Abstract
Planning to build a grandfather clock equipped me with the skills needed to make new friends. The commitment to finish what was started instilled in me the confidence to open my life up to another human on a deeper level. Utilizing the tools I had been equipped with, I was able to follow through with the plans I had laid out and made one of my dreams come true.

Concrete Experience While attending a Bible study with some friends, I was captivated by the host’s grandfather clock ticking away the seconds in the living room. The size and beautifully articulated detail that it expressed kept my mind pondering what it would be like to create a time keeper. My friend Doug noticed my stares and inquired if I had interest in woodworking. I told him I would love to build one of those clocks! He suggested I stop by his house the following week for lunch and he would show me around his shop. The following week, after enjoying tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, Doug and I walked out to his back yard and to my surprise he had a full woodworking shop. He showed me around the various projects he was working on and, whether boasting ornate detail or simple design, they were all magnificent projects to me. When we got to the back he told me he wanted to show me something. Doug leaned over pulling at a cloth from a large pile, he revealed planks of a cherry tree that had been milled and drying for seven years. He explained that it had fallen in a church yard many years ago where his wife volunteered. He offered to remove it for the Church and contracted a wood mill to cut the wood into long planks for future use. He had been waiting for it to dry, but did not have a project in mind for it. He offered it to me on a commitment that I would come once a week, working to build a clock with him. I was amazed, and with a handshake and smile, we pulled a piece of the milled wood out and ran it through the planer. After sketching some designs for the look, I picked out a mechanism and face dial from a magazine; this gave us the needed dimensions to start build. Over the next several years Doug taught me all he knew about woodworking. Using hand carving tools to routers and saws, I was learning the trade of a carpenter. I began to notice the care Doug would take when choosing each piece of milled wood we would use as we continued completing sections of the clock. As sections of the clock were finished, we would dry fit the pieces before we applied the glue and clamps to make our permanent bond. Doug asked if I could see it. “See what” I asked. The tree he exclaimed! While I had been making a clock, Doug was putting that cut down cherry tree back together. From top to bottom, you could follow the grain of that old, once alive tree. It was almost like Doug had brought that once fallen cherry tree that stood for years in the church yard back to life. There were a few trials during the construction of the clock. I would get irritated with myself and Doug when I could not get something to fit correctly. He was patient with me and kept reminding me that I wanted to build this clock and he was not going to do it for me. It was a struggle working on such a large project. I wanted everything to look professional and flow with the grain. After about a year of construction, I began to struggle with the time demands the clock project was putting on my spare time. I struggled to go to the shop during those months. But Doug patiently, week after week, was there to help me work through the tough periods I wanted to give up. While working with the wood, Doug would often compare my struggles in the shop to life situations. He was teaching me that blemishes add character and that not all the rough edges can be sanded down without jeopardizing the end design. Our relationship grew as friends and spiritual brothers. We related a lot of what Jesus had done on earth to what we were doing with that tree. Putting our lives back together after the world had cut us into pieces. Working with Doug gave me a different outlook to my life and the struggles I was facing outside the shop doors. When the time came that we needed the mechanism in order to complete some final touches on the mounts, we ran into some difficulties. The magazine stated we needed certain dimensions for the pendulum and weights. We had added that measurement to the room needed for the mechanism; but did not need to as they were positioned one above the other. We had built the clock a third larger than needed. With some laughter and smiles we made some brackets to hold the mechanism in the correct location to look and function properly. I finished the clock in a clear finish without stain. The finish clearly shows the vertical wood grain and patterns throughout the clock. This gave the clock the natural look as if someone had pealed back some bark from the original tree and exposed the underneath portions. While Doug and I no longer meet weekly, I am reminded of our friendship and the time we spent together each time I hear the chiming of another passing hour. Observations and Reflections Working on such an elaborate project for my first wood piece other than the small carvings I had done as a high school student was a very trying time. I didn’t know much about wood or the tools that were used to carve and whittle chunks of raw material into something beautiful. I thought it would be an easy project having an expert there in the shop. Doug knew that I would not learn anything if he did it all, so he left me to figure things out even when it meant repeating the process over and over. I observed that you can never plan enough. While we had done research on the materials used to operate the clock, we did not purchase the mechanism until we were ready. It would have been a hardship for me to purchase the mechanism at the time we started construction. I was not in a financial position to afford such an expensive piece. In the end, a pre-purchase of the mechanism had the potential of making the project smaller and therefore less costly on labor and materials used in the project. During the inception of the project, I was very excited to be working with a friend. I did not know Doug all that well at first and so we went through some learning curves with how each of us worked. Doug was less worried than I about the dust and mess that was created on the floors; however we both liked to keep the tools neat and organized. We compromised with our likes and dislikes and came to an agreement that a little dirt does not hurt anyone. I discovered that at first I would get very frustrated with gluing pieces together. Matching the grain in the mortise joints was not a strong suit for me and it took a long time to figure out how to let the tools do the work. Over time I became more comfortable with what I was trying to accomplish and knew that if I took the time needed, I would be happy with the end result. The glue seeped out of the joints, but I knew with a little extra care I could wipe or sand the excess away. There were periods when I was not happy with the progress that was being made. I questioned my design. I felt uncertain about what I was doing and about the design choices we had made months before hand. My confidence was never totally in the project. It would weigh on me at night about how the bottom with its simple design would compare to the tops ornate look. Doug continued to have confidence with my plans and with his confidence in mind, I continued to build. The project took over two years to finish, a timeline that I had not expected to be committed to. At the one year mark, I started making excuses about why I was not able to come out and work. Doug was patient with me and kept encouraging me back. He would not work on the clock without me in the shop, but when I would return, after several absent weeks, he had direction and insight on what I should work on next. His guidance helped me overcome my anxieties about the project. Never getting angry, he would lure me back to completing the work I had left undone. I had to confront the desire to quit the wood working project. I did not perceive myself as one to give up on what I had set out to do. It was hard, I wanted to have someone do the things I found difficult. I wanted to be told and shown exactly what was expected of me. I desired to go back to a youthful mindset of having someone else take the lead and tell me what to do. That was not what this project was about. It was stretching me in ways I was uncomfortable with and it was breaking some habits I had not realized I had formed. Building this clock was a dream and I was learning my dreams could come true. Doug was inspirational in leading me down the path of manhood and what it take to become a leader and teacher. Abstract Concepts and Generalizations I was learning that the detail is what brings the project together. To finish the project I had to keep referring back to the design and remember that the plan was not to finish today, but to take the time to do things right. Too often I would skip around on other projects I was involved in. I did not want to focus in on the small details. Without the small designs or beveling of the wood, the curves and lines would not have the effects that they do. Your eyes do not focus on the large paneling in the clock. They are drawn to the detailing the panels are connected to. Putting the clock together, I was able to see my plans come full circle. Woodworking is not a fast paced hobby. I had thought I would finish this project in a few months. Commitment was needed to complete this project. While I struggled half way through, I had a supporter who encouraged me to stay the course and finish strong. My commitment was not only to the project but also to my friend. He had given freely of his time and use of the shop and tools that he had acquired over many years. I stayed the course of working through struggles and made sure I did not let anyone down. All too often I feel unmotivated to finish things I start, but I was reminded again and again that I had wanted to start this and I would be the only one to finish it. While working with a friend, we were both met with a challenge to get to know one another on a deeper level. I learned how to trust another person with my feelings. I am not the most open person when it comes to my feelings. As the weeks stretched on, the small talk began to disappear from our conversations. I started trusting this friend with intimate details of what I was going through in my personal and spiritual life. I found beauty in the flaws of my work and related them to the flaws in our lives. It was good to find a person I could trust and who did not judge me for the things I had done in the past. We encouraged each other to go deeper in our faith relying on God’s timing for the dreams He had for us. I had learned how true friendship and trust can benefit my life. I had struggled with relating to other males. I was not a sports fan and always felt like an outsider to the majority of males I was surrounded by. I enjoyed working hard and challenging myself to accomplish things that I find impressive. I was learning that not all guys do the guy stuff commonly talked about. There was so much more available to draw friends together. I found it easy to talk about my problems with someone who I felt could relate on a higher level. Through our relationship, I was able to open up to feelings I had buried deep inside. Breaking through my insecurities, I was able to let down my guard and let someone in to share. Discovering how to use the tools correctly for the right job did not come natural! I often wanted to sand small areas of the wood where the wood had broken out and chipped. Doug showed me that you cannot just sand wood in one area or it will bow. Leaving the blemish in the small area would not be noticed when the entire clock was finished. Sanding has many levels with different grid textures that must be followed to ensure an outcome that is enjoyed by the eye and touch. Even when the wood does not feel smooth, it will have a finish look that is pleasing when stained.

Applying Concepts in New Situations Over the years I have been able to help many people build and finish projects around their homes. In the back yard of my brother’s home was an unused play structure. He and his wife do not have children, but love to burn firewood. He had been looking for sheds online when I suggested that we could use the play structure and convert it into a dry woodshed. Taking the time to plan the size and where the shed would be places, we were able to take the playhouse and redesign it into a great double door woodshed that they are still using today. Helping him with this project has led him to becoming more confident in constructing shelves and cabinets for storage throughout his home. My commitment to projects and completing the tasks I undertake has allowed many amazing things to be accomplished in my life. I have been a part of five renovations of old homes throughout Portland. Currently I am working on a 1928 bungalow in northwest Portland. It has been my biggest undertaking thus far and I expect the end result will be some of my best work! I have committed my time and energy to learning a contractor’s duties, allowing me the opportunity of helping people achieve their dreams. The lessons I learned in Doug’s woodshop have had a huge influence on what I do and a hobby I love. I have opened my life up to not just trying to meet my needs, but also see if I can meet the needs of the people I come across in life. Being encouraged by others has had a contagious effect on me becoming the encourager. I have shared the struggles I have experienced with friends in an open manner. Surprisingly, they have gone through some of the same things. I had felt alone, but the more I share the deeper my relationships grow. While friends come and go, I have a bond with those I have been open in sharing that will last a lifetime. Acquiring a host of tools, I have been blessed with the gift of giving. I happily loan tools to friend who cannot afford them. It has been fun to not only see the work people are doing, but see the progress they are able to make when using the right tools. When my friend Brad purchased his home, it had been neglected for many years. I was not able to give my time, but was able to help with a pressure washer and rotor tiller. Those tools made easy work of the projects he needed to complete before he was able to move his family in. He asks to borrow the pressure washer every year and I am more than happy to help him out!

Documentation Here

(Pictures of finished clock and drawings)