So, I stumbled across this name, Wayne de Haas, a while back. Saw some pictures of stuff he made, I think it was online somewhere, maybe a forum or something. Looked like real quality work, you know? The kind where you can just tell someone spent a lot of time getting it right. Not like the cheap stuff you buy these days.
Anyway, seeing that got me thinking. I’ve always liked messing around with my hands, fixing things, sometimes trying to build small stuff in the garage. Nothing fancy, mind you. But looking at his work, especially some of the details, I thought, “Hey, maybe I could try something like that.” Not build a whole thing like he does, obviously, that’s way out of my league. But maybe just try to copy a little detail, see if I could even get close.
Getting Started, Sort Of
So I decided I’d give it a shot. Found a piece of scrap wood I had lying around. Nothing special, just some pine I think. Didn’t want to waste good wood on something that was probably going to end up in the bin. Gathered up the few tools I have:
- An old hand saw
- Some sandpaper, different grits
- A chisel that’s probably way too dull
- Wood glue
- A clamp or two
Yeah, not exactly a pro setup. But that’s what I had, so that’s what I used. I remembered a specific curve or edge detail I saw in one of the pictures of his work. Tried to sketch it out on the wood.
The Messy Part
Man, it was harder than I thought. First, sawing the rough shape wasn’t too bad, though my line wasn’t exactly straight. Then came the shaping. Trying to get that smooth curve with a dull chisel and sandpaper… let’s just say it took ages. There was sawdust everywhere. My hands got sore. At one point, I took off way too much wood, completely messed up the curve I was aiming for.
I got pretty frustrated. Stood there looking at this mangled piece of wood and thought about just tossing it. It looked nothing like the clean, precise work I saw from de Haas. Felt kinda stupid for even trying. It’s easy to look at a picture and think “I can do that,” but actually doing it? Whole different story.
But then, I dunno, I just thought, “Might as well finish it.” It wasn’t going to be perfect, wasn’t even going to be good, probably. But I’d already spent a couple of hours on it. So I kept going. More sanding, trying to smooth out my mistakes. Glued a small piece back on where I’d chipped it. Clamped it up and left it overnight.
The Finish Line?
Next day, I took the clamps off. Sanded it some more. Wiped off all the dust. It wasn’t great. The curve was wobbly, there were scratches I couldn’t get out, and you could totally see where I’d messed up. It looked absolutely nothing like the professional stuff Wayne de Haas makes.
But you know what? I made it. Start to finish. It was my own attempt, my own screw-ups, my own effort. It sits on a shelf in the garage now. Doesn’t really look like much, but it reminds me that things that look simple often take a ton of skill and patience. Gives you more respect for people who can actually do that stuff properly, day in and day out. It’s not just about having fancy tools, it’s about the hours and hours of practice. Learned that the hard way, I guess.
