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Public Post at the M&T Daily Dispatch 

Another installment in the Nature and Art of Workmanship series. This time Joshua and Mike walk through chapter six which compares human creativity to the natural world. Regulated work was coveted in ancient cultures because they were surrounded by nature. In our industrial culture, however, we need the liveliness and idiosyncrasy of handwork. SHOW NOTES  Order your copy of the book here: The Nature and Art of Workmanship Joshua Klein’s article in Issue Seven: ”A Fresh & Unexpected Beauty: Understanding David Pye’s ‘Workmanship of Risk’”

From the M&T Daily Dispatch 

Historically, workbenches were remarkably simple affairs. Peter Nicholson’s 1812 bench featured just a simple planing stop in the benchtop – not even one hole for a holdfast. Other historic images of benches show workpieces secured with nails, by a rope held by the worker’s feet, and even by the worker’s weight as he sits on the board being planed or the table leg into which a mortise is chopped. The main distinction of this style of work is that the workpiece is restrained by the worker, rather than by some mechanical device. It is not as if more rigid workholding solutions weren’t available to period craftsmen (as we will see), but it’s clear that they consciously chose to work without...

From the M&T Daily Dispatch 

Here is our latest video in the “Getting to Work” series, in which Mike walks through the sharpening of hand saws. It’s easy to get lost in the specialized terminology: “rake,” “fleam,” “slope,” “gullets,” “tpi/ppi,” etc. But Mike gives a dead simple explanation that will be hard to forget. Our goal in our books and videos is always to explain things in the most broken down and straightforward way. There’s enough chest-puffing craftwork out there, and we feel no need to compete. Instead, we just want to get people to the bench working with success. -Joshua  

From the M&T Daily Dispatch 

From the M&T Daily Dispatch 

Another installment in the Nature and Art of Workmanship series. This time Joshua and Mike discuss the fifth chapter which shows the limits of design. Much of the success is left to the workman. SHOW NOTES  Order your copy of the book here: The Nature and Art of Workmanship Joshua Klein’s article in Issue Seven: ”A Fresh & Unexpected Beauty: Understanding David Pye’s ‘Workmanship of Risk’”

From the M&T Daily Dispatch