How it all began

I started woodworking in the fall of 2015 with the help of my younger sister. I had purchased a house in the summer, and I wanted a table for my dining room. However, money was tight because my house needed a lot of work, so I decided I could save money by building a table. My sister has been building for a couple of years, and she agreed to help me. I spent a weekend with her in her garage, and she taught me the basics. She had already purchased the wood locally, sourced from seconds at a local cabinet shop. She also pre-glued and clamped wood sections together to make the chunky beams that comprised the legs of the table. She only spent $34 in wood. Today, that sounds incredible.

As we worked, she taught me to use the miter saw, a nail gun, and a Kreg Jig. I was hooked. I would never have attempted to use any of these tools on my own, but she had taught herself, and gave me confidence to use these and other tools. We had the table constructed and finished that weekend, but more importantly, I was energized by the idea of building my own pieces.