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Go to the Materials

A further advantage is that the drawknife can be used almost anywhere – I can fit the template, drawknife, vise, and auger to affix the vise into a backpack and walk to wherever I want to work. This simplicity replicates the work practices of the Jimmy Possum chairmakers, and also allows me to go to the materials rather than having them come to me. In a time when there were no automobiles to transport materials, it was much easier to bring back lighter finished components (as the bodgers did) than to transport the heavy timber to a workshop or factory to process. The model of production that is stationed at the source of the materials circumvents the pin-balling of modern...

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More Profound Than We Realize

The aesthetics of tool handle designs can be so deceiving in their beauty that they hide the fact that they are part of a sophisticated feedback loop. A tool handle may look simple, but that doesn’t mean every aspect of the tool hasn’t been carefully thought out. The shape of a chisel or knife handle tells our body exactly how the cutting edge is oriented and what angle to position it to execute a clean cut. Scientists have been stymied for decades trying to map the electrochemical signals in the brain during complex thinking. No less mysterious is how our hand connects with the curved sweep of an axe handle such that we can throw the blade with our arms...

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Lines for Hewing Timbers

To lay out lines for hewing, the timber’s cross-sectional dimensions were drawn onto both ends of the log, with their sides established plumb. The Americans typically used spirit levels to do this, but some of the French carpenters used plumb bobs to establish these lines. Once the ends were drawn, they were connected down the length of the log with the snap of a chalk line, making a straight timber from the natural, irregular tree. In most cases, the carpenters peeled a strip of bark only where the lines would be snapped, rather than peeling the entire log. This served two purposes: First, it saved labor because peeling bark in areas that were going to be hewn away would be...

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An Awareness of Natural Timber

At the larger end of the scale, a number of timber-framed cottages at St Fagans demonstrate the use of curved tree trunks that have been book-matched to provide gable ends, the shape of the roof being determined by the natural curve of the trunk. This is an efficient way of working given that once felled, the tree would require little shaping before being incorporated into the frame of the cottage, and the use of curved timber ensures there is little grain runout (which would reduce the strength of the frame). This raises the question in my mind at least: Might the craftsmen who were framing cottages also have been building stick chairs?  A similar approach has been identified in extant...

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The Issue Seventeen Cover

Today marks the official completion of our Issue Seventeen Table of Contents blog series. For two weeks, we’ve been sharing glimpses into each article that we’ve had in the works over  the course of the summer. As I write this, I am putting the last pieces into place for the design, and then it will go out for copy editing. The cover art for this issue features a lovely antique violin alongside a cluster of dried horsetail (Equisetum hyemale) and a polissoir (polisher/corn burnisher) used for preparing wooden surfaces for varnishing. This arrangement is a nod to the article in this issue which was contributed by our 2023 Craft Research Grant recipient, Narelle Freeman. Freeman is a luthier from the...

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Issue Seventeen T.O.C. – Joshua A. Klein – “Everything in its Place”

This post is part of a blog series revealing the table of contents of upcoming Issue Seventeen. As is our custom, we’ll be discussing one article per weekday in order to give you a taste of what is to come.  The subscription window that includes Issue Seventeen is open now. To get Issue Seventeen when it ships in early October, you can sign up for a subscription here.  If you aren’t sure about your subscription status, you can reach out to Grace at info@mortiseandtenonmag.com. Keep in mind though, if you are set to auto-renew, you never have to worry about getting the next issue of Mortise & Tenon. Issue Seventeen is coming your way soon! ___________________________________ Joshua A. Klein –...

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Issue Seventeen T.O.C. – Douglas Brooks – “Japanese Rafting Boats”

This post is part of a blog series revealing the table of contents of upcoming Issue Seventeen. As is our custom, we’ll be discussing one article per weekday in order to give you a taste of what is to come.  The subscription window that includes Issue Seventeen is open now. To get Issue Seventeen when it ships in early October, you can sign up for a subscription here.  If you aren’t sure about your subscription status, you can reach out to Grace at info@mortiseandtenonmag.com. Keep in mind though, if you are set to auto-renew, you never have to worry about getting the next issue of Mortise & Tenon. Issue Seventeen is coming your way soon! ___________________________________ Douglas Brooks – “Japanese...

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Issue Seventeen T.O.C. – “An Examination of a Mid-18th-century English Slant-front Desk”

This post is part of a blog series revealing the table of contents of upcoming Issue Seventeen. As is our custom, we’ll be discussing one article per weekday in order to give you a taste of what is to come.  The subscription window that includes Issue Seventeen is open now. To get Issue Seventeen when it ships in early October, you can sign up for a subscription here.  If you aren’t sure about your subscription status, you can reach out to Grace at info@mortiseandtenonmag.com. Keep in mind though, if you are set to auto-renew, you never have to worry about getting the next issue of Mortise & Tenon. Issue Seventeen is coming your way soon! ___________________________________ “An Examination of a...

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Issue Seventeen T.O.C. – Emmet Van Driesche – “Take Care”

This post is part of a blog series revealing the table of contents of upcoming Issue Seventeen. As is our custom, we’ll be discussing one article per weekday in order to give you a taste of what is to come.  The subscription window that includes Issue Seventeen is open now. To get Issue Seventeen when it ships in early October, you can sign up for a subscription here.  If you aren’t sure about your subscription status, you can reach out to Grace at info@mortiseandtenonmag.com. Keep in mind though, if you are set to auto-renew, you never have to worry about getting the next issue of Mortise & Tenon. Issue Seventeen is coming your way soon! ___________________________________ Emmet Van Driesche –...

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Issue 17 T.O.C. – Andrew Hunter – ”Finding a Path”

This post is part of a blog series revealing the table of contents of upcoming Issue Seventeen. As is our custom, we’ll be discussing one article per weekday in order to give you a taste of what is to come.  The subscription window that includes Issue Seventeen is open now. To get Issue Seventeen when it ships in early October, you can sign up for a subscription here.  If you aren’t sure about your subscription status, you can reach out to Grace at info@mortiseandtenonmag.com. Keep in mind though, if you are set to auto-renew, you never have to worry about getting the next issue of Mortise & Tenon. Issue Seventeen is coming your way soon! ___________________________________ Andrew Hunter – ”Finding a...

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