Hand tools are not slow. This afternoon, after Mike and I ditched the granite work because of a downpour, I went to the shop to prepare table parts for a presentation I am doing on Friday at the Yale University Furniture Study (Registration full, sorry). The presentation is titled “Efficient Handcraft” and will focus on pre-industrial methods for efficient furniture making. I will bring parts of a table at each stage of the process so that I can demonstrate the whole process in the time allotted. This afternoon’s prep involved ripping out two legs and two rails from rough-sawn pine, planing both legs square, laying out and chopping two of the mortises, tapering one of the legs on two sides,...
Now that Issue Three is at the printer and my edits to the Fisher book are complete, Mike and I have begun getting things ready for the new M&T shop frame to arrive on the 18th. We started the morning staring at a pile of granite foundation blocks. We gathered small log rounds, pry bars, and all other manner of tools to muscle the 100 linear feet of granite into place on the gravel pad. After we got a few pieces in place, a stone mason friend of mine, Ken stopped over on a lead from a neighbor. He showed up to generously share his experience and knowledge of the finer points of moving large stone. With his help, we...
Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from one of my students at Lie-Nielsen this June. Adam finished his table and wrote up these thoughts about his time at the class. “The planned obsolescence of modern consumerism is a real tragedy. I encourage you to rebel against this.” ~Joshua Klein After reading Christopher Schwarz’s The Anarchist’s Tool Chest cover to cover, an obsession began. This eventually led me to take Joshua Klein’s “Cut-The-Cord” class at Lie-Nielsen Toolworks this June. Joshua, whether he realizes or not, has played an integral role in shaping my thoughts and ideals about woodworking since my very first project not long ago. After taking my first-ever passes with a handplane at a Lie-Nielsen...
Editor’s Note: Robell wrote this post several weeks ago, soon after he came up to help with the Nicholson bench build. Because I’ve been out straight getting Issue Three ready, I haven’t had a moment to put this up on the blog until now. Mike and I loved having Robell in the shop with us and we look forward to the next time he can come up. The following are Robell’s reflections on his time working with us. It is often intimidating meeting people you admire from afar. That was the case for me when I met Joshua and Mike. Having been a reader of M&T since the first issue, I reached out and asked if I could spend...
The Tuesday morning Issue Three pre-order launch was nuts. Mike and I stayed up late with last minute prep and double (and triple) checking all the store’s settings for the launch. We knew we had at least a few folks that would stay up late to order at midnight so we wanted to make sure there weren’t going to be any glitches. I called Mike at 11:50 p.m. to check in and review our launch check list (update inventory, publish blog post, post on social media, etc.). We divvied up the list and waited until the clock struck 12:00 exactly. As we worked through our check list, we were watching for the first 25 orders to come in to...
The moment has come at last!
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you can pre-order Issue 3 by itself HERE.
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Beginning with Issue Three, we will only be doing the brown paper and wax-sealed trade cards for subscriptions and pre-orders. After this issue’s pre-order window has closed, the magazine will be mailed naked in a rigid mailer. If this special wrapping is important to you, please know that the only way to get this is to purchase a yearly subscription or pre-order the issue. Although I never would have anticipated this, these trade cards have become collectibles. Many readers have emailed us pictures of the cards proudly displayed in their shops. Since every new issue will feature a new trade card designed just for that issue, I can picture folks 10 years from now boasting that they have every single...
On August 1st at 12:00 a.m. (Eastern Time), we will be opening pre-orders for Issue Three. Why midnight? No idea. It’s just silly fun, I guess. If you’ve got quick typing fingers, the first 25 orders will get our brand-new eBook for free (automatically emailed to you). This eBook featuring the two high chairs in Issue Three will be the first glimpse into this new issue. If you’re not one of the first 25 orders, the eBook will be available for purchase ($8). In other big news, starting August 1st, we will also be offering yearly subscriptions (2 issues a year). Mike has been working his tail off trying to get us setup to offer a recurring payment option for...
On September 29th and 30th, Mike and I are throwing a huge party to wrap and ship out Issue Three pre-orders. When we did this for the last issue, it was incredible. We rented a local active Grange Hall (in Blue Hill, Maine) and set up tables, supplies, and boxes upon boxes of brand-spanking-new magazines. People drove and flew from all over to be a part of the big launch. Mike and I were humbled to have such amazing help. We had two days of stories, laughing, loads of food, music, and fun. Almost everyone who helped last time already told us they’re planning on coming again. This time, we’ve rented a house for our helpers. There are limited slots...
