Translucent

Some things can only be seen to truly be appreciated.  I'm not sure what species of wood I like working by hand the best, but oak would have to be in the top three.  My least favorite would have to be cottonwood.  It's a most horrible wood to try and use a drawknife and not find the grain completely opposite halfway through.  Even with the sharpest spokeshave, I've never been able to produce and glass-like finish.

Walnut is hard to manipulate at times, but it's my favorite wood on which to use my chisels.  Scores well, keeps a consistent grain, and the shavings just curl into small ringlets, even on a crosscut, with a sharpened chisel.  Poplar is a fun, softer wood to work with, and its coloring is among my favorites when it has a hand-rubbed coat of boiled linseed oil.

No; oak, and preferably white oak is such fun to work.  Now, my "project," which R.S. has just about figured out, is mostly red oak, but even red oak offers some wonderful surprises.

Above is a pic of a "leg." Nothing's glued or fastened; it's as I said yesterday - mortise and tenon work is just assembly - like Lego's for grown ups!  What I'd focus your attention on is the vertical piece that looks rather spalted.  It's what's known as "quartersawn" lumber.  In oak, one can end up with what looks like these three-dimensional facets in the wood.  It's what most people like about oak.  White oak is well known for this in quartersawn dimensions, but it occurs in the red oak variety as well.  There is a beauty even to the unfinished wood. But look below...

Nothing's been finished sanded; I just wiped a bit of danish oil on the face of the leg.  Wow!  Amazing colors, no? When it's sanded smooth, oiled, waxed, and buffed, the wood will literally glow!  So have you figured it out?  I'm not one for stretching out the obvious, but here's one more image from today's work in the shop to help you along.

Here's my favorite corner of my little workshop - my workbench!  R.S. is thinking a bit too large, but I'd like to tackle a daybed in the mission style at some point in the future.

It's a good day when I have some time in the shop.