Brewing Up Some Woodworking Stories With Boardman Company
You know, there’s something about sitting in a garage with a mug of coffee in your hands, the rich aroma mixing with the scent of fresh wood shavings, that really gets the creativity flowing. I can still hear that old radio crackling in the corner, playing some classic rock while I’m wrestling with a piece I probably shouldn’t have tackled in the first place. This is where life happens, folks. It’s messy. It’s real. A far cry from those perfectly polished Instagram projects you see all the time.
The Setup
Let me backtrack a bit. So, I had this grand idea a while ago—one of those “let’s impress the neighbors” moments. I’d heard about Boardman Company Woodworks, this local company that does everything from custom furniture to decorative pieces. This brother duo, Charlie and Ben, they have their workshop filled to the brim with tools, and the place always smells like cedar and a hint of varnish. You walk in, and you can feel the craftsmanship radiating off the walls. But I thought, you know, how hard could it be? So, I decided to give it a go, and boy, was I in for a lesson.
The Big Project
After a few weeks of pondering and planning—and consuming way too much coffee—I decided I was going to build a coffee table. It seemed simple enough, right? All I needed was some pine, a couple of 2x4s, and honestly, I thought my skills with the miter saw were beyond mediocre. But as I sat there, sketching out my design on a napkin (very professional, I know), I started to feel the weight of my own expectations.
The evening air was nice and cool when I finally got my materials together. I had this beautiful piece of pine, a fine grain just begging to be turned into something special. It was like, right when I had that wood in my hands, the entire universe shouted, "You got this!”
The Struggle
Fast forward to the first cut. I’m standing there with my miter saw, hearing that satisfying whirr as I slice through the wood, and, oh man, that sound! If you’ve never experienced it, that first clean cut? It’s a symphony, my friend. But then something went wrong—nothing like a big ol’ mistake to put the “fun” in “fundamental learning experience.”
I was trying to make an angle cut for the legs when, somehow, I miscalculated. I mean, somehow my brain was twisted around—maybe too much late-night coffee? Next thing I know, I’ve got the leg of the table at a totally wrong angle, and I’m standing there, cursing myself. I almost gave up right then and there.
The Breaking Point
I sat down on that cold garage floor, head in hands, thinking about how I should’ve just ordered something online rather than trying to take out a mortgage on basic lumber. But then I remembered something Charlie from Boardman told me once in passing: “Mistakes are just steps on the journey, buddy.”
Well, I stewed on that for a bit, picked myself back up, and grabbed my sander instead. There’s something oddly therapeutic about sanding, you know? I love the smell of fresh wood—like a clean, earthy scent mixed with a hint of sweat after a long day of labor. It brings a certain calmness that peaked when I actually managed to fix that darn leg. I’ll be honest; I laughed when it actually worked.
Put It All Together
With the right leg sorted out, I finally got back into the groove of things. I had the top finished, stained in this deep walnut color that made the grain pop. Oh man, just imagining friends gathering around it, sharing stories and laughter, definitely stoked the flames of my ambition. I tossed in some metal brackets for that “industrial” vibe; they were a bit sharp, but look, we all make sacrifices for aesthetics, right?
As I screwed in the final bolt, I could feel that familiar satisfaction creeping back in. Wiping my brow, a smile crept up, and I thought, “Yeah, this is worth it.”
A Warm Conclusion
So, here we are, a few weeks later, and my coffee table now graces the center of my living room. Each imperfection tells a story, a little snapshot of that garage journey. I find myself running my fingers along those grain lines sometimes, reminiscing about that night I almost called it quits.
If there’s anything I hope you take away from this little ramble of mine, it’s this: If you’re thinking about diving headfirst into a project—no matter what it is—just go for it. Mistakes will happen, oh they will. But that’s part of the charm. Each misstep is a note in your own song. Trust me, you’ll laugh about it later, and when you sit down to admire what you’ve made, it’ll all be worth it. Cheers to the journey, my friend!
