Back in 2022, Michiel Brouns stopped by the M&T shop for a visit. Based in the U.K., Brouns is the proprieter of Brouns & Co, manufacturer of traditional linseed oil paint. And when Joshua and I met him, he gave us an education. Most modern paints are basically designed to encapsulate wood – to wrap it and seal it in a layer of petrochemical plastic. While giving the appearance of protection, like a leaky raincoat it creates more issues than it solves when things get damp. Now the moisture is trapped inside, in the wood, and rot is the inevitable result. Brouns has a distinguished background in historic building conservation, and he found himself aghast as he discovered, time and...
When anxiety is running high, when the news cycle can’t get any louder, when it seems like the world is an irredeemable mess – then is a good time to crack open some Wendell Berry. Fortunately for us, Berry, who turned 88 this year, is a prolific writer, so there are many different volumes up for grabs. There isn’t really a wrong direction to go – his essays, his fiction, and his poetry all offer pithy diamonds of wisdom and joy. Berry has been gently but firmly pushing against the status quo for decades. Industrialization, education, politics – in all those areas where civilized debate is essentially nonexistent at the moment, he speaks like a breath of fresh air in a...
Every once in a while, a book is written that, while not explicitly focused on woodworking or furniture, manages to perfectly encapsulate the core essence of why we (as woodworkers) do what we do. The bestselling Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work is that kind of book. Its insights have been illuminating for us here at M&T, and we’re thrilled to now be stocking it in our store. Author Matthew Crawford has a unique perspective. He has a Ph.D. in political philosophy and runs his own motorcycle repair shop. Early on in his career, he landed every intellectual’s dream job as director of a Washington think tank. But he soon left that position, disillusioned by...
As we mentioned in the podcast yesterday, we are excited to offer Danielle Rose Byrd’s new book, The Handcarved Bowl, for sale in our store. Danielle is an amazingly talented artist – her work speaks for itself. Whimsical and beautiful, her bowls, trays, and panels push the boundaries of practical art in new directions, while maintaining a connection to the age-old practice of carving woodenware. The Handcarved Bowl is the best book we’ve seen on the practice of creating a carved wooden bowl from beginning to end. From selecting and maintaining the proper tools, to harvesting material in the woods, to design and execution, Danielle has knocked it out of the park with this reference. There’s even a chapter full of stretches...
Over the past year I’ve begun to reclaim my life. As I’ve progressively backed away from social media consumption these 12 months, I’ve finally started to regain control of the technology in my life. Before long, I worked myself down to enough time to post one Instagram picture per day and a few minutes to respond to comments from the past 24 hours. And I cannot tell you how good it feels. Digital tools are great at instantly connecting us with folks from all around the world, but the flip side of that blessing is that my attention and affection were getting spread pretty thin. This, in spite of the fact that I’ve always valued my family and working with...
We’ve got a brand new book in our store! Although we don’t typically carry other publishers’ books, Zach Dillinger’s “With Saw, Plane & Chisel” is so in line with the vision of M&T, that it would be crazy for us to not to stock it. Many of you read our interview with Zach in Issue Two in which we discussed period furniture reproduction and authenticity of craft process. This guy’s approach to woodworking is uncannily close to our own. Every time I think about writing another book I imagine how I’d describe period techniques and tolerances. I would show what amount of tear-out is acceptable and in which areas. I’d walk through the construction of different forms to show how they...
