Carpentry - My Abandoned Hobby!

Inspired by my roof building effort with Habitat for Humanity, I decided to do my own carpentry project – An Altar Table. An unusual project for any chica from India, my family initially got worried but then encouraged it as my new found hobby and interest.

Ready to kick start, I walked into Lowe’s (hardware store) with a rough design in mind, a small list of things to buy and an aura of overconfidence and excitement. Every rookie should start their carpentry journey at Lowe’s mainly because they just know what people like me need..Few minutes into Lowe's and I now had an updated shopping list!

Elated, I couldn't help reminisce the roof building week.  It took me half a day to hammer a nail in and another half to hammer it in ‘straight’.  I could barely feel my arms, only other time I had hit anything with any force was a cockroach! Being able to use a hammer without injuring myself or anyone around was a proud moment for me.  Climbing shaky planks amidst silent prayers, alternate uses of duct tape, using the saw were some of the other memories of that week.

Ready, Set, Go - I arranged the wood against the wall to get a visual perspective of the design (very helpful for rookies) and then circled the spots for the nails. Sanding and staining are best done outdoors, so my garage became my workshop area. I got to see few different neighbors in six months – certainly my carpentry had nothing to do with it!

Assembling time- Assisting with the roof vs. building a table alone have different learning curves. Bummer!  I realized I had more to learn before I could complete my project but my day job demanded more time on weekends as well.  So this project had to wait...so much for the enthusiasm!

A year later now, I still see the pieces of wood in my garage with the evident traces of an abandoned project!  I really wish I had gone that extra mile to learn this skill properly. Next month, a professional carpenter will complete my unfinished work. Failing at something isn't easy to deal with, so one day I hope to bring back this form/mode of art into my life! I might as well, I already have the tools!