I am not a professional woodworker. I am hardly an amateur woodworker; I can pass as a hobbyist. My father was not a woodworker, nor anyone in my family that I know. My woodworking background consists of a three month elective I took in junior high school (I was thirteen years old) which I almost failed.
So how did I wind up getting up to my neck in woodworking?
The story begins with a guitar.
In the winter of 2007-08 I purchased a custom made electric guitar for myself. I really had no reason to do it other than I had always wanted a guitar that was made to my design.
Following that experience I started planning my next custom guitar order. The major problem with that endeavour is that custom made guitars are very expensive, and I didn't think I could convince my wife that it would be a good investment for the family (because it just isn't.)
Knowing that I would likely only get one more shot at designing my "perfect" guitar, I researched and studied up on every guitar part, gizmo and accessory available. I did this so that I could have everything in perspective for my next guitar.
My wife, who had noticed my researching obsession, said something to me which would forever change my life. She said "you know guitars inside and out so well by now, you may as well just build one yourself." She followed up the statement by getting me a book called "Building Electric Guitars" by Martin KOCH for my birthday in November 2008.
Knowing that I could not build an electric guitar using my deep freeze as a workbench, I decided that having a workbench would be the first course. (Getting tools was also in there, but I had not thought of that completely.)
So I got Christopher SCHWARZ's book "Workbenches." I had zero knowledge of woodworking. I couldn't have told you what a dovetail was from a jigsaw. To be honest the only reason I bought the book is because it was reasonably priced, had lots of photos, and a detailed drawing of a neat looking table called a "Roubo" that looked good enough to work on.
I'm writing this now in the spring of 2014. I still have not begun building a guitar. I have built a workbench, a bed for my son, a kitchen table, an outdoor cedar chest/bench, two utility cabinets, and I'm currently working on a chest of drawers for my daughter and son. And the to-do list keeps growing.
So this blog is simply a part of my journey through woodworking. I still plan on building myself that guitar one day, and when I do I'll blog the heck out of it.
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