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A Woodworker’s Journey with Veritas Tools

So, there I was last spring, sitting on that rickety old stool my , the smell of fresh pine wafting through the air. My latest project was taking shape—a coffee table for my daughter’s new apartment. I had some nice boards of maple and cherry, all picked out and ready to go. But, of course, it wasn’t just about choosing the wood. Oh no, it never is, especially in my world. It’s also about the tools.

Enter Veritas.

I stumbled upon Veritas woodworking tools a couple of years back, and man, have they transformed how I approach my projects. They’re a Canadian brand, but you’d think they were made in some secret workshop right here in good ol’ USA. I grabbed a few of their hand planes and some of their fancy chisels, and let me tell you, they made me feel like a seasoned craftsman.

The First Time’s the Hardest

Now, I don’t want to brag, but I’ve built my fair share of things—birdhouses, bookshelves, even a rustic bench that looked like it belonged on a farmhouse porch. But this table? It was different. I imagined it flawlessly joining the ranks of dinner conversations and late-night coffee chats, but it almost didn’t make it past the first cut.

The night I decided to kick off the project, I set my Veritas hand plane on the beautiful cherry wood I was to use for the tabletop. The sound of that blade slicing through the grain was music to my ears. There’s something incredibly satisfying about that, almost like a slow jazz riff. But, true to my nature, I felt a little overconfident.

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I had this board that was a bit warped, and rather than taking the time to flatten it first, I figured I’d plane it down. Big mistake. I mean, half an hour later, I was staring at this confusing mess of shavings, and I nearly threw the plane across the garage. The board ended up thinner in the middle than the edges, and I felt like a fool sitting there, scratching my head.

from the Woodshop Floor

It was my wife who came in after hearing my frustrated muttering. She peeked over my shoulder and said, “Maybe you should just take a step back and think about this.” You know how it is: sometimes you just need someone to remind you that you’re not in a race. So, I did. I took a break, stepped outside, let the cool breeze clear my head a little.

When I returned, I picked up my Veritas chisel instead. I began to work methodically—maybe a bit obsessively—checking square after every cut. There’s a real beauty in taking the long way round, I found. And when it actually worked out? I laughed. I mean, really belly laughed, like a kid on Christmas morning. The tightness in my shoulders released, and I could finally see my coffee table coming together with the right dimensions.

The Joy in the Details

I fell in love with the details after that. I decided to use dowel joints instead of screws this time—thanks to the Veritas dowelling jigs I’d picked up. They just seemed to align perfectly, like an unspoken bond with the wood. As I drilled those holes, I could smell the sawdust—oh man, nothing beats the aroma of freshly cut wood. It’s like nature’s own way of saying, “Good job, buddy.”

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But that might have come with its own hiccups. I miscalculated the spacing on my jigs once and ended up with a couple holes that were a little too close together. Whatever. It was a lesson to be learned, some silly extra pocket hole. No one would ever notice—unless they were looking for mistakes, and who would do that when the table was surrounded by friends?

Celebrating the Finish Line

Fast forward a few weeks, and I finally had a completed table. The first coat of oil brought out the grain in a way that made my heart skip a beat. After the last coat, I just stood there, eyeing it like a proud parent at a graduation ceremony. We have this little old lamp that sits on our dining room table, and that new coffee table just pulled the whole room together. It was a hard-fought victory—with sweat and a couple of swear words—those good ol’ days in the garage, you know?

Takeaway for the Adventures Ahead

If you’re thinking about getting into woodworking or even just want to make something for your home, go for it. Pick up that piece of wood, grab whatever tools you have (Veritas or your ‘s old ones, it doesn’t matter), and just start. You’ll mess up—trust me on that. But every mistake leads to a lesson, and every lesson feels so much sweeter when you finally see your finished piece.

So here’s to coffee tables, laughter, and some well-earned satisfaction. Life’s too short to worry about every little mistake. Just jump in, and you might be surprised about what you can create.