In some high technology circles there is an expression they use when engineers move too quickly to launch a project. They have “go fever” and are willing to overlook horrible mistakes in order to launch a product. When teaching woodworking – especially casework – I find that most students need to take down their protective netting, … Read more
Woodworking Classes
The Dumb Way to Teach Design
While I like and appreciate strict reproductions, I’ve always preferred to design my own stuff. How do I design a piece? In the only way I know how. It’s not easy. There are no formulas or rules or ratios. It is by a process I call “saturation and feedback.” Step 1: Absorb everything you can … Read more
Toothbrushes & Glue in Canada
When in Canada, you do need to be careful about what you use your toothbrush for. At woodworking schools in the United States, a lot of them use a wet toothbrush to remove wet glue squeeze-out from the inside corners of a carcase. But when teaching a tool chest class at Rosewood Studio in Perth, … Read more
Tuning Bench Planes at Vesper World Headquarters
Honestly, I’ve tuned so many dang metal planes in my lifetime that I’ll never worry about having enough iron in my diet. They might mine my carcass for the mineral when I’m dead. For me, it has always been an analog process: Do it by hand with inexpensive supplies. Today I spent the day tuning … Read more
Improvised Tools (Thanks Blue Tape!)
When I fly somewhere to teach, I usually have a luggage limit of about 50 pounds. Amongst my heaps of lacy underwear, I pack the tools I cannot live without – about 12 pounds worth. That means when I land at my destination, I usually need to make some tools to get through my classes … Read more
2013 Woodworking Classes
The best way to learn more about woodworking, besides the arduous path of hard knocks of which lessons are not soon forgotten, is to take woodworking classes at a dedicated school. I’ve been back at the magazine and posting blogs for more than a month, so I feel I can post about my 2013 teaching … Read more
Beware of Australians Bearing Softwoods
Among us old-school newspaper cronies, we have a saying: If your mother says she loves you, check it out. Meaning: Don’t believe a word anyone tells you. So when I arrived in Australia earlier this month I inoculated myself against some of the most common Australian practical jokes. (Out of respect for this beautiful country, … Read more