woodworking
touching tree
a group of former ux designers gathered in a clearing, hands fidgeting in lieu of figma. in front of them, a miscellaneous pile of wood and soft fibers. years of staring at screens have taken a toll on their backs, so they slouched as they stared intently at the material. they picked up the pieces and turned them around in their hands, admiring the new dimension that they had so long neglected. for the first time, the art was truly theirs. not some corporations, not some numbers on a hard drive, but real, in their hands.
the past few months, i’ve been learning how to work with wood. something about the material, perhaps my complete lack of going outside and touching grass, makes wood so meditative to work with.
the first project i made was a bench. i drew out a design and brought it to the woodshop.
after some planning, i decided to use poplar wood, and showed up to the woodshop with questions. so.... how do i cut it to the size i want? how do i attach the pieces together? slowly, over the course of 2 months, and a lot of patience from the staff showing me tools, the bench came together. i learned how to use a planar, jointer, table saw, miter saw, drill press, sand and glue with dowels, and finish with polyurethane.
i also learned out how to upholster the piece with foam, plywood, batting, and interfacing on youtube.
i used the leftover upholstery foam to make cushions for my dining chairs.
at the woodshop, i would run into an old man who makes clocks. one time he roasted me for being basic for deciding to make a cutting board. i told him i eventually want to make an old school radio back from the era when technology at home disguised itself like furniture and he told me he had one in his room growing up. one time he laughed at me for not wearing an apron and getting wood dust all over myself. ever since then, i’ve worn an apron to the woodshop.
to the old man’s disappointment, i decided to make a cutting board next out of maple and walnut. i gave one of them to my grandma, and the other one to my friend for her wedding.
now i’m learning to make a chopstick jig and chopsticks out of all the scrap wood i’ve accumulated from my past two projects.
as i go to the maker space more, i find myself in a much better headspace because i’m so focused on making. it’s so satisfying seeing my material transform into my vision. i’m not as worried about perfection when i’m making alongside others, and its a lot less isolating when i can see exactly what the people around me are doing. i’m inspired by them, and apparently i inspire them too.
the old man showed me a bench that he made. “you inspired me” he said. he gave me a piece of wood he had already glued and sanded together. “make something with it.”
arizona has been getting really hot and my work has been taking a break since it’s summer in schools now, so i started collecting indoor hobbies that don’t require staring at a computer all day :’)
what i’ve been up to
shoutout to my friend connie’s inprogress.works! it’s such a lightweight way to track progress of projects!! been so fun to upload progress there and see what everyone’s making
started learning throwing... so much harder than i thought. last week i learned to trim a bowl that i made. will see how much i improve the next few months
started climbing again, and decided to make a little chalk bag out of a plushie
started learning embroidery, yesterday i learned how to chain and link stitch
finally finished my first corset
made of my old jeans went to my first wedding the past weekend, felt like a college reunion and was really wholesome. for many us there it was our first wedding and it was nice that all of us didn’t know what to expect and got to experience it together.
finally got the guts to watch obsession. so traumatizing but it was so real in its commentary on our scary level of reliance on each other in relationships. i never seen an indie movie have so many full theaters a whole month after its release. absolutely incredible theater experience
this is very cool!! excited for more wood and pottery