Connect the Dots

Inspiration fuels me.  When I am inspired, I have seemingly limitless energy.  When I’m not inspired, I employ a few strategies to try to rekindle that fire.  One of them is experimentation which is fun and a good way to practice woodworking.

I usually start with a piece of wood about 18″ long and square in profile.  Then, using straight edges, drawing bows, and french curves, I draw a line on each of the faces of the wood.  With a sharp 1″ chisel oriented bevel down, I remove the material between each pair of lines.  On the examples shown, the crisp edges are where my layout lines were.

This simple exercise utilizes scraps of wood to improve chisel technique, knowledge of wood properties, and my design sense.  Most importantly, it’s a quick activity that gets me into the shop creating!