It's Mostly Sanding

I built a coffee table over the holiday weekend. I am happy enough with how it turned out, and I learned something valuable. I saw this table in my minds eye as a small part--an incremental step--in taking our domicile over the finish line. It is one item on a long list, bed frame, fireplace surround, etc. that I must finish to truly bring our humble abode to completion. Details details...I realized as my father and I worked this weekend that it's mostly sanding.

This illuminated something about the home we are building here, the life we are building here, and the community we are building here. The work to create it is punctuated by moments of agency, selecting the wood, or final assembly--metaphorically. But most of the time it us mundane--sanding. If you take care and have patience, most hardwoods can be smoothed to an almost vitreous surface simply by sanding. Graduating to ever higher grit counts, you can actually polish raw wood. Wet it to raise the grain, and sand again, you can be assured that a simple oiled finish will shimmer in any light. What's more, simple wood, in this case an old pecan tree combined with some salvaged ipe decking can be striking, even when assembled by a novice.

That's the really profound thing. The ingredients need not be impressive, and the skill of the craftsman need not be expert. All you really need to make something serviceable is the patience and perseverance to sand.