Having lived and worked in the US for over two decades I grew to know the obvious differences in words and terms used between American English and pronunciations and the English ways: sidewalk = pavement; pavement = road, carpark = parking lot and then you come to stain. Many US woodworkers refer to finish as…
The transformation of the old home we’ve transformed to bring up to date came quite rapidly but of course, when builders move in it can seem like a long time in the making. The work was quite major: replacing structural walls with steelwork to transfer upper-structure brickwork weight to the external walls for a clearspan…
I receive questions from woodworkers who start out with, “What’s your opinion of . . . ?” It might be a tool, a vise, a workbench type I have never used or used or never even heard of. Opinions are funny things in the same way assumptions very often are. When you find something that…
Mainly, we use the full stop as the tiny dot finalising a statement, often with the closing emphasis that there is nothing more to be said on a matter. I designed the turned work as parts for two cabinets made for the Cabinet Room of the White House and kept three (only a part of…
I’m planning for two sizeable projects right now. The prospect occupies much of my awake time as I work through the day and consider my options. Plywood, solid wood, weight, delivery up narrow and awkward stairs, wood type or types, a trip to buy same, costs, tools needed, joinery, time taken to make, drawings. Aside…
A woman commented that, sadly, her dad never invited her into his garage workshop. In that brief sentence, the accusation was complete. It was the way of things in times past when woodworking at home was perhaps more of a necessity rather than some kind of hobby. Anyone with a full-time job had a single…
I made different versions of my latest mirror and picture frame designs. My first types went well to get from idea to finished frame and I quickly ended up with five new frames and made some decisions along the way to improve methods of making. I also grew in confidence but my confidence failed me…
In the realness of hand work I find the greatest peace that I cannot usually describe and that’s because words seem always to be inadequate. It’s hard to explain what entering my workspace does to my senses but the closest I get to describing it is to say a protective covering more like a soft…
I am not sure when I first read the words, but it seems no matter how lightweight the product these days the package will inevitably say, ‘Heavy Duty’. I think I once saw it emblazoned on a US Ford one-ton dually truck a couple of decades ago and for a pickup it was pretty heavy…
The more I hear it said or read of it, the more I question the reality of it. There’s something about even considering ourselves to be somehow self-made or self-taught that says one of two things: is it at all possible to be self-made or self-taught or do things come to us that teach us…