There’s nothing like a bit of variety in life, and if you can get it in your working life as well then it’s a double bubble situation. I’m currently helping out on a roofing job; so far it’s been mostly inside in a dimly-lit squash court-sized attic and has involved a structural engineer’s report (aka a serving suggestion) and loads of 12mm birch ply. When the weather’s fine it’s…
It’s always good going away and, if you can do a bit of work while you’re there then it certainly adds another element to your holiday. I was visiting my brother in New York recently and found myself volunteering for a double window shelf job. I couldn’t
help it and so, after the initial concept and design work, a simple materials list was drawn up and the sourcing of timber began.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
