there’s a huge difference between art and craft, simply by definition. art is a search for beauty with no functional requirement. craft is the answer to a specific necessity. but there is a huge amount of crossover. art can be useful (though it often isn’t and there’s no need for… Read More »looking at lumber

let’s talk about mistakes. not the kind you make when you go out and get high. those aren’t mistakes. those are predictable results. we’re talking about class — getting answers wrong. and this isn’t a problem. it’s good for you. yet you’re absolutely terrified and embarrassed by even the idea… Read More »fuck up to level up

so you want to be a woodworker. you’ve watched nine-thousand hours of youtube videos and [subscribed to fine woodworking]. you’ve read [every article christian becksvoort’s ever written] and could compose an extended ode to the virtues of white oak improv-style (or maybe as a rap but please, i beg you,… Read More »plane beginnings

we live in a society where meaningless apologies surround us every day and heartfelt apologies are so rare they should be on a list with mountain gorillas and leatherback sea turtles. let’s think about where this came from, why it’s ridiculous and what we might be able to do about… Read More »sorry not sorry

this isn’t just something beginners ask. but it’s something every beginner asks. so i’m starting woodworking — what saws do i need? well, the simple answer to that is actually incredibly controversial. but here’s mine. and it really is only the beginning of the discussion but it’s a good place… Read More »i saw that

“we are such stuff as dreams are made on and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” if you’re a first-year undergraduate student, whether you’re studying english or not, you’ve probably encountered this line. it’s from shakespeare’s “the tempest” and it’s … well, it’s beautiful poetry and, once you… Read More »shakespeare is shit