Hammer Away!

It’s time for another episode of Sawdust Fitness! In this episode, we will talk about strengthening our arms. That’s right! It’s time to talk about the gun show!

When using a hammer of any kind, you are using mainly the muscles in the arm. What most people don’t realize, those are not the only muscles being utilized. Gripping a hammer properly requires hand strength. The swinging motion, while hammering, brings the shoulder muscles into play. You are using your whole arm while driving that stubborn, bent nail into that two by four.

A lot of people are under the assumption that using a hammer requires brute force. Those folks are rather misinformed. It does require some strength, but mostly it involves technique. The first part is making sure you have a proper posture. Keep those shoulders square! Second, you don’t have to put your whole body into it. That is how accidents happen. Third, despite what some might say, it’s not all in the wrist. Let’s think about this for a second. If you take that hammer and start using just your wrist, you might wind up pinching a nerve. This is the same area where people have problems with carpal tunnel. I have pinched that nerve a few times. Trust me, it doesn’t tickle.

As long as you focus on good posture and use your whole arm, you should not have any problems driving in a nail.

Pounding in a few nails isn’t much of a workout. However, if you hammer in 20 or so nails, then you are starting a workout. You are working the biceps, triceps and the various forearm muscles pretty well. By swinging the hammer, you start moving the blood through your body quicker. Kind of like a light cardio workout. Just as many other aspects of woodworking, the more you do, the more exercise you get. Although, I wouldn’t recommend getting rid of that gym membership yet.

Happy Hammering!

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

Well, I know that I have not posted anything in a while. Life has a funny way of throwing you some curve balls. Over the past 7 months or so, I got back into school. My normal day job is becoming overly dramatic and stressful, and the pay isn’t the greatest. So, it’s time for a change. I’ve been working on my Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics full time, while working full time. My fiancée is about to graduate with her Associates’ degree in Early Child Development. We had to get a new car about two months ago. My younger brother and his wife just had a new addition to their family. Too many other things are going on to list them.

I have not had much time lately for woodworking and restoration, with all of my schoolwork. I’ve been lucky enough to go fishing a couple of times. It seems that almost every class that I take, I have a paper to write. Sheesh! The upside is that my writing skills, time management and organizational skills are all improving. The only downside is that I’m dog tired at the end of the day… every day.  I definitely have too many irons in the fire. I don’t mind it though. It keeps me and my brain busy.

Besides work and school, I have a few other projects that I’m working on: a few designs, a couple of ideas for books and a special box for a special little man who is only 3 1/2 weeks old. Since they live so far away, I have not been able to meet my newest nephew, but hope to in the near future. Well, time to get back to the grind. Have a good day and make some sawdust!

The Sanding Blues

Does the thought of sanding a piece of wood bring tears to your eyes? Well, that’s what safety glasses are for. Just kidding. Do you dislike sanding because it’s boring and tedious? Do you think it is monotonous and mundane? Okay, enough trying to impress you with my vocabulary. Do you despise the task of sanding? Yes? Well, I used to.

Sanding can be very boring, but when done correctly, it can be an art form. When using a power sander, you risk leaving scuff marks or can wind up taking off too much in one area. Sometimes, you can even take off not enough. There are several key elements to sanding. The first of which is to gradually go from a coarse grit sandpaper to a fine grit sandpaper.

When I was a teenager, my dad saw me sanding a piece of wood. He noticed I went from an 80 grit piece of sandpaper to a 320 grit piece. He told me that I should have used a medium grit piece first. He explained that by not doing so, I would be sanding on the wood for the rest of the day before it would get smoothed out. Not to mention wasting a lot of fine grit sandpaper. Then he explained to me about the second key element. ALWAYS wipe off the sawdust between sanding. If you don’t, some of the sand that comes off the paper can scratch grooves into the wood. This can ruin your finished look.

The third key element to sanding is to sand with the grain of the wood. If you don’t, you will risk tearing small pieces off. Yes, I have done this….several times. When this happens, your piece will never look just right.

If you take the right mental approach, sanding can be less boring and more relaxing. It can become like a form of meditation. So don’t get distressed and be happy. After all, you are making SAWDUST!