I have been practicing my craftsmanship. I am not saying that I am at the craftsman level, just stating the fact that I am making an effort.I took my time today milling the rails and cutting the mortise & tenons. I was rewarded with a decent fit, and only one goof. The wood for the aprons and rails seems to be sap wood, where the wood for the legs was heartwood. I am curious as to the affect this will have when it comes time for finishing. If any of my 4 readers have had experience with heartwood/sapwood differences with staining Ash, feel free to comment. Hey, comment even if you don't have experience. The grain on the aprons was also wilder than the legs, which led to some pretty bad tearout when jointing. I was able to hide the tearout on the inside of the rails, so it is not an issue.The time I spent paring out the mortises and tenons flew by. My mind was clear and focused on the job at hand. I wonder, if I were persuing woodworking as a professional craft and not a hobby, would have a similar experience? I can "zone out" when developing software, that is if it is fun, interesting or new. I guess when you are woodworking for a living, it has the danger of ending up like any other profession. Some tasks you look forward to tackling, and the others are just tasks. I wonder which tasks fall into which category. I have a ways to go before I am a "craftsman". I consider myself an "apprentice". As an apprentice, one of my duties is sharpening tools. That's a good thing, because the Ash has been brutal on my chisels.
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