whats your favorite part

[pete00]

What do you enjoy the most about your projects...

1 Designing
2 Making
3 Finishing
4 Selling or Giving it away

Pick all that apply.

[pete00]

I like the designing and finishing the best, cant wait to see if the end results match my expectation...

cant even follow my own instructions,
forgot to pick design as well.....another senior moment

[minowevie]

Hi Pete. my favorit part , is looking through all the pattern mags. and getting excited about something. ordering it. and finding the wood. then , I have fun trying to feguer out the pattern, (like clocks) and making a picture in my mind on how i wont to proseed. then I love the milling of the woods. and trying to keep them from warping. thats a chalandg all buy itself. then the start of it all. placeing my patterns on, and trying to save as much wood as i can. and then the cutting. i wish i could say thats my favorite thing, but its always a learning experiance. and then to put it all together. seeing if every thing fits. and glueing it all together. also the chalandg of making my mistakes look good. HA> some of what i do, is so hard to put on a tabal, that i have to figure out how to do that. thats fun too. the glueing , the clamping, and the putting it all together, is what i love. antisapation , is rizing. can't wait to get it finished. seems like all the hard work is done, but then there is the finish. thats when i get in a hurry. and mess up, I don't sell, but do love to make my friends and family happy with what i have made for them, not to mention myself. I guess for me is the end result. anyone can go to a store and buy a clock or shelf, or potrait. but to make it for someone. is a treasure. something that no one can buy. not with the work involved. Im glad i don't have to make a living out of this, for it probley wouldn't be as fun. but who knows. if that happends, maybe I could find a way.
I know long winded. your friend Evie

[B Smith]

I enjoy making items selling and giving them away. Wouldn`t have room to put everything if didn`t move it out. I am into cutting Jeff Zaffinos patterns right now and am enjoying the complexity of his design.

[CanadianScroller]

I used to love scrolling but I find the design is more of a challenge.
I do think the look on someones face when they see what you have made is priceless though.

[Marcel in Longueuil]

From the first thought about the project, to the feeling of accomplishment or even sometimes, failure at the end.

It's all good.



Come to think of it: With the exception, maybe, of sanding

Regards,
Marcel

[William Young (SE BC)]

I voted for finishing because I feel that *it isn't finished until it is finished.*
A properly finished product brings the piece to life and makes everything up to that point more rewarding and worthwhile and it makes it so much easier when it comes to both selling and/or giving it away.
I have been at craft sales where other vendors (one in particular) right close to me got practically skunked because he neglected to put a proper finish on his products while at the same time I was selling mine steadily. It had nothing to do with his workmanship. The quality of workmanship between his and mine up to the crucial finishing stage was close to equal.. He just thought he could shortcut the finishing stage and assume that the customer would buy an unfinished or half finished item and take it home and finish it themeselves. Might work with unfinished furniture especially if it is being sold and labeled as such and at a discount price. But when it comes to fretwork, the average person does not have a clue how to finish that type of thing so they shy away from it.
Him and I had a discussion about that and a few months later I saw him at a sale with his products . The same products that he had to take home from his previous sale were finished and they were now selling. He came to my table and thanked me for helping him and explaining to him how I finish mine.
Even though his finishing quality left much to be desirerd, he is learning the proper use of a spray gun and his finishes will only get better with more practice.

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. I feel that in the case of improper or lack of finishing it is more like a broken link.
W.Y.

[wwalker47]

Making

I went with making. I am relatively new at scrolling and I really love doing fretwork. I just wish I knew more about finishing. I do agree with Carl about the look on someones face when see what it is and how you make it.

I cut 2 of a little girl on a Carousel and gave it to my granddaughter and her friend, they are big Carousel enthusiast and loved them (see below). I also cut the compound bow from John A. Nelson's book to put on the wrapping. The friend's Dad was just wowed by the bow and wanted to know all about it. He also like the actual present, as well.

[Rolf]

I really like making it. It is the most relaxing part of the entire project.

The other aspect of scrolling that is great is the reactions you get from people that see your work for the first time. That look of horror is priceless. It is very satisfying to hear the ooohs and ahhhs.
What is especially satisfying is to get a compliment on your work from a talented group like this one, especially when you are a newbie.

[Powakee]

I started designing about 2 years ago. That is after I had been cutting for about 10 years. When I design these things get pretty darn intricate. I like fret work best so when I design things they tend to have a lot more fret type of cutting. But, then, when I can cut on a project and it takes 14 or 18 hrs of cutting - I am in heaven! I wished I knew exactly what it was that I like about that because some folks think I'm crazy - and maybe I am - but it sure is a fun crazy!

John
of the desert

[BobD (Archive)]

I just like cutting...I don't like sanding, I don't like finishing...I just like cutting <grin>

I'm lazy when it comes to finishing...it drives my wife nuts! I've got all these cut but not finished projects everywhere!!!

Bob

[Neal Moore]

Great Thread

I voted for designing but actually I enjoy the whole experience. I really never know exactly how one of my designs will look until it's cut, stained and framed. I also like researching subjects for my portraits and have developed a strong interest in trying to design a couple projects around the works of some of the old Renaissance masters. I'm also heeding Bill Young's advice regarding final finishing. I have never been totally satisfied with anything I've tried so far but I think I'll see what Deft looks like on my next project.

[ozarkhillbilly]

Oh, I don't know, I really like each phase of doing a project. With each step completed a bit of mounting excitment builds as it gets closer to completion.
But if I have to nail down one I have to go with cutting. Followed by oooh's and aaaah's of those who view it.

[CanadianScroller]

I just like cutting...I don't like sanding, I don't like finishing...I just like cutting <grin>

I'm lazy when it comes to finishing...it drives my wife nuts! I've got all these cut but not finished projects everywhere!!!

Bob

Just call it the Natural Finish that Nature intended!

[minowevie]

I just have to reply again. to say (BILL I GOT YOUR POINT) I wish you was my neibor or big brother. My Hubby is a master carpenter. and does great on his finishs. and he trys to teach me. but he dosn't do small fret work. and gets lost there. the sanding prosses is differant , I think, on small fret work. you just can't use those big old sanding things on small fretwork. I agree you just have to take your time, and slow down , if you wont to do the project justise. I am learning as i go along. and the finer my projects get the more i wont to learn to do them right. I always appreciate your advice, no matter how hard it is to humbale myself. But you have done the work, and I am willing to learn, thank you for teaching us.
Evie