Grandpa Was A Carpenter?

The saw that scares me!

For as long as I can remember I have always admired people that work with their hands to build and create things. Whether they are technicians that repair and rebuild cars, dentists who not only alleviate the pain but create teeth that are stronger and better looking than the originals, I am fascinated with those that are really gifted with their hands. I admire those who are skilled at building structures (houses, stores, and banks). And at the very top of the list of craftsman that I admire are the finish carpenters, the people that put on those finishing touches that make the entire project look neat, clean, and finished.

About 20 years ago we built a 3200 square foot home from the ground up. "We" did not build it, our contractor built it, but as the homeowner, we were very much involved. I loved every day of the 7-month process, my wife not so much. We would drive 200 miles round trip almost every weekend to track the progress on the new home construction. My wife asked why we were going every weekend and I told her that I wanted to be sure everything was being done properly. She brought it to my attention that I knew nothing about construction so the trips were somewhat pointless. I hate when she is right. The fact is, I would not know if the work was up to code, but I continued to make the trips solo just to admire what was being built.

Practice makes perfect?

All of this to say that I have started my first ever carpentry project in our home. I am installing crown molding. If you have ever installed crown molding you are probably laughing right now. Crown molding is not a project for the beginner. Despite a generous budget from my financial advisor (my wife) for tools, I am still in the deep end of the pool. I bought a saw that scares me when it is not running, a nail gun, a grinder, every tool possible to measure angles on walls, and every other little item needed to accomplish the task. Just for good measure, I have watched at least 157 hours of YouTube videos that have encouraged me but made the actual work no less daunting. In all seriousness the YouTube guy from Finish Carpentry TV deserves a shout out, he is very helpful and exceptionally good at what he does.

I spent days, not hours in this corner!

I am about halfway through the project. I am learning a lot, not the least of which is the fact that every corner of our home is not square. More accurately, no corners of our house are square. Every corner and every angle is its own little creation. I started the project with the goal of using little or no caulk or putty, that didn't work...I just emptied my third tube of caulk!

In closing, I will go back to the title of the post, Grandpa Was A Carpenter. If this title caught your attention you may be of a certain age and more specifically you may be a John Prine fan. He was a country folk singer/songwriter from the early 1970s. While my musical tastes have changed over the years and the fact that some of John's music was "suggestive", I still enjoy his ability to tell a story through a song. If you have never heard the song, see the attached link, give a listen and imagine this Grandpa trying to become a carpenter.