Blog RSS

From the M&T Daily Dispatch: 

A further advantage is that the drawknife can be used almost anywhere – I can fit the template, drawknife, vise, and auger to affix the vise into a backpack and walk to wherever I want to work. This simplicity replicates the work practices of the Jimmy Possum chairmakers, and also allows me to go to the materials rather than having them come to me. In a time when there were no automobiles to transport materials, it was much easier to bring back lighter finished components (as the bodgers did) than to transport the heavy timber to a workshop or factory to process. The model of production that is stationed at the source of the materials circumvents the pin-balling of modern...

(Image borrowed from Megan's LAP hiring announcement) As many of you know, this January our good friend and M&T copy editor, Megan Fitzpatrick, took a full-time position as editor at Lost Art Press. For years, Megan juggled many roles at any given time, doing editorial work for Popular Woodworking, Lost Art Press, EAIA’s The Chronicle, and M&T. Megan took me under her wing right out of the gate to show me the ropes as I was putting together Issue One. Without any of my own background in publishing, for those first few issues, she was the only “one who actually knew what she was doing” around here. I cannot tell you how many times Megan graciously guided me (and then...

The aesthetics of tool handle designs can be so deceiving in their beauty that they hide the fact that they are part of a sophisticated feedback loop. A tool handle may look simple, but that doesn’t mean every aspect of the tool hasn’t been carefully thought out. The shape of a chisel or knife handle tells our body exactly how the cutting edge is oriented and what angle to position it to execute a clean cut. Scientists have been stymied for decades trying to map the electrochemical signals in the brain during complex thinking. No less mysterious is how our hand connects with the curved sweep of an axe handle such that we can throw the blade with our arms...

From the M&T Daily Dispatch: 

From the M&T Daily Dispatch: 

This year’s grant recipients are pursuing some fascinating research into traditional handcraft on both sides of the equator, and we’re excited to support their work! Without further ado, here they are.  Aaron Keim is a woodworker, musician, teacher, and writer who has made a living through the ukulele for 20 years. His aim is to go back to learn from those who originally developed the instrument, Portuguese cabinetmakers and luthiers who emigrated from the island of Madeira to Hawaii in the late 19th century. He will travel to Hawaii to examine several collections of rare early instruments as well as visiting the shops of modern makers, with the goal of building an instrument utilizing period-correct tools and techniques. Thiago Silva...

From the M&T Daily Dispatch: 

  We’ve just received shipment of our latest T-shirt. This hot-off-the-press design has been inspired by the camaraderie shared amongst woodworkers throughout the world and throughout the generations. The illustration on the front depicts a Victorian-era carpentry crew busily at work. The image is partly absurd, of course, in that no one really has any elbow room to work. (How can three guys be working on one bench?) But we love this artistic representation because it captures so well the intimacy of exchange that craftsmen have always felt. While the assumption today is that woodworking is a solo venture, we at M&T have seen more and more woodworkers desiring to connect with others in the craft. This is, of course,...

From the M&T Daily Dispatch: