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...
“[T]he Hand must be carried along the whole length, with an equal bearing weight, and so exactly even, and upright to the edges of the Board, that neither side of the Plane encline either inward or outwards, but that the whole breadth be exactly square on both its sides supposing its sides straight: so will two edges of two Boards, when thus shot, lie so exactly flat and square upon one another, that light will not be discerned betwixt them. But yet it is counted a piece of good workmanship in a Joyner, to have the Craft of bearing his Hand so curiously even, the whole length of long Board; and yet but a sleight to those, [whom] Practice hath...
A recent acquisition has fixed my attention. After unsuccessfully digging through online archives for high-res images from Edward Hazen’s 1839 The Panorama of Professions and Trades; or Every Man’s Book, I finally caved and purchase a copy from the rare book market. I don’t typically purchase too many antique woodworking books as they can be quite pricey and I can usually get the one image I need from an institution who has it in the collection. (Not at all free, mind you…) This book, however, has a number of delightful engravings of various trades that I couldn’t get anywhere else. I wanted large, crisp scans to bring out all the details. Having this book in hand, I am transfixed. These...
My son Eden and I spent many hours on the road yesterday picking up some antiques I purchased at an auction. I got an assortment of goodies: a pine stand-up desk, and small tavern table, and a pair of beautifully painted kubbestols (Swedish stump chairs). It’s been fun exploring these pieces, trying to discern the story of how these things came to be and how they seem to have been used throughout their lives. The layout lines, patina, ink spills, green paint remnants, empty nail holes, and pencil marks each tell the attuned inquirer something new. You can expect to see more about these fascinating pieces in the future. For now, here are a few shots from my phone: As...
We’ve all experienced those ironic moments when a website tries to confirm that we are in fact human beings, rather than some kind of mischievous robot. Obviously, anyone looking at me knows that I’m a real person, but computers aren’t that smart. They want me to identify fire hydrants instead. Or, to take the inimitably human action of checking a box that says, “I’m not a robot.” CAPTCHAs, as they’re known, were first developed around 20 years ago to prevent bots from accessing more sensitive parts of websites, whether blogs or payment gateways. The acronym is short for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart," about as clear an explanation as you’d like. But more and...
In this new episode, Joshua and Mike talk about how there’s no hope of ever coming to the end of this rabbit hole. As it turns out, handcraft is a bottomless pursuit. There are so many skills, so many trades all involved in the making of furniture. And, for the relentlessly curious, there is a lifetime ahead of exploration. No matter what your career, what your interest, there is so much to celebrate in the world.
Show Notes:
M&T Apprenticeship Program
Joshua’s Bitstock article
Carpenters Without Borders’ Blacksmith Shop Build
Nevan Carling’s Loom Project
Last week’s opening of registration for the second term of our Apprenticeship program vastly exceeded our expectations. What took two days last time took only four hours this go around. We could not believe our eyes to see the list filling that quick. We are excited about this term. These look like some enthusiastic people. But… if you weren’t quick enough on the draw, we have good news: We decided to add a few more slots to enable additional folks to sign up. There are a handful of open spaces as I write this, and with the frenzy now died down, you’ve got a window to get in. But seriously, do not delay. It’s open now, but I have...
