The Woodworker

Short time

I’m not sure why time has become an even more precious commodity than before, but, as long as it appears to be in short supply, we must do all we can to use it wisely. If, for some reason, you can’t access the workshop at the moment, then don’t just sit there watching the leaves fall from the trees (although I have to agree it’s a very enjoyable thing to do), but use this time to plan your next woodworking task. The designing and drawing is always a favourite part of any project, so, if you can afford it, why not use that spare time to make a really top class job of it? What a great time of year this is! The summer is still fairly fresh in the memory, but there’s that autumnal scent in the air, and the feeling among nature’s creatures is that some worthy work is required to prepare for winter. This latter instinct translates itself to us woodworkers as a powerful urge to get into the shed or workshop and start making the next Great Thing on our ever expanding list of necessary and desirable items – if we’ve got the time, that is…

Handy help

Very few professionals I know use anything other than some kind of CAD (Computer Aided Design) program, but there is one architectural designer friend of mine who still bashes his jobs out by hand onto paper. As well as being customer-ready, there’s a certain old-school charm in the pencil drawing, but make sure you fix it (to avoid smudges) or ink it in to improve clarity. As a keen student of art and design, I’m always on the lookout for good examples, especially if they’re of items of particular interest to me. I’m sure most of us know someone who has a framed technical or constructional drawing on the wall.

Your shout

I’m very pleased with the last couple of issues of the magazine. They seem to contain a good variety of material, with practical advice aplenty and even a bit of entertainment thrown in! It’s my intention to keep things moving along in this direction, but if there’s any subject you, the reader, think has been neglected for too long, just get in touch and we’ll see what can be done. Don’t forget that this mag belongs to all of us, so be part of the woodworking community and join in!

Mark

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