Variations in the familiar

Nearly everyone at my local Starbucks knows my name and my drink, slightly dry triple non-fat grande cappuccino. Its not unusual for them to have already made it by the time I get to the cash register. Every barista makes it a little differently. Sometimes the same barista will not make it the same one time to the next. I was reminded of this a few days ago when "the new guy" made mine. At first I was taken aback by the taste. But as I drank it I began to appreciate the fact that it was different. All of the cappuccinos that I get are slightly different. I'm sure that's why I like them so much, variation within the familiar.

The same is true of hand tool woodworking. Given the same plan no two pieces will ever be the same. If I shove wood through a series of machines they will all be the same. Worked by hand they can't ever be identical. I like that.

Subtle things like a difference in angle between dovetails, a spot of twisty grain that was smoothed by a card scraper leaving that microscopic hollow that can only be felt and only by an experienced hand, the facets that were missed when rounding over by hand. I love those things. Little clues that a person made it. I'm not talking about mistakes but the evidence left by the humanity of the builder.

I think all of that is why I like teaching hand tool woodworking. Several students all building the same table or chest or whatever and they all end up with...

Snowflakes