have a  wiener roast some evening when it has rained and the fire threat is not so great.

    I know you are mad, but the answer is no.  After a day like today, that cold beer is for me.    That little glass of milk that you seem to want to ignore - that is for you.