The start of my woodworking career
I did not set out to start a small wood working business. I simply decided that I thought I could do some of the wood projects and crafts that I saw from time to time at craft shows and flea markets myself. As I took closer looks at their craftmanship, I even thought, in many cases, I could probably do better. After looking at them time and time again and coming to the same conclusion, it finally hit me, why not try it. This is where the leap was finally made. The thinking over and over about trying the craft or the project banging in your mind. But, what is stopping me? You could do something and actually taking action on these dreams. So I decided it was time to stop dreaming and it was time to take action. After some pondering, I determined I was going to try to build my own wooden flag as a artful display for my wall. With only a few tools (a hand-me down miter saw, a few clamps, a dermal tool and a newly purchased Harbor Freight table saw) I got to work. The concept was simple enough, cut a few boards to the same size, stain them up and glue them back together. Simple? Right.
In short, yeah it is very simple concept. But, my 1st attempt showed a few problems that I did not originally foresee. I looked online and got the detentions of a flag. I knew I was planning to use construction grade (cheap) lumber form the department store because I am cheap and this is learning. No one can waste good money on simply learning a new craft. I cut the 2x4s into 36 inch sections and then ripped them down to make the 13 stripes on flag. Everything seemed simple enough and I didn't see a problem at all. I decided to use painters tape around the boards to stop the spread of the stain on the union (star section) part of the flag. That is where the 1st problem arose its ugly head. The tape stopped the application of the stain, but did not stop the wood from soaking the stain up and crossing right under the tape. The lines were not crisp. The stain faded across and blurred the line.
Okay, well that board is now no longer going to work. I will need to rip a new one to try again. Well, guess what. I already put the table saw back up, adjusting the fence and all the things. So I cut a new board to replace the mistake. Mistake number 2 now wanted to show it's face. The board was not the same thickness. Resetting the table saw to the same thickness, especially with a budget level table saw, is near impossible. This is my first large take away that I now practice when making a flag project, cut a few extra strips for the project. Some of these strips will consist of knot holes that make the board unusable or stain will soak across into the wrong areas or whatever the case, an extra is always nice to have.
After finally gauging the cuts to their correct size, I got back on track. This time I used razor blades and hammered the blade along the line. This prevented the stain from crossing the threshold and tainting the wood on the other side. It worked like a charm. The lines were crisp and precise. The sharp edge couldn't help but bring a smile to my face. I stained all the rest of the 12 boards in the same manner. Once they were nice and dry, I glued the edges and clamped them. The next day I came out side see my glues board was far from even. I had clamped the boards top to bottom but did not have any support on the front of back to make sure they did not shift. The shift was minimal and I decided to proceed with the project (lesson learned for future projects to give a front and rear support while gluing).
I decided to put some thin wood strip on the back as a support for this flag after I saw the shift. I glued and tack nailed the strips (around 1/8 of an inch, scraps from the original cuts) to the back. Looked sharp. I carved the stars out with a dermal tool and thought it looked great. (another tip, if trying this project, go ahead and get a stencil of the 50 stars).
I finally hung the flag up on my wall and was just giddy with my mastered craft. A few days later the wood began warping and the thing strips I attached to the back were simple not enough to stop the piece from cupping. The entire flag had became shaped like a U. This project taught me a lot. It showed me how the craft isn't always as easy as it looks at 1st glance. However, it taught me something so much better too. It showed me that if you keep trying and learning and evaluating you can make it through. After friends and family seeing my flag and a few more practice ones I completed to replace the 1st one. Many started requesting that I make them one too. I have since made dozens and dozens. Each one better than the last. Each one learning new tips and tricks as I work through its specific problems. It is a growing experience and you need to remember you are not perfect. But you can keep improving.
Date of Blog 03/18/2025
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