There is always an end of the project, where the piece is finished, or as finished as it is ever going to be.  It reminds me of the polisher in the Steinway piano factory.  When the tour group came through, one person asked him – “How do you know when it is finished?”  to which he replied “It’s never finished, they just come and take it away.”

For furniture, there is always something more to do.  Another coat of wax, a small shelf where none existed, a slight bevel on an edge so the light shines on it with just a little different highlight.   But this is not unique to furniture – anyone who makes something by hand goes through the same experience.

This week it was all about the Ark.  No, not the type Noah  built, but one for a synagogue to store a Torah.  It is a project that has been going on (mostly in design) for over a year, and is scheduled for installation on Monday.  Made of American Beech and vertical grain Douglas Fir, the ark is now finished and sitting on the floor, ready to go to its new home.  I really like its inscription, shown below in its raw state, just off the laser,

 

 

 

and below, in its finished state, on the piece.  The meaning is “one good deed will bring another good deed”.  Or maybe more like the contemporary “What goes around, comes around”.

 

 

 

 

So I am satisfied with the ark, the design and the process.  And Monday is delivery day.  Time to take it to it’s new home, where it will live for many, many years.

-R.