This post is part of a blog series revealing the table of contents of upcoming Issue Fourteen. As is our custom, we’ll be discussing one article per weekday in order to give you a taste of what is to come. The subscription window that includes Issue Fourteen is open now. To get Issue Fourteen when it ships in early April, you can sign up for a subscription here. If you aren’t sure about your subscription status, you can reach out to Grace at info@mortiseandtenonmag.com. Keep in mind though, if you are set to auto-renew, you never have to worry about getting the next issue of Mortise & Tenon. Issue Fourteen is coming your way soon! ___________________________________ The apprenticeship model of...
We’re excited to again open our Craft Research Grant for applications! If you haven’t heard, this program offers up to two grants per year to individuals or groups who are pursuing a craft, doing historic research, interviewing a master, or exploring museum collections. Besides offering up to $2,000 for each recipient, we also publish their work in a future issue of the magazine. So far, the Craft Research Grant has led to a fascinating look at vernacular violin making published in Issue Thirteen, and Issue Fourteen will include research on the disappearing craft of Taiwanese plane making. In the works are research on traditional Hawaiian ukulele makers, as well as a deep dive into the roots of Brazilian handcraft. I...
The third installment of Joshua and Mike’s walkthrough of David Pye’s The Nature and Art of Workmanship. This time they look at chapter 2 in which Pye lays out his fundamental (and famous) distinction between workmanship of risk and workmanship of certainty. It might not mean what you think…
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’”
Traditional coopering in Europe employed quarter-split or riven wood to make the walls and heads of the vessels. In a world where sawing was time-consuming, splitting straight-grained logs into flat bolts of wood was the most expeditious processing method. Riving a knot-free log is a satisfying experience, because it’s surprising how easily it yields to iron wedges, wooden gluts, and a froe. Quarter-split material is a pleasure to work with hands tools, even after several years of seasoning. Any type of wood that grows with clear grain, quartered from a mature log, is ideal for coopering. Different species historically used for coopering include red and white oak, chestnut, white ash, spruce, fir, yellow pine, white pine, tulip poplar, cypress, and...
In this latest episode, the guys explain the setup to David Pye’s discussion about the value of workmanship. Pye explains that it would be a mistake to give too much credit to the design when the quality of the finished object is greatly determined by the artisan’s touch. Pye asserts some bold things in this chapter: “Good material is a myth” and “a street full of parked cars is jejune.” Listen to Joshua and Mike discuss this foundational chapter.
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’”
