Some woods test your patience more than your tools. Tear-out, splinters, dull blades — the works. Which wood gave you the biggest headache, and why? If you survived, tell us how you lived to tell the tale. 🏆 Prize: $100 Sawinery Gift Card (because you earned it after that battle) 📅 Winner announced on December 15! 📍 Open to U.S. customers only (for now). We’re working on making them available in more locations soon!

A baseball bat. In HS shop class - I loved working with the lathe and I loved baseball so I thought it was worth attempting to make a bat. It turned out really well. I used it in two games (and batting practice) before it developed a hairline fracture from hitting the ball too close to my hands. One of the few times in high school that learning, creativity and usefulness came together.

After having surgery on my right ankle bone in 2015, I had 8 weeks of not being able to stand or walk. So, I was either in my recliner or laying on the bed. I took that time to to research pen making as I had always been fascinated by them. I set about compiling a list of the absolute necessary equipment and once I had what I needed, I made my first pen. It was a mitigated disaster but an incredible lesson. Over time, my skills improved and I am now able to make some beautiful pens from wood, acrylic, and hybrid materials. As much as I love making the pens, I have started to broaden my horizon's and am making other projects. I am most proud of the wooden crosses such as the Unity Cross that I have been making during the last few weeks. Not only do they symbolize my faith as a Christian but they are also a beautiful piece of art to display on the wall. Merry Christmas everyone!

I built this table in memory of a lady that had passed for her place of employment.

Actually maybe this wasn't the first thing I was proud of, but it was certainly the one that made me most proud in terms of how challenging it was. I built a set of bar stools from hickory and elm. It was an interesting project, trying steam bending wood (for the backs and seats) for my first time. Steam bending required finding a local sawmill that had air (not kiln) dried wood. And I used hickory for strength of the structural elements. It was the most challenging woodworking project I've done to date, because all the pieces were curved or joined at an unusual angle, and the folding joints need to be really strong! Photos and video are at https://michael-schwartz.com/bar-stools