During the first three hours of my my class on building a trestle table, here are the statements I heard the students say the most. I cannot design. I can’t draw. I can’t come up with original ideas. I will just copy an existing design. Today is Tuesday. It’s only the second day of the … Read more »
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My second-floor shop is freakishly neat. The bench is mostly bare and the majority of my hand tools are stashed in my chest. The “overflow” hand tools (yes, I have maybe one or two) are in various boxes or hanging neatly on the wall. On the other side of the room, my computer desk has … Read more »
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I’ve put my neck on the line with our newest offering – a soup-to-nuts reprint of “The Practical Woodworker” four-volume set edited by Bernard Jones (circa 1915). There was no question that the material was worth reprinting – because while no one book (or set of books) is truly comprehensive, this one comes pretty close … Read more »
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Trying to teach design is like trying to push water uphill – or so I’m told. Despite the warnings and eyerolls from some fellow woodworking instructors, I’ve tried to build in a design component to the classes I am teaching this year. My design process is different. No heart chakras will be opened. No power … Read more »
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When I teach woodworking, I talk a lot about monogamy. Not to your spouse (that’s your problem) but to your tools. I think it’s easier to learn to saw, sharpen and plane boards if you don’t jump around and use different handsaws, sharpening systems and bench planes. And when it comes to chisels, I’m super-monogamous … Read more »
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When it comes to doing precision work that has to be performed over and over again, it’s easy to fall into the siren whine of the router. The router is probably my least-favorite woodworking tool. I don’t like how it is noisy. It never produces a ready-to-finish surface for mouldings. And it can destroy a … Read more »
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