Week Two Reflection

I’ve learned so much this week! Firstly, I worked a lot on roughing out and shaping my oars, which means I got a ton of experience using an electric grinder. There is a ton of nuance and “feel” required to work with that tool because it is a hand-held tool rather than something like a table saw. I feel pretty comfortable with it now and it is something that I could definitely use in the future. I also started learning how to use a Dremel for the nameplate of my boat. I don’t feel nearly as comfortable with it as I do with the grinder, but I have also worked with it less. Lastly, I learned how to paint! It is really easy actually but I learned the skills necessary to get a clean job done!

I’m really happy with my work so far! Though I am a bit disappointed that I have been only able to make one set of oars, I think that it is for the best. If I did four, I would need to spend an extra $100 on a new set of bronze oarlocks and sockets. Plus, looking on the internet, 14-foot Whitehall boats usually only had one set, it is the 17-foot ones that need two sets. 

When It comes to surprises, I had two days this week where Greg was away for personal reasons so I was mostly alone in the shop. I honestly think that this helped me more than it hurt because I started just doing things on my own rather than constantly asking Greg for help or advice. While he was away I painted the entire underside of Merry Rose, taught myself how to use a Dremel, and started working on the nameplate. The fact that I was able to do these things without a mentor boosted my confidence in the woodshop and I think will help me in the future if I ever work on a similar project. 

My goals have changed quite a bit over the course of this project, though I’m glad that I have changed them to reflect my needs in this project. I am really glad that I haven’t been rushing a ton for the last week and for these last few days I only have a few small projects to work on!