It’s that time of year again. Time to save big by spending big. Time to buy piles of stuff to show how much you care for your loved ones. After rolling out of bed having stuffed yourself all Thursday, you can stand in lines awaiting the latest gadgets. Or maybe you’re not a people person and prefer instead the privacy and convenience of online shopping. Either way, it’s time to consume. Or not. We at M&T would like to remind you that you could choose to gift something else. You could finally try your hand at spoon carving this year. Or make a stack of live-edge cutting boards for your in-laws. Shrink pots also make great gifts. This is the...
Welp… in this episode, Joshua and Mike lay their cards on the table. In case you still wondered about their thoughts on digitally meditated existence, they put it all out there, warning not only of the social implications but also of the implications for handcraft. They ponder whether we can outsource our craft and still feel a sense of ownership of the creative process? They also ask, “How can we utilize digital technologies to make real connections and grow in the craft instead of simply consuming others’ experiences?” Gather ’round, you whippersnappers, and hear how it was in the good old days in which humans were grateful to live in the “universe.” SHOW NOTES: M&T Apprenticeship – https://www.mtapprenticeship.com/apprenticeship-program M&T...
“When this old world starts getting me down, And people are just too much for me to face— I climb way up to the top of the [ladder] And all my cares just drift right into space ...” Our seasonal work schedule here at M&T somehow makes use of the most pleasant and comfortable times of the year for decidedly indoor tasks, like seeking image permissions from European museums or copy-editing articles. We have limited open slots on the calendar to pursue the lengthy list of construction projects going on – restoring sash windows, beginning work on the House Project, taking down and saving some random barn that was in danger of falling over. For whatever reason, it seems like...
Our latest YouTube video is up. Mike explains the difference between rip and crosscut in the clearest way I’ve heard it to date. Usually there’s a bundle of straws or a broom but showing a chisel on wood drives the point home.
This video is actually take 2. Earlier this morning I posted the first attempt on the Dispatch – Mike rediscovered an ancient ripping technique we now call “sriving.”
Too funny.
– Joshua
Picasso famously said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” His point was that kids usually come to a place when the confidence they have in their ability to draw or create dwindles. This usually coincides with the end of the grammar stage, when the ability to compare work critically emerges. The joy of creating can become a frustrating endeavor as the desire to reach a perceived standard bumps up against skill limits. If artistic growth is not fostered, that spark can be extinguished in a child. We must fight against this trend. Intentionally engaging in handcraft with children offers tremendous positive benefit for everyone. It’s been said that if...
The Daily Dispatch has been live for less than a week and already there’s a steady flow of discussion and sharing. If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know that we’ve always loved finding ways to share handcraft content with as many people as possible. For a while, we did the social media thing (until we just couldn’t take it anymore), so we shifted all that energy to the blog (which has been awesome). We’ve loved blogging so much, that each week’s slots fill up so fast. Because of all that’s going on around here, we have so much overflow content that isn’t being shared. Also, we’ve enjoyed using video as a medium for teaching. Now we have...
Ever since Chris Schwarz began writing about the various uses of the staked (“Roman”) bench, many woodworkers have become interested in ways to bring this style of bench into their work. I have been preaching about the benefits of using it as a mortising stool and as a regular sawbench for a while now, but I also occasionally use it for planing. Although I typically default to my tall bench for this task, I’ve come to believe that setting up your shop with as many of workholding possibilities as possible would be valuable to any hand-tool woodworker. There’s nothing more frustrating than working in an unwieldy way. Oversized and cumbersome stock is annoying to lug up onto a tall bench....
The woods have been changing. As mornings begin with heavy frost and autumn gales blast their way through every weekend or so, many deciduous trees have dropped their leaves to settle in for the long winter. A few of the alders and beeches are still trying to eke out a couple more weeks of valuable photosynthesis, and the oaks will hold their faded russet leaves a little while longer. The green of the conifers has become just about the only available jolt of color in a forest quickly moving to winter monochrome. Except for one conifer who does things a little differently – the tamarack. Or is it a larch? Larix laricina is commonly called by a number of different...
There is so much material Mike and I want to share with our readers, but to put it frankly, we’ve realized that we just don’t have enough hours in our lives to do it all. Over the years, we’ve amassed piles of antique tools and furniture, examples of ingenious workmanship, and a huge library of obscure craft-themed books that are full of information found nowhere on the internet. We’ve come up with loads of random shop tips and it seems like most days we stumble across a roadside treasure or an interesting historic craft insight. Not to mention the daily occurrences in our woods and homesteads. But writing blog posts or recording entire podcast episodes about all this stuff we...
For those who seek to continually grow in their craft, production work isn’t something to be afraid of or to avoid. It may seem contradictory to think that repetition can open us up to new experiences, but it does. It also helps us to solidify the traits and characteristics that we need to take our work to the next level. It is when we refine our processes as craftspeople that we can increase our level of professional maturity. Production work develops our physical skills through practice and repetition, and helps us find inspiration when we reflect on the process of even the simplest task. Most importantly, production methods tune our mental state with focus, right attitude, and observation. All these...
