In this new episode of the podcast, Joshua and Mike take up the topic of portable woodworking. They argue that even though modern woodworkers tend to feel safe “within the box” of their workshops, we would all do well to get out a little. Try taking up carving around the campfire or make a simple tool tote to bring around the yard for home repairs. In their conversation, Joshua and Mike discuss how putting yourself in new work scenarios invites learning new ways to work effectively. The “way they did it” in the past was never uniform, nor does it need to be in the present. SHOW NOTES: Issue Thirteen M&T Daily Dispatch HouseByHand.com Mike’s workholding article Kim Choy’s article...
Editor’s Note: This is the continuation of an earlier post I wrote about replacing chisel handles. Grab your torch. I wrap the bolster and blade in a wet cloth and heat the tang with a MAP gas torch. I direct the heat to the middle of the tang but pointed away from the wet cloth so as not to heat it directly. This enables me to heat the thicker part of the metal before the tang begins to burn from overheating. Once it’s red hot, I press the tang down into the handle’s mortise (with the handle firmly in the front vise). Smoke billows out as I gently press the tang deeper. I don’t rock or twist the tang because...
This week in the Daily Dispatch, a house vanished, a new forum opened up, and we talked about drawer bottoms. In a shift of gears, we did not cut any timber-frame joinery this week – but massive progress was made in the house project! In a flurry of activity that may have constituted the greatest degree of excitement around here since the 2019 CSF project, the old Klein modular home was hauled away early in the week. The moving crew had some serious skill in manipulating such a bulbous load down the narrow driveway. And the rental place was out of small cranes… so they brought in a HUGE one. We opened up a new resource for Daily Dispatch...
As our fourth term of the Mortise & Tenon Apprenticeship Program is just about complete, we’ve been doing some assessment to see how we might refine it going forward. Don’t get me wrong – this program is a smashing success. To date, we’ve led loads of people from around the world through eight weeks of hand-tool bootcamp, and we’ve seen a shockingly high completion rate. And, believe me, it’s not because this program is easy. It is hard work, but the folks who sign up seem to be a dedicated lot. But, with four terms now under our belt, we wanted to do our best to tighten up the program and work out any wrinkles. As we’ve gone through each...
This week in the Daily Dispatch, we did a tremendous amount of head scratching; an old roof system was raised (and lowered); and new joints were cut in old timbers. First off, Joshua filmed me, his son Eden, and our friend Nevan joggling and hewing a red pine in the woods behind the shop – the same woods where a team of (mostly) French carpenters hewed the timbers for our smithy back in 2019. It was great to hear the sound of axes echoing through the trees once again. He also shared a bunch of photos of cutting new joinery in timber frame members for the house’s addition – big massive dovetails on tie beams, with enough play in the...
Hewing a log with an axe creates a sound like no other. After peeling some bark and snapping a chalk line, the hewer stands atop the log and chops notches down its length all the way to the line. In a freshly felled pine, this impact sounds a wet resonance, accentuated with the harmonic ring of axe steel. Get a number of carpenters together, put them in cool, echoing woods, and the rhythmic music of hewing is magical. That is what I best remember about the Charpentiers sans Frontières project here at the M&T shop back in 2019. Dozens of axes ringing at once, sometimes falling into step, sometimes drifting out, different tempos and beats reverberating. For Joshua and me,...
Over on the YouTube channel, we’ve put up the first installment of our new “Get to Work” video series where we show you the ins and outs of cleaning up and using antique hand tools. In this video, Joshua walks through selecting, repairing, and cleaning up a wooden-bodied handplane. Sometimes you come across a beat-up old plane in a box at a flea market or antique store and you wonder if it can be saved – this video will help answer that question. These tools are meant to be used, not to decorate the walls of restaurants. Let’s get them back in service.
-Mike
It’s easy to imagine the logical progression of the use of these plants in furniture. Centuries ago in Europe and Asia, homes commonly possessed earthen or dirt floors, and rushes were often gathered and spread in living spaces as a means of refreshing the room and insulating against cold. Indigenous peoples in North America often wove cattail mats as places to sit and sleep. Rush basketry and other crafts were common in those days, and it doesn’t take a leap to imagine how readily and naturally the fiber was incorporated into the frames of simple chairs when they came along. The use of this material throughout history highlights a common human trait that has only recently faded away: making the...
We’ve just received word that my new book Worked is heading out from the printer next week! At long last, after much patience, the print industry has made good on this project. By now, you’ve heard it from everyone else, so you know how understaffed and out of stock businesses are these days. I don’t need to tell it to you all over again. The print lead times are extending and extending. That said, if you’ve ordered Worked, it’ll be on its way soon, and if you ordered it bundled with Joined, they both will be heading your way soon. This post is the last call for free domestic shipping. First thing Monday morning the shipping charge will be added. Order now before it’s too late... ...
This week on the Daily Dispatch, Joshua celebrated Independence Day with a massive tug-o’-war, we sorted through piles of house timbers, and trees started coming down for building the floor framing. On Monday, as we in the U.S. celebrated our nation’s 246th birthday, Joshua shared some highlights from the festivities in rural Blue Hill, Maine. It was a beautiful thing to see friends and neighbors gathering face to face to commemorate the day and to have fun. And to eat blueberry pie. Is there a more perfect summer day? The sill timbers showed up bright and early the next day – some massive white pine 8"x8"s, some of them 36' long. Fortunately, the lumberyard sent a boom truck. After getting those...
