When I make things for sale – chairs, hammers, tool chests, workbenches, whatever – I struggle with when to let the things go out of my hands and into the world. Sometimes I think I have two choices: Perfection first. I first need to get all the details perfect no matter how long it takes….
Long-time readers of this blog probably saw this one coming. My June column at Core77 is about how I mix my anarchism with my design work. It’s a summation of how I work, with examples from projects you might be familiar with. So come for the anarchism; stay for the trolling. The column is free…
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Though I’ll be in Germany this Saturday, the storefront (at 837 Willard St., Covington, KY.) will be open as scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 10. Megan Fitzpatrick has volunteered to sell books and answer woodworking questions in my absence. She’ll be selling the entire line of Lost Art Press books, T-shirts,…
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“Number One Chairs” by Michael Fortune (photo by Michael Cullen) Editor’s note: I haven’t been able to talk much about “The Difference Makers” by Marc Adams because the printing plant’s schedule has been quite messed up. We weren’t sure when it would go on press. Well we now know the book will be delivered in…
“One should place a drawer at the end of the bench so that the workers can close up their minor tools like gouges, compasses, etc. There are even shops where the benches are finished with planks/panels all around [a closed base] which is very convenient because that prevents shavings and dust from entering in the…
Some people say I work too hard. But whenever I look at the above family photo, I think: I’m not working hard enough. The photo is one of my favorites, and I first saw it as a young child. It shows my grandfather, Joseph T. West, at left. At right is my great uncle, John…
When I started teaching in Germany about 10 years ago, I noticed they performed a lot of woodworking tasks differently than Americans. There was the obvious stuff – pins-first dovetails are the norm, they use bowsaws instead of handsaws, wooden planes instead of metal. But the more I worked with the traditionally trained joiners and…
There’s a new school for hand-tool woodworking, blacksmithing and long rifle making in Northern Ohio that is definitely worth checking out. Called Colonial Homestead’s Artisans Guild, the school operates out of a storefront in Millersburg, Ohio, a vibrant old town with some beautiful architecture and even a working inn. There’s nothing quaint about the town….