When I walked into the shop at Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking this morning at 8:24 a.m., the place was a wreck. The students were fitting their joints among piles of shavings and sawdust and joking with one another. The radio was on (they have a radio?) and playing a Bob Marley tune. This, I … Read more
The problem with Wednesdays at Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking is that Kelly and Teri are a bit too nice to the students and instructors. That’s the evening when the Mehlers shut down the school a little early to feed the students a light dinner, some wine and beer and bring in a masseuse. It’s … Read more
I usually keep a log that records all the time I work on a project in the shop. But few people believe me when I say that I spend about 40 hours building an ancient workbench. Their disbelief is understandable. I hear stories about people spending a year constructing a traditional European-style bench and sinking … Read more
To transform a pile of 6″ x 6″ x 8′ yellow pine beams into 10 workbenches, the first step is a chainsaw. This morning I drove down to Berea, Ky., to help Kelly Mehler and his assistant, Ben, sort through 80 beams and crosscut them to length for the Roubo workbench class I’m teaching there … Read more
The biggest challenge in building a workbench isn’t the design. It isn’t the joinery. And it isn’t even the physical labor. It’s finding the right wood. This May I’m teaching a class in building an 18th-century workbench at Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking, in Berea, Ky. The bench design uses massive timbers, similar to what … Read more
Because of their unfamiliar features, unusual appearance and higher price tag, many Americans don’t even consider buying a European saw. Here’s why they should. By Kelly Mehler Pages: 49-55 From the August 2007 issue #163 Buy this issue now Perhaps when you think of table saws, the names that first come to mind are ones … Read more
Signing up for a woodworking class, like the one I’m teaching this week at Kelly Mehler’s School in Berea, Ky., is a lot like going on a cruise. When you tackle a big project at home, it’s easy to stick with the things you know, and put off the next big step. The energy of … Read more
