A friend recommended that I read Hogbin on Woodturning by Stephen Hogbin. I'm just getting into it, and found this comment on making mistakes (page 17): Mistakes happen almost every day and what counts is the ability to work with the situation... If you are not making mistakes your skills are not being tested or extended. Does … Continue reading Making Mistakes
Can Good Tools Make You a Better Woodworker?
I am sure that most woodworkers appreciate good tools, and while fine tools may enable one to do better quality work than crude tools, a high quality tool will in no way compensate for a lack of skill or care. However, a good tool can certainly inspire the user to do their best work, and I … Continue reading Can Good Tools Make You a Better Woodworker?
Building Without a Plan
I am continuing to work through back issues of the magazine Woodwork and found this quote which I like: What I enjoy about my work is that because there's no sketch, you feel much freer about experimenting with where something might go, or how the thing might look. Michael Cooper in Hardly Davidson by David Colman, issue #49, page … Continue reading Building Without a Plan
A Single Defining Element
I found another good quote from the back issues of Woodwork. This one is from the article titled Judy Ditmer: The Power of Acceptance by Kerry Pierce in issue #45, from June 1997. It resonates with me, as this way of working is not unfamiliar to me. “‘Stephen Jay Gould, the archaeologist and teacher... discussed a … Continue reading A Single Defining Element
Power Tools vs. Hand Tools, and When Can You Modify the Design?
I am continuing to work my way forwards through back issues of the since discontinued magazine Woodwork. If you are proficient with the tools at your disposal, the decision to use either hand tools or power tools can be based on pleasure or efficiency. I use a combination of hand and power tools, and my choice … Continue reading Power Tools vs. Hand Tools, and When Can You Modify the Design?
More Quotes from Woodwork Magazine
I am continuing to work my way forwards through back issues of the since discontinued magazine Woodwork. There is some truly fascinating content in these old issues, and one article that comes to mind is Georges Vaufrey's Wizardly Woodshop. The article describes the processes used by the French company that specializes in producing high quality, precision woodturnings … Continue reading More Quotes from Woodwork Magazine
Throw Conventional Wisdom Out the Window
I am almost through a book called Rethinking Sitting, which discusses different ergonomic design styles of chairs. The author, a commercial designer of chairs, has developed many different models which are quite distinct from the typical form that you or I would recognize as a chair. Of course, he feels that his chairs have distinct … Continue reading Throw Conventional Wisdom Out the Window
Perfection May Be a Goal
It's not uncommon for we humans to strive for perfection. We can drive ourselves insane and spend our lifetime trying to achieve it. As David Savage would say, "perfection is a terrible taskmaster". The creative people over at The New York Times created a program that reads their articles and scans for haikus. They choose the … Continue reading Perfection May Be a Goal
The Great Use of Life
“The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” – William James Chances are, if you're a woodworker, you're already doing this. Keep at it! Links: I found this quote here on the Swiss-Miss blog My list of Quotables
Time
There are a number of woodworking blogs that I follow and I found this tidbit of wisdom on This Business About Woodworking: If there is something you really want to do, do it now. Don’t wait thinking that you will find time one of these days because time cannot be found. And don’t think you will make … Continue reading Time
Sculptural Woodwork by Chris Wong 