Saw A Little More

I am going to build a birdhouse with Smallsteps.

So I bought a mitre saw.

Well, that is both true and also not the full story, as while we are going to build a birdhouse together using the power saw, I have many projects that are on the list for the garden, and they will all need a fair whack of cutting. The reason I bought the saw is obviously to make the job easier, but also because I have a fear of power tools that I will try to overcome.

List of projects:

• Birdhouse (fun with Smallsteps)
• Multiple plant boxes (hopefully as good as in my head)
• Custom height legs for a garden tabletop (wife is dubious)
• Roofed area for wheelie bins (helps in the winter)
• Garden bed edging (improves structure and maintenance)
• Patio (this is a monster project)

Up until now, I have been hand-sawing absolutely everything, mostly because I feel more comfortable doing it that way. However, it is just too much work, and I rarely have the skill to get the angles clean enough to fit. I am an amateur in every sense of the word, but I want to get better.

And the saw was on sale.

My wife and daughter are ill and I am only half ill. So while they were watching movies on the couch, I decided to clean the garage and make space for when my daughter is better, so we can get started. The saw arrived by mail last week, but I only unpacked it and attached the handles and whatnot today. I don't have a decent work table at the moment though.

Add to project list:

• Work bench
• Tool storage

My dad wasn't very handy around the house when it came to building anything, and I can't actually remember him building anything at all. My grandfather (mother's side) was incredibly skilled, but he passed away when I was 12, and had essentially stopped all a few years prior to that. So, I didn't really have a role model when it came to building stuff around the home that could teach me. While I don't expect my daughter to want to really build that much, I am hoping that I can help her be handy enough to do basic work for herself in the future, so she doesn't have to rely on people to hang a painting properly, or measure and cut something for her garden.

I actually quite like getting my hands dirty, despite what many people think of me, and I like to design, plan and make something useful. Since I might not be able to add much value in many other parts of life, I may as well do things that are going to make life a little easier, or better. And making things brings me personal satisfaction - even if it will never be as good as something bought.

What I am hoping is that when I walk through our garden, even if far from perfect, I feel that it is indeed our garden. Yes, we own it, but so much of ownership has become devoid of personal creatorship. The "we built a house" generally means that people were paid to design and construct a house that is then lived in. But many don't even paint the inside walls of their house now, instead paying professionals to do it all for them. Then, the furniture is bought, the appliances are bought, the art is bought - where is the "built" in the statement?

We have done a lot in the house we live in, and we have also had professionals do a lot too. However, what I have noticed is that when I run my hand down the banister of the stairs, I remember building bits of it to get it the way I wanted - and it makes the experience better. Because the experience isn't just in the usage, it is in the journey to usage also.

And I know there are plenty of people who do all of this for themselves all of the time, but I also know people who never do any of this themselves and I wonder, is their experience with what they use different? Stairs are stairs - or are they my stairs?

At least for me, it is similar to the art on our walls, which is all created by me, or photos taken by me of places we have shared experiences, or a couple from my mother, and one I commissioned for our anniversary last year. It is all personal - all has a story to it, and that story is part of us.

Much of what I have done, do, and will do in life is pretty pointless, but I believe that I am able to experience more meaning through utilising my creative self more than my consumptive self. I reckon it will be better for my own mental health, and maybe that will be better for those around me. Maybe I can improve their experiences also.

At least, I will be out of their way while I build stuff.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]