Honestly many of the first wood wooding projects for my generation (60+ years old) no longer exist. We don't need to make book ends, bird houses, storage boxes etc. they are all now readily available for reasonable prices from all sorts of retail outlets. So a person doesn't automatically end up making things from wood any longer.
However if you like making things and aren't that keen on glue/saw dust board or plastic you may still want to make some basic things for your home space.
Last blog I talked about how to start wood working by beginning at the finish. (end)
Imagine I had no tools, but liked wood more than plastic and wanted to have a slightly individual project when I was done.
I spent $2.00 on this plywood box. To end up with a nice finished project I have to take a couple real wood working steps.
1st- I sanded this box with 100 grit sand paper. I sanded all the edges and corners to make the box nice to touch and reduce the chance of splinters.
2nd- I sanded all the edges and surfaces with 180 grit sand paper. You might not believe it but that makes the box smoother (softer) to touch.
3rd- I sealed the wood with shellac. Any of the many sealing products could be used. I like shellac because it is quick drying, fool proof to apply and compatible when dry with just about any other type of paint, stain or varnish you may then use.
all the tools needed for this project.
Then I used the 180 grit to lightly sand the shellac, once dry. Our house has forced air heating...there is always fine grit in the air that settles into the finish. Next I used some water based craft to paint to colour in the box top.
Since the box had been sealed the water paint did not blot into the wood and only one coat was necessary to get good coverage.
Once the paint dried I but another seal coat on top just to make it more difficult for fingers to leave smudge marks.
Doing this project will help you or your child to decide if you like the feel and smell of wood and wood dust. Rounding over edges and making the wood box gentle on your hands is a great feeling.
This was a 'one time', project requiring two sheets of sand paper, sealer and some craft paint.
There are many pre assembled wooden projects out there just waiting for you to finish them. When I was an apartment dweller I finished a couple of big items, including a television stand on a drop sheet in the living room. Larger projects can be sanded by hand but......
A random orbital sander can make a large job, quicker and easier. As a rule, the most expensive sanders have better dust collect, make less noise and run more smoothly. If you find you enjoy staining, painting or other wise finishing wood projects sanders are big help with a shallow learning curve.
A finishing sander works more slowly than a random orbital, but runs with the grain and so will not leave tiny swirls in the wood grain like a random orbital can, if you aren't careful.
The monster of the sanding family is the BELT SANDER.
The belt sander can be used to remove a great deal of wood in a short time. I bought one early in my career before I had hand plane skills and flattened many board. In fact I still have that sander and occasionally still use it, though it doesn't have any dust collection capability. It is pretty much and out door tool now.
I used to make cutting boards and so had a bank of sanders with ever finer grits of sand paper mounted so that I could proceed from 60 to 600 grit by switching sanders.
There is a fascinating world of specialty hand held sanders as well as machines out there for all types of unusual tasks. check it out.
cheers ianw
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