The Last Quarter-Inch

The last quarter-inch is where most people give up. The piece is functionally complete; what remains is only cosmetic, only finish. And yet the finish is, in some ways, the most truthful part of the object.

It is where your commitment shows. The maker who quits at functional has made a different object than the maker who carries through to the final polish, the last pass of the plane, the careful rubbing-out of the last coat.