Rant: My cousin thought I just sanded wood all day

Was at a family BBQ last weekend and my cousin asked what I do all day in the shop. I told him about designing, cutting, and fitting pieces, but he just pictured sanding. I mean, it's a big part, but there's so much more like joinery and finish work. I ended up showing him photos of a recent built-in I did, and he was shocked by the detail. It made me realize how little people know about our work. Maybe we should share more process pics online to help others see what goes into it.

3 comments

3 Comments

davidshah8d ago

Good point about sharing process photos. Though to be fair, sanding is a huge part of the job and it's what makes everything else look good. Can't skip it.

mary_wells8d ago

Last year, I rushed through sanding on a maple table and the stain turned out blotchy. I always thought those in-between steps were too boring to share. But @davidshah has a point, it's the sanding that makes the finish look good. Now I include photos of the surface after each sanding grit. It shows the work that goes into getting a smooth result. That changed how I see process photos for sure.

clairem382d ago

Maple is such a tricky wood for stain, it shows every single sanding skip. I did the same thing on a cabinet door once and had to strip it all back to bare wood, which added hours to the job. Your point about showing the surface after each grit is spot on. For someone new, seeing that progress from rough to glassy is actually really helpful. It turns a boring step into a key lesson. I'm totally with you on sharing those in-between photos now.