Most Significant Learning: Nothing New

Working on this project over the last 16 weeks has taught me quite a few things. I've been able to obtain new skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Of all the lessons I've learned over the course of the semester, there is one in particular that stands out the most. I learned that I do really enjoy woodworking. I've wondered for some time now, having grown up around my dad who always recruited me as his assistant when he was working on some project or other. For instance, the treehouse he built for my sisters and I when we were little, or the dollhouse-turned-"cathouse" that we built together. Despite these fairly frequent projects with my dad, I haven't dabbled into it much in the last few years. This semester, I was given the opportunity to reexplore this interest of mine, independently. My experience in this classroom environment is something that I will carry with me forever, due to my immense appreciation for the opportunity to have a structured enough environment to really find where my feelings reside regarding this kind of work. It's very fulfilling, though frustrating at times. It forces you to keep your pride in check for sure, but when something goes exactly as planned, even the smallest detail, the rewarding feeling radiates all throughout my being. I have plans to refurbish this desk that I used for a few years, that I absolutely adore, but it doesn't serve me the space that I need anymore. I want to put as much love, care, and attention into it so the next person who has it can enjoy it as much as I did, if not more. One more thing I would like to touch on is the use of 2x4's in this project. I think one other significant learning that I've acquired from this project is that using 2x4's to build chairs is not quite sustainable. I noticed that even when I took different approaches to the way I would cut the pieces needed for my chair design, there was still a significant amount of waste. In addition to that, using recycled 2x4's poses a whole world of issues. 2x4's that have been previously used in other projects may have issues that you're unaware of. Exposure to sunlight & various whether/climate conditions can warp the wood so much that it can be rendered completely useless when attempting to make precise/angular cuts. The wood itself may also be prone to splitting in places where a freshly manufactured & treated 2x4 would be able to hold its own. I don't really have a solution in mind, but I think there could be a more sustainable alternative to using 2x4s for chair construction.