As a teenager it always fascinated me to watch carpenters at
work turn planks of wood into beautiful pieces of furniture. The strength and the
skill appeared magical. When I first came to Germany on holiday at the age of
ten, I noticed that our German host had his own carpentry workshop in the
house. He would spend few hours a day working on his masterpieces. Then I learned
that it is very German to have at least some part of one’s home built by oneself.
I was impressed then and continue to be impressed with the German attitude of
self-reliance.
At the same time it's not that difficult for anyone to try
their hand at carpentry or any other activities since the tools are easily
available in specialised 'Baumarkt's (hardware stores) and often also in
regular supermarkets at offer prices. Moreover, the staff at the stores give
you all the guidance you need about the tool, its use and maintenance. If you
are someone who prefers to watch and learn, then there are plenty videos to
watch on the store’s website itself. Besides, Youtube is always there to help!
Over the last couple of years my husband and I have been
collecting different tools to build and repair things at home. I had been
thinking over a year to add to that collection and finally bought myself an
electric saw earlier this year.
My first attempt at carpentry is this simple holder for
hanging plants on the wall. Here is the intended framework.
I combined a wooden square frame that came with some electronic
device we had ordered and added two scrap wooden pieces to form a cross in the
centre of the frame.
I trimmed the sides with an electric saw and reinforced the
joints with nails and carpenters glue.
Finally I sprayed the entire piece with white varnish and
randomly sprayed red varnish to decorate.
