There’s something about working with wood which seems to be universally attractive to the average human being. It’s not just the beauty of the material itself; it’s something more than that. Is it the ease (!) with which a person can put their own stamp on a simple artefact they’ve made? Or maybe it’s the opportunity it provides us with to exercise our technical skills in a clear and potentially…
There’s nothing like a spot of travel to liven things up a bit, both while you’re there and for the following days as well. New sights, places and people are almost always guaranteed to stimulate the imagination and to give the hungry woodworker an idea or two. During a couple of days in Bath (as opposed to the bath) recently, I started to feel as though I’d achieved one of my historical fantasies and…
Years ago, when I was on the antiques, I was helping a dealer to load a large break-front bookcase into a Luton van when he happened to remark – between breathless gasps – that if he ever had his time again, he’d be a dealer in watches and jewellery. ‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘just put the stuff in your pocket. The most you’d have to carry around would be…
New technology is great, isn’t it? At least while it’s all working as intended, that is. The minute it starts to play up it’s a very different picture indeed… Now, the lucky ones amongst us will have a small child or a random surly teenager knocking about the place. If this is the case, then all is fine and your problems will soon be resolved. I love their fearlessness and seemingly natural intuition…
The other day I had to make a couple of simple casement window sashes and, thinking about the job the night before, I couldn’t remember if I had enough timber in stock to make a ready start or if an early morning trip to the timber yard would be necessary first. Now I always enjoy a visit to my local merchant. They’re down by the docks near my workshop, and there’s often a boat or two chugging past or some…
With the approximation of a wisdom acquired slowly through the years, I’ve come to realise that I don’t actually know everything, and that much of what I do or say isn’t always the best course of action. And when it comes to woodworking matters, well, the situation is even more interesting.
Don’t believe a word I say! When it comes to being asked for our opinions, there can’t be many of us who come over all shy and reticent. For the majority of woodworkers, when presented with this very invitation, you can almost hear the mental rolling-up of sleeves as they prepare a lengthy diatribe. And if it’s on a topic which they actually know something about – instead of one on which only a vague…
Listen
Don’t just stand there, sharpen something! This is a phrase I find myself using most weeks in my Level 1 Carpentry class to anyone who is just mooning around or generally giving the
impression of being a work-shy idler. Now I’m all for tea and lunch breaks, but when you’re in the workshop I think you should be doing something; dreamtime can be fitted in to just about any other moment in the day.…
What makes a woodworker?
This is one of those philosophical questions that drift in and out of one’s mind from time to time, and is occasionally brought into focus. The answers are never really fully formed, but seem to be periodically added to and built upon as time goes by and experiences and observations make themselves known. Certainly a spot of creativity is a must; an appreciation of hard work and its fulsome…
They say that change is the only certainty in life, and right now I’m in full agreement. Things at my Neon Saw workshop have been chugging along nicely for quite a while, rubbing shoulders with Roy, my landlord, as he tackles a wide variety of cars and vans in his rambling garage premises alongside. It turns out he’s finally calling it quits after many a long year, and a new team of motor engineers will soon be…
Let’s face it, we all enjoy our woodworking, and most of us will rarely pass up the chance
to learn something new. But what if it’s us that’s doing the teaching? The two are actually very similar sides of the same coin. Anyone who has had the chance of imparting
some useful knowledge to a keen and eager audience will no doubt appreciate that it’s something of a privilege. Not only will you feel a…
It’s generally around this time of year that the pace of work seems to pick up a bit, in my case this has gone from flat out to borderline frantic. Everyone seems to be very keen to have their cupboards, wardrobes, etc. finished ‘this week’ or even sooner. I don’t know why this should be, perhaps it’s a deeply ingrained primeval urge to make a safe and secure dwelling for the winter months…
We’ve all heard it, that announcement on the slowing train warning the unwary or novice traveller to ‘mind the gap between the carriage and the platform’. A few years ago I started to amuse myself by inserting the words ‘between your dreams and reality’ every time I heard it, and still do occasionally. Sure, it’s not easy to make your dreams come true, but we’ve got to give it a try…
