Satisfaction Trumps Speed

 As a hobby woodworker, I am fortunate that I don't need to worry about my woodworking putting food on the table.  I don't need to justify purchasing a tool.  If I want it, have saved up for it, I can buy it.  Lately, I have been working on a build for a timeless classic Shaker nightstand table (not sure if that is the proper name).  It's part of a woodworking class I am taking one night a week at a local adult education center (Mount Diablo Adult Education in the San Francisco Bay Area).  I've always wanted to build one of these tables and I bought some really nice cherry for the build.

The class I am taking is the second in a series and has an emphasis on machines.  This is part of why I took the class.  I have very limited experience and machines at my home shop and I want to learn how to use them.  All was going well on the build in terms of speed.  Then, on Instagram (@meredithhartfurniture) and on YouTube Tom MuLaughlin of Epic Woodworking (https://www.youtube.com/live/FUKjJFK177w?feature=share) have information that gave me inspiration for this nightstand.  I was going to put "inlay" on the piece.  I had some nice figured maple offcuts form a prior project and some ebony I keep at hand for accents.  It probably will end up taking about 150 hours to build this piece.  Of which, 100 hours are the various inlay bits.  That's ok.  It's a hobby and I am very much enjoying all of this fiddly work.  It's coming out pretty good.  I should be done by the end of March and I started in January.  

Part of me wishes I would have done more in the first quarter of 2023 but that is over ridden by the fact that I will have a very nice piece of furniture in my home.  It's really hard to describe at how much pleasure and satisfaction I'm getting out it.  Also, given all the figure involved in the wood, I've been sharpening a lot and even that has been enjoyable.  I've really come to like the feedback I get on the waterstones.  For seven years prior I had used diamond stones and when they wore out I went to waterstones.  Both work well but they feel a bit different.  Life is good.