When I bought my hard maple chop, it was at the recommendation of the old guys in the hardwood shop. I got home and it felt like planing and sawing through concrete it was so hard, and I got a little frustrated at the difficulty of woodworking in general. I know that these two little wedges (pictured before cleanup and chamfers on the top and bottom) are nothing special, but I made them in maybe 5 minutes and it was the first time I really felt like I had an idea of what I was doing. My tools were properly sharp, I was using multiple tools together in harmony, and my bench allowed me to work quickly on them. They came out smooth as glass.