We get a lot of questions through social media and email about all sorts of stuff that we can’t necessarily fully address. Also, we naturally get a lot of repeat questions from readers. In order to help answer these questions as well as encourage others to ask more, we have decided to begin an “Ask M&T” video series. These will be concise answers to direct questions from you all. Ask whatever you want about what we got going on here… We’re pretty transparent folks. “What’s your favorite tool?” “What’s the most essential hand plane to have?” “What power tool do you secretly wish you had?” “Why don’t you guys publish the magazine more frequently?” “Why don’t you make a digital...
Front Design To celebrate the release of Issue Two, we are announcing new M&T apparel. One design. Two items. The hooded sweatshirt is a pre-order only item. From now until February 4th (three weeks), we will be taking these pre-orders ($50) for hoodies. We will order a few more of each size just in case there are issues but after February 4th, there is no guarantee of getting this hoodie. If you want one, it’s now or never. It’s not marketing hype… we just don’t want to store boxes of hoodies. The t-shirt will be a regular in-stock item for the foreseeable future (just like our last shirt) They’ll be available to purchase when they arrive in February. Back...
As we think about our woodworking influences during National Mentoring Month, I’ve been pondering my roundabout journey so far. I suspect that my story isn’t terribly uncommon in that the most formative teachers I have had are folks I’ve never met. My grandpa was a strong influence on me in regards to fixing things, pounding nails, getting cars running, and the like. He helped me to see that the materials that you have on hand or can scrounge up from the basement are often enough to get the job done effectively. Because of what I learned from watching him, I have never been afraid to tear into a project, to disassemble a complicated doohickey just to see what’s going...
What if you could build furniture efficiently without relying on power tools? Ever wish you could “cut the cord” completely, finally freeing yourself from the dust and scream of machines? This summer I will be teaching a weekend workshop at Lie-Nielsen which lays the foundation of pre-industrial (read: efficient hand-tool-only) woodworking by building a small pine worktable with hand tools. The emphasis of the workshop is the rediscovery of the efficiencies of hand tool woodworking that have been lost since the industrialization of furniture making. Students will be able to examine and handle a few different disassembled 18th and 19th-century pieces to see period tolerances and the difference between “show” surfaces and “non-show” surfaces for themselves. Students will learn to...
This past Friday and Saturday, Mike and I had the big Issue Two packing party. We are still so stunned at how incredible it turned out. Readers came up to help from all around Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and even Maryland. We had just shy of 20 people wrapping a few thousand copies in brown paper and string and attach the wax-sealed tradecards. Every copy was shipped in a rigid mailer with a few pine shavings for an extra touch. Check out the full video for the event above! I would definitely say it was a success. All the pre-orders are in the mail and we have a pile ready for future fulfillment. Everyone worked so hard and really seemed...
I whipped up this fun little silent film last evening for your amusement. I’ve always loved the handcrank look. There may be more of these in the future.
Because it’s National Mentoring Month I have to say that the single biggest influence in my professional development is without a doubt Mitch Kohanek, founder and instructor of the National Institute of Wood Finishing. Although I first learned sharpening and basic hand tool skills during my time at luthiery school, it was Mitch who introduced me to historic furniture and conservation. His contagious enthusiasm for furniture set me on a trajectory from which I’ve never recovered. In that program, I learned furniture history (especially through weekly book reports), joinery methods, repair techniques, inpainting, spraying, brushing, French polishing, color matching, conservation ethics, and even basic organic chemistry. But Mitch was one of those teachers that brought more than lectures and bookwork...
As we’re only days away from the packing party to ship out Issue Two, I can’t help but reflect on the year (11 months actually) since Issue One was released. 2016 has been a wild ride for me. Before M&T launched, I spent my work week alone in my studio regluing chairs and refinishing dining tables. I ran a little blog documenting some of it but, for the most part, I was pretty much in my own little world. This leap-in-the-dark magazine idea was simply the culmination of my many thoughts and observations working on period furniture. I never knew if it would resonate with anyone else. Mortise & Tenon has completely flipped my life upside down. The interest...
In this video, we talked with Chris Schwarz about the fascinating article he has written a titled “Decoding the Roman Workbench” for Issue Two. His article, which looks at the practical usage of the bench, has been informed by meticulous research in ancient texts, surviving European artifacts, and in-the-shop exploration. As it turns out, this experimental archaeology approach has yielded some compelling discoveries about pre-industrial woodworking.
You can order your copy of Issue Two here.
What is it about the hand plane that draws people into woodworking? What is it about that block of wood with an iron that connects with woodworkers at such a visceral level? I think about this question a lot when I’m working in the shop because there are days when it seems I just need to shape wood – as if it’s some sort of therapy or something. The feeling of satisfaction that comes from using such a simple tool to work the lumber must be something rooted in us at the deepest level. Creativity, I think, is something rooted in our humanity. We were all made to work with our hands. But also, to lose touch with...
