Bench &Bloom

Make it fit.
Finish what matters.

Start with $20 workshop cash and choose between two commissions each round. Pine costs $4.25, maple $7.00 and reclaimed wood $2.50 per blank. Their cutting speed and starting surface differ; the offer shows material bonuses before purchase.

Mark the retained length, then push and pull the saw. The blade spans a 2 mm kerf; its left edge determines the piece you keep. Near an existing edge, part of the blade can run in air: only the overlapping wood is removed. Movement cuts; holding the tool still does not. Check the receiving cradle before deciding how much finishing is worth doing.

More sanding is not always better.

Work the pencil-marked contact areas. A drawer patch must clear its channel; a tag needs its printed flower preserved. Sanding through the stamp reduces pay, and polishing a rustic plaque’s border can lose its character bonus. Some maple drawer blanks start clearance-ready, as disclosed before purchase.

A functional rough piece can sell for less; optional finish work adds pay. Light strokes along the grain remove coarse scores. If a piece is too long, choose Mark again, plan a shorter retained length, then push and pull the same saw to make another real cut. Trimming uses the existing piece and keeps its finish, height and any ink damage; it does not buy or reset wood. Cutting off part of a flower also affects the retained stamp. A piece cut too short cannot grow back. For an unsalvageable size or severely thinned surface, a replacement blank is charged at the displayed cost.

Know the controls.

1 / 2 / 3

Choose Mark, Saw or Sand. Use Mark again before trimming a finished cut.

Arrow keys

Move the mark or sanding block. With the saw, alternate up and down to push and pull.

Space

Hold tool contact while moving. Reverse the saw at each stroke end.

Shift

Move the sanding block without contact.

4 / Escape

Try the cradle / pause.

Mouse

Mark on the ruler and drag the tool in the 3D bench view.

Keep the books honest.

The $12 studio bill comes at closing. If cash cannot cover a blank, its full consignment cost stays owed; later receipts repay material debt before adding spendable cash. Replacements do not refund the discarded wood. Declining an order retains its material costs.

The results separate receipts, material invoices, bill, cash and what is still owed. Try the tools in practice without affecting the workday ledger, or replay the same offers or a new workday. Each new day starts fresh; this is a short four-order workday, not a saved workshop bank.