one of the greatest debates in biology is what is “natural” for an animal or plant. the simple answer is that natural things are genetically-determined while other things are environmental — reactions to experience. for example, if a tree grows one ring per year, this is written in its genetic… Read More »chemical desire

i’ve been on a bit of a trend of beginner woodworking articles lately so i wanted to tackle something a little more involved — sliding dovetail battons and table glueups. this is something that’s extremely popular, especially with students looking to go beyond their basic projects to make something truly… Read More »secret dovetails?

tomorrow is my thirtyninth birthday. that is not cause for celebration. after nearly two years being trapped in a place i have hated since the moment i arrived with no end in sight as world borders remain tightly shut against the twentyfirst-century plague, the result of our disrespect for animal… Read More »once a year but twice for me

the first step to good results in furniture construction (after acquiring the wood, of course) is jointing your boards. it’s so fundamental, it was common for traditional shops to allow apprentices to do any task (and potentially make mistakes) except the seemingly-most-basic and most-labor-intensive, rough-milling the stock. while this may… Read More »sharing a joint

when someone tells you the pain you feel is all in your head, they’re being dismissive — it’s imaginary. but they’ve inadvertently told the truth. it is all in your head but it’s not artificial and it’s not thought. we’ll get to that in a moment but this raises a… Read More »all in your headache

there are three awesome basic guides necessary for handtool woodworking. the best saw guide you’ll ever use is a flat piece of plastic with a couple of magnets in it. the best chisel guide you’ll ever use is a … flat piece of plastic with a couple of magnets in… Read More »shooting perfection