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The Possibility of the Unknown
Blaise Pascal wrote about gambling and how it grips us because of the thrill of risk – if every roll of the dice was known, it would lose its power. The idea of taking on risk speaks to something deeper within us. When we as woodworkers split open a log, there’s always the possibility of the unknown. Our effort may reveal rot or some beauty never seen before. Hand tools are a means of connection that bring us into close contact with the risk found in nature. Never before in our history have we been surrounded by so many faux materials – imitation leather, marble, or wood, without any of the risks or quirks of natural materials. We can even...
Last Call Before “Joined” & “Worked” Price Increases!
This is a quick heads up that we’ve recently been cleaned out of our Joined inventory – way faster than anticipated. Today, we got notification that our third printing for this book (and our second printing of Worked) shipped from the printer to our warehousing facility. As I know you know all too well, prices for everything have been skyrocketing the past couple years and our printing bills are no exception. To face this increase of expenses, we’re going to have to raise the price of these two titles several dollars apiece. But we want to give you fair warning, so, before these go up, we’re giving you a “last call” for the lower price. For the next couple days,...
Turned Upside Down
The onset of the Industrial Revolution caused major changes in virtually every craft. Machinery worked on a scale and at a cost that a pre-industrial artisan could not compete with, and the advent of canals and railroads meant that the village artisan had to contend with rivals not just across the next hill, but across the country. But as profound as that change was, something even more traumatic happened; the fundamental axioms were turned upside down. This change disrupted how the buying public valued good work. This shift happened in part because the Industrial Revolution rose alongside the emergence of nation-states that competed against one another for industrial dominance. This trend developed into National Exhibitions to showcase advances in industry...