“Coopering is a harsh mistress,” my master would always say. If you step away from the trade for any length of time, it takes a while to “get your hand back into it.” Coopering exacts a physical toll on its practitioners as well. A 19th-century London sociologist wrote, “Coopers become prematurely old, suffering greatly from pains in the chest, and across the back, attributable to their bending over their hot work. A cooper at large work is an old man, sir, at forty…his physical energies then are nearly exhausted.” But at the same time, Mr. Pettengell often compares the act of coopering to an elegant dance. Producing stout oak casks requires brute strength, but also a dancer’s grace, efficient movements,...
What is “craft?” And why do we love handmade things? What is the difference between a “tool” and a “machine?” What kinds of work can ground us in the tactility of the world in which we live? And how might our technologies be derailing us from this aspiration? I have spent the last several years deeply exploring these questions, aided by the work of scholars from several fields: philosophers, historians, and anthropologists, as well as observations and anecdotes gathered from woodworkers throughout the ages, right up to the present day. There are many ideas floating around out there about what “craft” or “technology” are and what value it is to be a “maker.” These notions vary in degrees of...
At looong last, The First Three Issues, our hardbound republication of Issues 1-3 has arrived from the printer, and holy smokes is it gorgeous. This thing is hefty… heftier than we even envisioned. And in a totally glorious way. The title and wax seal on the dustjacket are embossed (raised) and glossy and pop right off the cover photograph. But Mike C swears the die stamp on the cloth is even more beautiful. In my mind, it’s a toss-up. Either way, this thing is impressive. The book is nearly 500 pages in length and flipping through it is quite an experience. I have to confess that it overwhelmed me to see all that we were able to publish in...
It’s been a wet summer around here – between above-average rainfall and plenty of damp, foggy mornings (it is dark and rainy as I write this), the ducks in the pond are happy and the wild blackberries are productive. But the most unique (to me) evidence of the year’s trends has been the explosion of mushrooms in the woods. They’re everywhere – bursts of weird, vivid colors and shapes that turn the forest floor into a micro version of an old 50’s sci-fi film. Even though several varieties have popped up this year that I’ve never seen before, they’ve always been there, hiding just beneath the soil. Fungi are fascinating things, still little-understood. The mushrooms we see are just the...
Just because something is totally out of reach does not mean that is it not worth pursuing. Years back, when I was introduced to wooden spoon carving, I was entranced. These beautiful, sculptural objects were not only intended for practical use, but for a most personal use: eating. Any sculpture that should feel good in the mouth is going to be tricky to get just right. Shaping this complex artifact with the simplest of tools is a task so dependent on hand skill and aesthetic refinement, that it only took a few attempts to convince me of how hard this was going to be. But I am at peace with making objects that fall short of my ideal. These four...
I hate working in circles. There once was a time that I came at woodworking as an artist – I wanted to experience, to play, to create unfettered by time or convention. Back then I just wanted to be in the shop, regardless of what I accomplished. I loved making shavings and agonizing over tight-fitting dovetails. During the past few years, though, as I’ve learned to walk in the footsteps of the craftsmen before me, I’ve grown weary of this kind of meandering. Any good student of historic furniture making will tell you that apprenticeship-trained, full-time cabinetmakers didn’t fool around at their workbenches. As they set out to tackle yet another table build for another customer, they had a construction...
Author Michael Pollan might be known for his bestsellers on humankind’s relationship with food (such as The Omnivore’s Dilemma or The Botany of Desire), but before he penned either of those books, he wrote about building a house. Specifically, he envisioned a Thoreauvian writing cabin that he would build with his own hands, although he was (in his words) "a radically unhandy man.” My wife found a copy of A Place of My Own in a secondhand store, and I’ve found it entertaining – especially in light of the barn we’ve been dismantling over the past week-and-a-half. Pollan takes his reader through a brief history of building in this country, discussing both architectural styles and construction methods. His cabin was of...
These days, even Monday morning is all about heavy lifting. I met Mike U and Mike C at the worksite with a U-Haul bright and early this morning to haul the timbers and sheathing back home. It truly was a backbreaking way to start the week, but a rewarding one for sure. To my mind, piles of ancient timbers awaiting restoration are an embodiment of Ruskin’s vision for artisans to “build for ever.” Timeless craftsmanship of this sort is worth preserving. When a frame well into its third century of use can be given a new life of sheltering the next generation, we participate in historic continuity – “tradition,” if you will. My children will live and grow...
We got it all down by the end of the day. All went well until the last wall, which was lowered slowly but awkwardly. We’ll be in for a little repair but nothing too catastrophic. Thankful to have it all down.
Now just hauling the timbers home and worksite clean-up.
– Joshua
