Most Unpleasant Part of Project

Finishing, just not too skilled at it.

sanding, I do everything I can to avoid it by using planes whenever possible.

-- Drew, Delaware

Letting it go. Kinda like losing a kid….

-- Gary, DeKalb Texas only 4 miles from the mill

I’m mixed with the sanding part. On the one hand, it means that I’m nearing the end of the project. On the other hand it means that I need to book another one. – lol

Finishing is no biggie for me since most of my projects go to my stain/finish guy. I only do small projects or shoot a clear if that’s all I’m doing. He’s forgotten more about it than I’ll probably ever know.

-- Adversity doesn't build character...................it reveals it.

Handing them the BILL.
I have always enjoy the work. The money sometimes makes it not so pleasant.

-- "My mission in life - make everyone smile !"

I hate the initial jointing/thicknessing of the timber. All that noise etc… is a PITA.

I am lucky that my main supplier does is cheaply enough that for a couple of $$ my boards arrived 95% done ;)

joez71

-- www.joesworkbench.com

I honestly like all facets of the project but resawing the wood from a log is the least enjoyable to me.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

I actually enjoy all of the build, finish and install. I tend to procrastinate and put off drawing new jobs and crunching numbers for the bid. This seems crazy to me because when I first started I loved drawing and bids and hated finish work, now I love finish work and am not fond of bidding. I think I am good at bidding but I get bored setting in front of the computer working on software programs. But I have to do the bid in order to keep work going. I have thought of ways to hire a person to work on a commission based program as part time income and I just provide all my leads to that person. Not sure about that though so I just push through the bids.

-- Jerry Nettrour, San Antonio, www.topqualitycabinets.net

I build Adirondack chairs and enjoy every part of it. The assembly can be challenging for one person though, it takes lots of clamps and one accidental bump can get everything off kilter which is frustrating.

-- Failure does not stop me, it makes me try harder..... because I'm crazy.

Waiting for my wounds to heal is my biggest pet peve…..

-- Ken, USAF MSgt, Ret.

I would agree with a few above…..I dislike taking rough timbers and milling them square and true. takes SO much time (especially when you have POS, inaccurate, old power tools like me) haha

My favorite part…designing, and seeing something come together that was only a thought in my head a few weeks earlier!

-- Hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!!!!

Sanding.

-- Wayne - Plymouth MN

I think its interesting there are a few responses that say milling stock is the part you dislike the most. I thought I was one of a rare few who hated that part of the process. Unlike many of you, I really do like sanding and finishing. I think part of that is the fact that my wife is an extremely accomplished artist in oils and water color. she’s an amazing sketch artist too. If I really mess up on color, she bails me out every time. Defects and mistakes just disappear because of her knowledge of color theory. I asked her opinion about a project I was working on for a local gallery a few years ago and since then, I can’t get her out of my shop! Sheesh!. Thats the other part I hate: the fact that my shop isnt my space any more!!!

I hate me some sanding … thus the reason for buying a worksharp and keeping all my handplanes and scrapers in tip-top shape. For me i really dont enjoy doing things more than once … btw i also dislike painting for that sole reason.

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

Finish sanding. I am fine with whacking at it with coarse grits getting to final shape etc… But usually it’s the final prep before finishing that I find so tedious. Mind you my mindset comes from a background where I have family in the auto body business, so I have been known to basically buff a piece with 2000 grit emery cloth before. I probably go MUCH futher than most woodworkers in sanding…

Thankfully I don’t make my living, or even any money at this. But I must admit I HATE doing installs where my wife can see the work in progress. She is great if she doesn’t see how things are going together, but she can sure pick nits if she sees a gap here or there that later gets covered up with trim… The fact the gap is there will drive her, and in turn me, nuts for years… So it’s best I do installs while she goes out with her sister and our niece for a girls afternoon out…

-- Manufacturer of fine quality sawdust since 1984. Comments and advice on my shop welcome. Check it out at http://lumberjocks.com/dbhost/workshop. Gladly accepting shop build donations!