Hey all!
We just opened a channel on YouTube. Our first video (above) is a glimpse into our tiny studio where all the "magic" happens. Make sure you subscribe to our channel to get regular video updates and behind-the-scenes footage. Enjoy and share!
Issue Two of Mortise & Tenon Magazine is on the presses as we speak! As you may have picked up by now, we don’t like to do anything half-hearted. Every individual magazine we ship out is wrapped in kraft paper and string with a wax-sealed 18th-century-inspired tradecard adhered to it. Last year, we had a crew of nine of us working for three days to get them all out the door. We set up long tables in my living room, turned on the music, and mused together about handcraft, the local food movement, cottage industry businesses, homesteading, etc. while we wrapped the magazines. It was the highlight of our year, deepening our friendships forever. This year, we’re doing it again....
In two weeks, I will be looking for that freight truck to show up with the magazines. That means that, if you want free shipping for Issue Two, you’ve got two weeks to put in your order. After that, it costs $5.00 to ship it anywhere in the USA (these things are heavy). I am getting very excited about getting this issue into your hands, readers. We are getting close!
Also, I am finalizing all the details for the pre-order packing/shipping party and it looks like it’s going to be a blast. Stay tuned for the official announcement for that... It should be in the next few days.
Don’t forget to put in your order of Issue Two!
In anticipation of Issue Two being only weeks away from arrival, we added Issue Two cover posters to our offerings. This detail shot of the banister-back chair featured in in this upcoming issue is important in my mind because it shows up close the tolerances found in period work. It’s a fascinating juncture between the turned elements, split banisters, and planed lower back rail. This photo was shot before I finished this piece and so it highlights the irregularities and textures inherent in the handcraft process. These posters are same size and cost as last time ($15) and are definitely a “while supplies last” kind of thing. (We still have some the half-off Issue One posters left if you want one of...
I can now say with tremendous relief that Issue Two is officially in the hands of the printer. The past few weeks I’ve been slaving at the computer screen making sure every detail was exactly how we wanted it to be. There was (as always) a lot of back and forth with the contributors and interviewees. Although this slows the process down, we feel strongly that we don’t want to move forward on publishing something without the blessing of everyone involved. I am so delighted with how this issue has turned out. Although Mike and I have been riding the Issue One excitement for a year now, our enthusiasm for this second issue has dominated our attention. If you...
One of the most exciting aspects of working with old handmade objects is deciphering the stories told by tool marks. An undercut here, some traversing there - these can give great insight into the thought process of the craftsman who first handled these pieces of wood centuries ago. But the language written by old bits of tool steel can be mysterious and inexact - our familiar rules of grammar don't apply. How do you ask, "Did you use a template?" in Old Dovetail? Or, "What's with that drawer bottom?" in Rough Hatchet? It can be a great exercise in forensics trying to solve these very, very cold cases. Occasionally, a piece will contain a much clearer form of communication from...
Because we’ve had several requests for gift cards over the past year, it has been on my list to do for a while. Well, good news: I’ve finally got that launched tonight.
Have you come up short on gift ideas for your furniture-nerd loved ones? Besides pre-ordering Issue Two, you could consider a gift card to the Mortise & Tenon store. If they already have the magazine, they can pick up one of our DVDs, a t-shirt, stickers, a poster, etc.
Or if you’ve been asked you what you’d like, tell them you want a gift card here. We’ve got a good selection of goodies for you.
Gift cards are available here: http://mortise-tenon-magazine.myshopify.com/collections/gift-card/products/gift-card
Fig. 1 Before Treatment Abstract This paper addresses a concern heard more than once from readers of Mortise & Tenon Magazine. The kraft paper and waxed thread wrapping has presented many a vexing conundrum: although anxious to explore the contents of the publication, they are hindered by the desire to preserve the physical integrity of the artistic wrapping. Several readers have commented that they even spent days perplexed by the matter until finally their desire for the contents outweighed the preservation of the pretty paper. This essay points out that, during original fabrication, shipping practitioners occasionally found need to safely disassemble said wrapping for adjustment, etc. Currently accepted opening practice is surveyed and a newly developed minimally invasive removal...
Yesterday my family spent the morning stacking firewood for the coming winter. Having both my seven-year-old and my (almost) two-year-old handling so much split wood I think embeds within them a deep awareness of the nature and properties of wood as a material. Eden (7) has known for years which logs make great splitting stumps and which ones are great for riving. He watches out for crotch wood and knows the implications of knots. Besides serving as a basic introduction for kids, I think all woodworkers should have some of this experience. Straight grain is understandable in theory but seeing how grain runs on a split burns it into your mind in a way you’ll never forget. If you haven’t...
