Patience – Shop Talk

WABF (War Against Bad Furniture)

Friday has come and the shop is mostly clean, and ready for the start of the new work week. 

Whats Playing: Cello Concerto, Op. 85 in E minor by Sir Edward Elgar with the BBC Symphony Orchestra

Why? We millennials love it when the beat drops! 

also many a bird chirping

Smell: Cherry Blossom Rubio with a hint of sawn beetle kill 

Drink of Choice: Strawberry Vanilla Olipop

Lesson of the week: Sometimes it’s good to get thrown into the fire. You’ll see how fast you can really move

Three jobs went out this week. A sit stand desk made with cherry and stained with chocolate Rubio

Also a dinning room table with 8 chairs and a leaf. This piece is made of White ash and is colored by Ebony Osmo. These were received by clients who have fun written in their blood. This gave us the freedom to add unique designs to the feet and even a nice tactile pocket under the arm rests of every chair. We appreciate clients who give us the ability to have some freedom with their piece. 

On a side note, this instantly maxed out our new 6×12 trailer. I have no idea how we could have delivered this one in the former delivery vehicle, a 2013 Honda odyssey minivan.

 

Along with a slew of some of the hardiest cutting boards Idaho has to offer! All pre oiled and final sanded in the photos.

A job two years in the making had some forward movement this week! The arches of this custom pergola have been built and bent by a local shop here in Nampa. They ended up being just a little too big for the trailer we borrowed and now will need to be delivered by semi truck!

This has by far been our longest project in the making. 

Many things have been built this week. Problems have come and gone on nearly every one of these projects. That cherry stand up desk was sanded and re stained more than once. The leaf in the white ash able took a beefy blow with a pipe clamp just a few days before the delivery date (thankfully we were able to iron that out. Yes iron, like you would iron your clothes). Those bumps, knicks, and scratches in the wood have left their marks on us as well. Spiked emotion states of frustration to the head holding sighs of appeared failure. All these projects leave behind its story in the shop and in the craftsman. Their marks teach us patience. They teach us to go with the flow. To adapt and to overcome. James has told me many times now that one of the marks of great craftsman is how they learn how to work with their mistakes and the complications that arise. Some things are just out of the craftsman hands. This week in Idaho smoke had rolled in pretty think from all the surrounding forrest fires. All the smoke turned our dry dessert climate into the swamp lands of Georgia. In our non climate controlled wood shop, the wood began doing many funky things. A large number of glue joints raised to the surface and they lost that smooth to the touch feel. Who knew a forrest fire in Oregon could manipulate the craftsmans table he’s about to finish? Now we know, and next time we can make a preemptive adjustment. In the mean time we have yet another opportunity to humble ourselves. To practice that all desired patience. 

With a heavy heart we also had to say goodbye to one of the OG craftsman of MHW. The operations wizard himself Mike Spomer.

Mike finally decided to re retire. If you have worked with us during the past Five years you can count on this chiseled 75 year old man to have laid his experienced hands and mighty wisdom on your piece. His future now entails long morning walks on the golf course and helping young men and women with budget finance. His other great passions in life (other than his wife Val of course). 

The future for MHW? For now it’s just James and Jake. The sons of thunder flying wood chips and making sawdust.

 All I know for sure is we will be having fun!