i’ve recently written a couple of beginner guides to what you need to shift from armchair-consumer of internet-based woodworking-content to actually practicing the craft. you need a saw (well, probably a few), a small stable of planes (jack, jointer, smoother) and … well, there’s one other family of tools you… Read More »pare trees

i’m so tired of people telling me translation is about accuracy. it’s not. not even a little. unless it’s done by a computer. and that’s not translation in the sense i’m talking about it. translation of literature simply doesn’t work that way. and it shouldn’t. it can’t. because if you… Read More »creative translation

i have recently spoken and written quite extensively about why we should completely eliminate classic and traditional literature from our school and college english studies. but this has lead to another interesting question — given how much time has been devoted to studying shakespeare, byron, bronté and steinbeck, what do… Read More »replacing shakespeare (part 1)

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