Last week I was sanding away with my Mirka Ceros when I ran out of 120-grit. What to do –almost done – just a little to go. I know – somewhere on a shelf in my storeroom, I have an old 505 sander. I bought this guy decades ago, and It’s been decades since I’ve […]
In 1974 I was just beginning my woodworking career. I had an over-abundance of energy and ambition – everything else, including experience, I was sorely lacking in. This was before I had read any woodworking books. In fact, this was before any of the present-day woodworking magazines even existed. If you have followed me, you […]
I wrote this little essay a few years ago. In giving my website a facelift – it was left out. I thought it worth re-posting though. A condensed version appeared in Popular Woodworking . My eighth grade math teacher, Mr. Gayda, was fond of saying, “Rules are for fools.” Although this little maxim sounds like […]
The Furniture Begets Much of my work is spawned by my previous work. I like to call it “The Begets”. One design begets the next and in turn that one begets the next one – and so on. The line of begets can be rather long and intertwined. A beget starts out as an […]
My mother was a firm believer in the power of positive thinking. She taught me that the mind is a potent instrument, and if focused properly can perform near miracles. When my mother would find herself faced with a seemingly insurmountable problem, she would concentrate on the issue at hand as she fell asleep at […]
I have a long and fruitful relationship with daydreaming. I do not daydream just to daydream though. It is not something that I set time aside for, nor do I intentionally practice it. But daydreaming does serve a special purpose in my life; it occupies my mind, when my current task cannot. In high school, […]
Danger, Will Robinson, danger, warning, warning!!Is young Will Robinson facing yet another intergalactic threat initiated by the devious Dr. Smith, or perhaps Will is embarking on a study of the rules of design? No matter, the same dire warnings apply.Any journey fraught with danger must be preceded by a full and complete disclosure of those […]
I am sure you have all encountered products that are somewhat less than advertised. Below is my letter of appreciation I sent today to the maker of just such a product. In my original letter all the “shxxxy” text did not have the x’s ( you can guess what the x’s represent – no ,it […]
In woodworking, there is much to be learned from books. But not all knowledge is to be found there. Many “tricks of the trade” never make it to print, but instead, exist as sort of a vernacular knowledge base that is conveyed from person to person “on the job”.Adding to my “woodworking bag of tricks […]