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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
It used to be that this time of year was pretty quiet when it came to work. Most customers – and a lot of other tradies – were on holiday, and the suggested indolence suited the siesta-inducing weather. Not any more. With signs that the world is waking up to the fragility of life and the limitless potential that some of us have before us, a spirit of making full use of every second of the day seems to have taken…
The Woodworker this month has a wide variety of useful, informative and down right interesting articles within its pages, and I strongly advise you not to miss it!
