Maybe A Rare Gem...

As some of you amigos are aware, I dabble in the ancient art of woodworking. Accompanying that actual act of molding and shaping wood into functional items is the somewhat obsessive act of studying woodworking techniques, reading woodworking articles and forums, and bookmarking several woodworking websites that I visit on a daily basis. One such site is a place where professionals and hobbyists alike come together and post pictures of their latest projects. The vast majority of them are incredibly impressive. Even the ones I don't love, I often am able to respect the craftsmanship that went into them. However, every now and then, there pops up what I have affectionately labeled"Gems". As in, "Wow! That's a real gem!"

Gems are pieces that I personally just think are awful. My first thought is usually, "This guy obviously has some woodworking ability, why in the world did he spend time and effort building that!?" Which is usually accompanied by the thought, "And why the heck did he post it on the internet for the whole world to see!?" Cause let's be honest, we have all made pieces or projects that we're not real proud of.

This is one of my favorite Gems of all time. The below piece is a magic table that a fellow lumberjock built for his stepson Bill. Bill is trying to get into the magic show business in order to support himself through college. And no, I truly did not make that up.

A picture really does say a thousand words. A thousand funny ones in this case:



I can't decide if Bill's "crossing-guard reflector jacket" is part of the magician outfit or not.

$100 bucks says Bill loved the Harry Potters.