A rewarding in trip in many ways
My trip to the USA east coast region has been both inspiring and refreshing. I am sorry I spent so much more of my time out West when here there is so much beauty too. I have enjoyed both regions very much and the bits north and south too.
Woodworking is a universal craft indigenous to every continent and as culturally diverse as a man’s thoughts can be. Who could ever plumb its depths or span its width and breadth. Had I my time to do again I would work more thoroughly the wood I so enjoy and then I’d add to that smithied iron and leather work as well. Handles and catches and padded leather seats enhance the work of any woodworkers work. I would that I had time to do again; to bend and shape steel and stretch different hides to enhance my work so that all would last through decades and centuries as the work of craftsmen in the past have.
My trip here has all been well worth the effort because of you. Our RWC has progressed exponentially with hundreds of people endorsing the RWC and getting on board to make changes to become real woodworkers. Our classes in New York have been well received too and already many people are enquiring about our workshops in April and May with preregistration way ahead of our expectations.
The masterclasses I gave were as well received as ever with the aisles packed and every seat filled throughout each one. I apologise for the lack of audio visual. That was our fault and not the shows. We have arranged for that with the next shows in Fredericksburg, Virginia and Somerset, New Jersey with Joe at The Woodworking Shows.
Your comments and questions continue spurring me on and always remember, the only dumb question is the one that’s never asked. As for the dozens who have asked me not to stop blogging, rest assured, this is ongoing for me. I always answer your many questions personally and as quickly as time allows, usually the same day unless they are difficult to answer and take a little longer to formulate.
My blogs will be more normalised starting tomorrow when I return to the workshop. We can keep looking at the tools I use if you like, and if you have issues you want me to address please let me know and we’ll see what we can do.
Paul, I really enjoyed meeting you at the show! Your presentation was superb, and I think you encouraged some people to give hand tools a try. I’ve posted a video of part of your presentation on my blog at http://www.closegrain.com/2012/01/paul-sellers-at-woodworking-show.html. You can just see me between the other people in your photo above; I’m the guy in the white shirt on the left looking up at the ceiling – actually, looking up at the display on my video camera that I have held over my head!
“We can keep looking at the tools I use if you like, and if you have issues you want me to address please let me know and we’ll see what we can do.”
Since you asked for suggestions; I would really like to get some advice on blockplanes and your take on them. I imagine that a low angle one would be handy? I have standard angle one, without an adjustable mouth, and since that one don’t get used much I hesitate to buy another one.