Closing the Year With Thanks!

ByPaul Sellers

Twas the eve before Christmas, a carpenter put down his tools, swept the shop floor, and placed the tools away for a few days’ rest. His hands, aching more than usual, and his body, seemed more wearied than usual. The loneness of finish, finalising things, no one else can do, rests on his shoulders. Questions flow in, out, back and forth and across with each brush stroke skimming the wood with silent liquid flowing out and the light reflects his care.

It was Christmas eve when these panels came together. Mesquite for the centre panel and the frieze on either side of the oak and ebony stripes.

I remember the years when beds and dining tables were ‘needed’ for Christmas delivery as though life depended on it and the work that took me many times into late nights, early mornings and then through the night too had to be done. How wearied I felt delivering on time after a four-hour trip both ways. Such are the days of the lone makers.

These are the credenzas in place a few years after delivery. Still looking brand new, I cannot think of a better situation for them to be in. I confess to a deep happiness and thankfulness for the gift in designing these pieces. Few pieces can match the opportunity given to me in what we did here. See how much darker they are now than when we delivered them. Comparison below.

In 2008 the order for two mesquite credenzas came in — not too many days before the Christmas holiday. Then halfway through the delivery date was changed, brought forward from the 24th of January to the 19th; one day before President Obama’s Inauguration. The credenzas had to be in place the day before. I recall an hour per day’s sleep for three days for me.

I completed the design above three weeks before Christmas and started it two weeks before. There are two of these, one either side of the door leading to the Oval Office in the Cabinet Room. It may have really taxed us to pull it together and deliver by the 19th of January but we did it! We did work Christmas day too though.

My enjoyment in making always overcomes the weariness I sometimes feel in the constructive processes of pulling and pushing, lifting, placing, shoving, stretching and compressing. Whenever I make my mind focus on the person I am making for. This seems always to steady me. Such is the power and dynamic of designing and making. In many ways I am thankful to no longer have customers per see, and that everything I now make comes from my inner being where the design formulates in a steady succession of preplanned steps. To describe work as joy seems to some an odd thing. I think few have the joy of three-dimensional making in a material that is so diverse. My granddaughter’s baby crib came together with all the needed joints in a short time. I was glad for the joints when I saw the three-year-old standing with both feet inside it even though it is but a foot long.

This was from a couple of years ago. I made it for my granddaughter’s Christmas present. Quarter-sawn offcuts mainly. I used housing dadoes throughout. It’s the only piece I ever made with hearts in it.

These seem small and mindless things, but I took stock of my mother’s request for various cutting boards through the years. She preferred small and thin to clunky, chunky and heavy that seems the more prevalent in kitchens these days. I trusted what she said in her creative abilities and that includes her kitchen abilities beyond the dressmaking she worked at as a full-time year-round maker.

Made from mesquite, these boards and spatulas will never crack, warp in any way and resist any of the usual wood tendencies. I discovered that maple was most likely to crack, twist and distort by comparison. Put six-inch wide mesquite in a bucket of water overnight and it expands a mere 2mm, put any other wood in the same bucket and they all expand 10mm minimum.

This is one of my last pieces this year. It’s the only one of its kind in the world. A hand-made, hand-cut dovetailed Zassenhaus coffee grinder made from mesquite cut down from a tree I took from Texas 30 years ago in a wilderness excursion near where I lived. I removed all of the metal components to reinstall them in my handwork. I thoroughly enjoyed this particular work as it is for one of my children who I know will treasure it for the years to come.

I am not always sure why I like making simple pieces like this. Basically, I replicated what already existed that was well-made enough but then I added a few features of my own. One feature was to add some inside diverters so that the grindings didn’t land on the rim of the drawer after grinding and thereby drop the powder all over the countertop. I added a tensioned steel leaf spring to the sides of the drawer so that the drawer self-centred in the opening. I assumed the lateral openness either side of the original drawer about 4mm on each side, was to allow either for expansion if wet or gravelly powder from the coffee grounds. Of course, the dovetails throughout the box front and back and to the drawer were definitely an upgrade.

This stand is for a hanging crystal light catcher in the form of a round prism. Turn the strings a few times and it rotates at speed and slows to a steady reciprocating spin to spin rainbows in refracted light around the room.

Mobile light catcher stands on the window sill where the prisms split the light into bright colours that spin off the walls and ceilings. It’s a simple gift made from strips of scrap wood from my latest project.

I made this one from 1/8″ mesquite and 1/16″ beech. The stem I tenoned through the foot with two shoulders left and right. Simple to make mostly with a spokeshave for shaping and then scraping with a thin scraper that bends to the contour.

Well, this has of course been and still is my lifestyle. Nothing of the past 58 years full-time daily making would I change. I made choices for this future planing at age 15 in 1965 and here on the cusp of 2023 I am still making. Who’d have thought that possible?

I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas. Thank you for spurring me on in the delivery of my craft into your hands, for perpetuating the life of a mere carpenter following in the steps of his Maker

52 Comments

  1. A very happy Christmas and have a great New Year to you and all your wonderful team, a heart felt thanks from my son (16) and I as we learn and grow our skills and our relationship together with your fantastic teaching. Many many thanks…

  2. Paul,
    Thank you for the wonderful year of projects,videos and advice. I hope you and your family have a happy and prosperous New Year.

  3. I hope you have a wonderful and well deserved holiday. You have made some incredible items, and in particular the cabinet for the Oval Office. My daughter will be giving birth for the second time to another little girl. I have made a doll’s cradle in the past for sale, but this time it will have sentimental value. I think you’re a knowledgeable and talented craftsman, and I’d be a fool not to say I haven’t learned anything from you. So, thank you, Paul.

  5. And Merry Christmas to you. you have brought much joy to all that follow and admire you.
    Bob

  6. And a Blessed Christmas to you and yours from Amherst, New Hampshire USA. We are just watching your King’s first Christmas message. He has certainly grown into the job.

  7. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you Paul.
    Thank you for the wonderful projects and blogs you’ve given us over the past year and I’m very much looking forward to those that are yet to come in the New Year.

  8. Paul,

    Your inner and outward expression of heart, head, and hands shows in what you say and make. Happy (Merry) Christmas to you and your family. You bless us all with insight, wisdom, experience, expertise to help make us better makers.

  9. Merry Christmas Paul, to you and all your family. May God bless you in the coming year.

  10. A Merry Christmas to you, dear Paul, too.

    You are a blessing for all who are touched by your amazing work, and you are the kindest and most caring person I can imagine. With so many years of consistent work and vision, you built something that changes many lives, perpetuating the craft of hand tool woodworking at a scale that makes sure the trade and methods will live on and even be handed down to future generations.

    I’m currently teaching what I learned from you to a ten year old, and it’s a pleasure and very rewarding.

    So many out in the world live happier and more content lives because of you. Thank you for that.

    Merry Christmas and a very happy, peaceful and healthy New Year.

    Hans

  11. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family, Paul. Look forward to more projects next year

  12. A very merry everything to you and all the makers out there. May your year close with peace, light, and joy.

  14. As our Hispanic colleagues might say:
    “Salud Amor Pesetas Y Tiempo Para Disfrutarlas.”
    Doug Irish, Scottsdale, Arizona.

  15. Have a Merry Christmas and all the best in the new year. I’m so appreciative of the gifts and messages you give us every time I read a blog post or watch one of your videos. Thanks for all you do Paul and your team.

  17. Thank you Mr. Sellers,
    And Merry Christmas and happy new year to you. It is truly inspiring watching your videos, reading your book; your posts, and mostly trying out what I am learning from your mastery of the craft.

  18. Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you and all your family Paul! Thank you again for inspiring me to continue my journey in woodworking. May God bless you and your family. Your friend from Brunswick,Ohio USA. Bob L. 12/25/2022.

  19. Merry Christmas Paul. I have learned a lot from you; but just watching you is better than anything Hollywood produces

  20. Hope you have a restful Christmas and peaceful new year Paul. Thanks for all your dedication and help in steering all us woodworkers in the right direction, not only this year but in all the previous years. Long may you continue.

  21. A very Merry Christmas to you and your family Paul!! You have inspired, thrilled and awed me. But it’s your humbleness and passion for craftsmanship with simple tools that have stood the test of time! You have proven that there was a time when tools were made for working for a living by men that took pride in what they did. That is what initially drew me to you and your passion and talent keep me here!

    Thank you for sharing your life’s work and so much of your vast knowledge and experience!

    Merry Christmas,
    Donnie Willis

  22. Joyeux Noel Et bonne et Heureuse Annee
    et Merci Merci pour tous ce que vous nous donner.

  23. You and I are the same age and I have always admired your craftsmanship on your work. I love working in wood, but only wish I would have done and made more items of beauty like you.
    Wishing you many more years of good health.
    God Bless you and Merry Christmas

  24. Merry Christmas Paul, to you and all your family. May God bless you in the coming year.

  26. I love you, Paul—admiration, really. I have both learned an implemented much from you, and thoroughly enjoy all you put forward…. Today, I particularly LOVED your recognition of THE CARPENTER—meant everything to me and makes me admire you even more!

  28. Paul, I hope you and the family had a wonderful Christmas day and I truly loved your comment following in the footsteps of your maker. what a beautiful thought. wishing you all the best for 2023 and continued good health for many more years to come . I like many others would never have followed woodworking if it was not for your easy and down to earth teaching. . Best regards pat

  29. Thanks Paul for your instruction, guidance, and wisdom.
    Merry Christmas, and a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year, to you and your family!
    God’s Blessings

  30. Merry Christmas Paul to you and your family. Seeing Obama in front of the pieces you made for the White House was a nice gift to us. I don’t think you’ve shared that photo before.

  31. Warm wishes for a Happy Holiday Season to you Paul, your family and your crew there at Paul Sellers. Thank you for all the videos and useful tips and information over the years I have followed you. I am most appreciative of what you do for those of us who love to do handtool woodworking.
    Just finished my first one of your wooden router plane design with the parts kit I purchased from you. Works great. Thanks.
    Cheers.

  32. A wish for a relaxing Christmas season to you and your team Paul and many thanks for the blog posts, videos, and educational and informative content you offer to your followers. We are tuly blessed to have you as a mentor of sorts providing your knowledge and expertise to further our enjoyment and satisfaction that comes with each completed project. All the best for 2023!

  33. Happy Christmas and New Year Paul and family. Thank you for the many years of learning and inspiration.

  36. Thank you for all you do, Paul. Merry Christmas to you and your family as well.
    Question for you – the mesquite wood cutting boards and spatulas, what did you use to finish them? Your standard shellac or something different?

    thank you

    1. I use vegetable oil of some kind. Can be just about any kind. And before anyone jumps in and says veg oil goes rancid — that’s rubbish really. Any cutting board doesn’t really need any protection it just needs using. There is no protection you can apply to a cutting board where knives and scourers are used that will effectively protect the board and there is no “nourishing‘ of wood per see. Oil just makes it look nice.

  37. Thank you, Paul, for demonstrating the many uses of wood and the various tools that make woodworking a beautiful passion in which all of us can indulge to the best of our ability. Thank you for showing how to care for and restore those tools. For opening our mind to the fact that there is more than one way to complete the same task using different tools. Through your lessons, I have fell in love with my #4 Stanley plane. Lastly, one of my favorite things on your program is to watch how you handle a hand saw…. like a musical instrument.

  38. A Happy Christmas Season and New Year to you and yours, Mr. Sellers. I just discovered you this year and have learned so much from your videos and writings. Looking forward to the new year’s projects.

    Bill Beal
    Bandera, Texas

  39. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Paul,

    Years ago I saw the credenzas in place, and remembered them the darker color. Beautiful.

    And the light catcher suddenly made me think “ukulele stand”. It won’t be the same of course, but it got me thinking.

    Thank you and be well.

  40. Mele kalikimaka Mr. Sellers.
    You’ve definitely been bringing gifts of joy to so many threw your master classes and insightful blogging. I really enjoy reading your words, they bring me into a calm and clear mindset to achieve the task at hand. You have such a way of turning a seemingly impossible task into the most enjoyable experience and seeing you show your skills in action is truly amazing. You have been so thoughtful and understanding, accurately and simply explaining as you produce the most delightful of hand crafted woodwork. Truly amazing and heartfelt. Mahalo nui loa Mr Sellers and a Hau’oli Makahiki Hou.

  41. Merry Christmas to you and your family Paul. Like many others, I’m looking forward to reading your blogs, full of advice next year and beyond as I take up my new hobby…….happy woodworking!!

  42. Each time I go to my bench and pick up a piece of wood to do something with, I find asking if a ‘knife wall’ could be employed.
    Of all the techniques and tools you bring to my screen, this is the one that sticks with me the most. Thank you Mr Knife Wall and a happy new year.

  43. Best wishes for the new year Paul!
    I’m curious how you made the panel in the opening photo. Is it veneered over a wooden substrate? I ask because I’m making a cabinet for my daughter and will be putting veneer over a solid wood base for two doors. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks

  44. Belated merry Christmas but a Happy New 2023. I enjoy your time with me on YouTube, and Blogs and both your Books. If you ever make the Trip to North Carolina you will be welcome.

  46. For some reason, I always associate Christmas with a carpenter who was a godfather. My godfather was also a carpenter. Today would have been his 80th birthday.

  48. Mr. Sellers,
    I hope your Christmas has been all that you would wish and that the New Year brings a more pleasant future to the world. It takes “Makers” like you to bring the craft that “Old School” craftsmen like Frid to we, the common folk. To learn that the tools you use should be consistently sharp, but not obsessively so; that there were “Tricks” the old school used to achieve the quality of fit and surface that was achieved two/three hundred years ago that we, in the Machine Age didn’t know, couldn’t imagine, but must relearn. Above all, it takes someone like you with not just the skills, but the gift of teaching with clarity and the willingness to share your vast storehouse of experience and knowledge.

    Thank You,
    John Besharian

    1. [Correction: * … the craft like that of … ] “Murphy Never Sleeps”, according to a late friend of mine.

  50. Happy New Year from Israel and thanks for all you are doing for the woodworking community.

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