So last night, I’m making a list of the jigs I need/want to make for the various things on my to-do list (contained in another blog post), and I arrive at:
in order of need/intended construction:
1. Router Planing Sled (don’t have a planer)
2. Router Straight-Edge Jointing Jog (no Jointer either)
3. Panel Cutting Jig (who doesn’t need this?)
4. Cross Cut Sled (not a big deal, I have a really nice sliding compound miter saw)
5. Tapering Table Saw Jig (because it’s easy)
6. Raised Panel Jig (um..just because it’s cool!)
But I get to thinking…I’m a composer, and as an artist, the serious about craft type, not the airy pretentious type, I firmly believe that the care you take in your tools and work, and creating those tools yourself, says a great deal about who you are, and the care of craft. Working with music, or wood and stone is a privilege. I want my tools (and I’d like to make many of them myself) to reflect my viewpoint on life. This means my jigs, unless it’s something I need to complete something in a hurry, as I did with a recent roof patch, where I was racing snow and other obligations to complete the joining of rafters, new decking, felt, shingles of a hole in the roof caused by some damage, within a couple of hours…these jigs should reflect care and love. But how? I can’t afford to make jigs with some really expensive wood! So I read lots of people’s postings on here about construction sites, and freecycle, and reclaimed wood, etc..and fall asleep. During the night, I have a dream about getting cherry out of some dumpster.
This morning, I’m in my studio, when all of the sudden, my mother knocks on the door, and there she is, holding several pieces of cherry trim, about 6” x 24”. Turns out, a construction site blocks away for a client of hers (she owns a company which draws renderings for builders/contractors of their houses/projects) where he’s building a 2.4mil dream home for sale is doing the inside with walnut floors, cherry trim everywhere (try an amazing walnut staircase, cherry inlay, wrought-iron banister with walnut rail!)...and I have permission to raid the dumpster! So after I climb out, I’m around 100lbs+ the richer in walnut and cherry. Here’s a pic of a bin of each…that’s not even quite all of it..
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
So I’ve got plenty of walnut and cherry to accent and strengthen my jigs, not to mention a million other uses. Maple crosscut sled with cherry rail and walnut accent anyone? I’m a happy camper.
