Peace and all good!
Ever since taking AG for the first time my Sophomore year of high school, I fell in love with woods, I fell in love with the smell of the woods lab, the feel of sawdust, and the immense joy of taking something so raw and unfinished and turning it into something extremely beautiful. My first project was a toolbox, which was the requirement to build for the woods portion of Intro to AG, now granted I had quite a few “glitches” in it. There were the parts that weren’t sanded exactly correctly, miscuts where I hadn’t cut the angle exactly straight or at the right degree, pilot holes too deep where the screws were sucked in extremely. Little things that I look back now and am like; wait… noooooo I would never have done that when I built it would I?? Just simple things that now I would never dream of letting happen, happened on my first AG project. Now, down the road 3+ years later, I can look back and see where and how I have changed the skills I have received. the joy that comes to my life when I am in the woods lab at school. Not having the time in there next year, will definitely cause some problems for me. Anytime during my Senior Year that I was free in a class or was just frankly bored with nothing to do I could go to the Woods Lab and work on projects that I had or that we as a group were doing. My Junior year in AG Construction I decided with the help of my AG Teacher; Mr. Larry Duvall, to build a Hope Chest, or since that to me was a little girly sounding, a “blanket chest”. Then later on down the road during my Senior year, I ventured into the world of what I call Liturgical Woodworking. In other words, I started to create projects with a “religious” purpose and intended use. My first “large” project was to build a torch rack for a friend who I noticed was in need of a better way to store his Processional Torches. That project was an extreme success and I don’t really think that I could find anything that was “wrong” with the project. Later in the year, after using the Bandsaw so much with the Torch Rack, I used it to make a Palm Cross and right before Holy Week to build a pair of Walnut Clackers. Now after graduation I have gone back to do my last project that I never was able to finish prior to graduation; a Prie-Dieu, or Prayer Kneeler. With the help of my AG Teacher who I will miss extremely I have started to craft a very neat piece, out of 1 of my 2 favorite woods: Oak. And of course it is out of 50+ year old Library shelves from my school, that they were getting rid of. Much like the rest of my Oak projects. I’ll post a pic of some of my projects below for your viewing pleasure. One of my future goals is to have a small wood-working shop wherever I am taken by God in my life, so that I can make things for his further glorification. After all I have caught the disease of woodworking and have found that when I build items for his use not only do they seem to turn out better, but I enjoy and appreciate them all the more.
A.M.D.G.
Don’t forget to do it all for Jesus with a smile and go to Mass tomorrow morning!
+JM,
Corey
Walking The Way of Beauty 