Right now, I’m juggling three woodworking courses at the same time:
a beginner course, a course focused on making a closed box with dovetail joints, and a machine woodworking course. It’s intense, but exactly what I hoped for, full immersion.

Along the way, I’ve already learned some lessons the hard way.

One of the first involved my brand-new chisel set. I was so focused on the piece I was chiseling that I didn’t notice what my other hand was doing. Only when I paused did I realize my left index finger had four small cuts, all bleeding. It turned out the sides of the chisels were razor sharp. Sharp enough to slice skin, even without pressure.

After cleaning and bandaging my finger, I went straight to the sandpaper. Using coarse grit, I carefully knocked back the sharp edges along the sides of each chisel. Lesson learned: sharp cutting edges are good. Sharp everywhere else is dangerous, always check your new tools!

Another moment came during practice at the workbench. I absentmindedly unscrewed the bench screw without holding the piece I was working on. Gravity did the rest. The piece dropped to the floor chipping off a corner that I then glued back on. A clear reminder that attention matters at every step.

These small mistakes might sound trivial, but they feel important. They’re reminders that woodworking isn’t just about shaping wood it’s about developing awareness, patience, and respect for tools.

Every cut, every slip, every small success is part of developing skill.

Lessons learned. Fingers somewhat intact. Onward.