Today was a red letter day for this galoot. I finally began to put some coats of finish on my workbench. I know, I know- not exactly earth shaking. But it is a day of note for the Bear and his Den in the garage. It means my most fundamental tool is now complete. In truth, I've been using the thing for over a year, and only now got it cleaned off enough to smear some linseed oil on.
The bench kit was an anniversary gift from Puff back in the heady early days of our marriage. The kit- basically a set of plans along with the vices and some other hardware- sat in a box in a storage room until such time that we moved into the townhouse and- more importantly- the garage. Money being tight, I foraged for wood by pulling apart old skids and salvaging an old picnic table.
The bench is no thing of beauty, nor did I intend it to be. I've seen some galoots build pristine, beautiful benches, often using exotic woods for highlights and contrast. They look better than some dining room tables I've seen. Personally, I'd be afraid to use such a thing, in case I accidentally dented it. No, my bench is a workbench, pure and simple, of classic Scandinavian dogleg design. Now I can get to work on all those things I've been putting off- Elder's desk, younger's dollhouse, a few carving projects (although it's not a carving bench) some more experiments for a hypothetical pipe organ, some sort of anniversary thing for Puff- ah, the possibilities when one has the right tools.
And for those of you who wonder what this could possibly have to do with the Catholic nature of this blog... well, allow me to remind you just what profession our Saviour most likely laboured in before beginning His Ministry.
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