Next week is the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., a holiday known mostly for its food, family and traditions. While I'm in favor of food traditions – even though my doctor says that some of them aren't good for me – I'm even more in favor of some other traditions. Like the traditional craft of woodworking. Don't get me wrong: I'm no Ian Kirby, and you won't find me trading in all my power tools for a hand plane.
No, I mean that I appreciate the work that goes into woodworking, and how well it supports some of those other traditions. Where would you rather gather your family: at a plastic-topped table with legs made from cheap metal, or a handmade wooden trestle table lovingly polished by hand until it makes a lovely surface for that gravy boat to rest on? Hey, even those first Thanksgiving Pilgrims probably ate off of wooden tables – even if today's "traditional" dinner looks nothing like what they actually ate.
So, on Thursday Nov. 26, you might want to ask your family to take a moment to be thankful for woodworking, and woodworkers. It's easy as pie.
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
P.S. Check our Feedback section for the winners of our Talkin' Turkey contest from last time out: don't follow any of the bad woodworking advice!
And start thinking about holiday "cookies" for our next contest – but not the kind you eat. Rockler launched a new product this year,
Bench Cookies™. They're designed as clamp-less hold-downs, but they also open up a world of other possibilities.
Click here to submit your ideas for what to do with them for a chance to win one of three great prizes!