Simple Gifts

By Bobby Neal Winters

My current woodworking project is the construction of a “Shaker” cabinet.  I’ve gone and put quotes around the word Shaker there. It is because I am not a Shaker.  If you are not aware, the Shakers are (are, not were, there are still a couple) a religious sect.  

They are a branch of the Quakers.  They are not just nice people who make quality Olde Style furniture. They’ve got their own hymns.  If you’ve ever heard the song “Simple Gifts,” you know one of them.

They have a theology that seems kind of weird to me.  On one hand, they are egalitarian and give equal status to men and women; on the other hand, they don’t have sex and as a consequence don’t have babies.  This is why there aren’t many of them left, and why not very many want to join them.

Even though I do find them odd, I do respect them. I do find parts of their practices worthy of emulation.  They believe in simplicity, beauty, and excellence as a part of their devotion to Jesus Christ. I like that.

So when I say I am making a “Shaker” cabinet, what I mean is that I am making a cabinet using solid wood--no plywood because it is deceitful--using only hand tools as much as possible.

I have used power tools for certain things.  I started off with construction lumber from Home Despot [sic].  I used my table saw to recut it, rather than using a hand saw.  My table saw still makes straighter cuts than I do.

I then used my DeWalt planer to smooth it out.  I am still putting together a collection of hand planes and--more importantly--still learning to use them.

But I’ve been cutting my dovetails, cutting my dados, and cutting my grooves with hand saws and chisels.  I’ve been shaping my panels to fit into the dados and grooves with rasps and hand planes.

It takes time.

It would all definitely be faster if I used my router table to cut the dados and grooves. It might even make a better end product. And...wait for it...it might even make a less expensive product.

But that is not the point of this activity for me.

My goal is to learn a skill--a skill set, rather--and to use that skill set to make something beautiful.

I’ve been making boxes for a while now. I’ve gotten better at it. I’ve made some boxes that are beautiful from the right angle, beautiful from the right perspective.  I am improving.  I’ve not made a perfect box, and I never will.  What would that even mean? But I need a break from boxes so I can use my techniques on something else in order to grow a bit.

As I mentioned earlier, I am using construction lumber that I’ve recut, resized, and remilled.  It is not the prettiest wood in the world. Indeed, at one point, I became discouraged that, however well I might do my joinery, it might all be for nothing because the wood was just ugly wood.

Then something happened.

I did a dry run on putting it together, which is to say no glue. When I took it apart, I decided to rub it down with boiled linseed oil.

Oh, my. What a difference.

The oil made it shine, of course, but it also accentuated the grain of the wood. It allowed me to see how smooth my plane work was, how straight my chisel cuts were.  I could see some mistakes I’d made better, as well, but in a way to highlight this was handworked by a human being who was made in the image of God.

Once the pieces were oiled, I set them aside so that the oil could soak-in overnight.  I might have to apply another coat today.

Putting the finish on takes time.  It takes an hour and three days.  What I mean is that it is about an hour of work total, but because of drying it must be spread over several days.

When I am done with this cabinet, I will look it over, find someone to give it away to, and then start on another one using better wood.  I’ve got some cedar; I’ve got some walnut.  

We shall see.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free /

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, /

And when we find ourselves in the place just right, /

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight. /

When true simplicity is gained, /

To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed, /

To turn, turn will be our delight, /

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right

Bobby Winters, a native of Harden City, Oklahoma, blogs at redneckmath.blogspot.com and okieinexile.blogspot.com. He invites you to “like” the National Association of Lawn Mowers on Facebook. Search for him by name on YouTube.