perhaps the most confusing set of questions most beginners have when they decide to adopt the woodworking obsession (or craft if you prefer) is about what to do with the wood when the project is ready from a physical perspective to make it look its best and protect it from… Read More »start with finish

we think. it’s something humans do. most of us in the modern world think nearly constantly and the vast majority do all they can to avoid it. but thinking — truly thinking — is the hallmark of humanity. there is nothing more human than thought. while there are other lifeforms… Read More »thinking with words and images

there are various major moments in modern woodworking tool development, times that have shifted the whole framework of what it means to do woodworking. let’s take a look at a few (in no particular order) that i think were particularly significant. stanley’s popularization (not invention but definitely popularization) of the… Read More »trim goes unplugged

over the last little while, i have seen a raft of glowing reviews of the jointmaker pro by bridge city. i have to admit, when i first saw this thing i thought it was the most stupid tool i could possibly imagine. a tablesaw for people who didn’t want to… Read More »jointmaker pro, tablesaw for idiots

in japan, as in most of asia, most woodworking is done a little differently from western approaches. it is cultural. in a society based on harmony and integration, sacrificing your own safety and pulling the sharp tool became the norm over centuries of development while in the west, where individualism… Read More »the beauty of the pull-stroke

let’s talk a little about the army. the american army in particular because that’s the real focus but this applies to most countries, especially in the western world. i am a strong component of demilitarization and pacifism at all costs. but this is not an argument for disarmament in the… Read More »disarming