Weekly Editorial

  • Relief at Last

    This has been — and I say this without the least bit of reservation — the most miserable, drawn-out, bone-chilling, mind-numbing and just plain icky winter I have experienced in my 57 years on this planet. Every time it looked like we were done with the snow and ice, we were sucker punched to the tune of 8 inches of wet, heavy snow. Spring could just not beat the winter back.

  • Staying Power

    Last time out, I asked you, the eZine faithful, what was the oldest tool you had lying around in your shop. I thought to myself, “Self, I bet they have a few oldsters lying around.”

  • What Old Saw (Or Other Tool) Have You Kept Going?

    One of the woodworkers in our Q&A department is rehabbing an old saw (the kind you find in your woodshop; not the kind of pithy saying your grandmother used to spout at the dinner table). And, while I might quibble at his definition of “old” (It’s from the 1980s! It’s hardly as old as some of my children!), I admire him for trying to keep a good tool going in the service of our craft.

  • Inspired by Inspired Woodworkers

    It has long been a pleasure for me to be associated with woodworkers. We are indeed a diverse group of folks with a wide scope of experience and focus. But while we are in no way a monolithic group, we do share some characteristics.

  • How Tweet It IS!

    OK, I’ve done it. I’ve started a Twitter account. This may lead you to a series of questions … which I will do my best to both ask and answer.

  • Beauty as You Behold It

    While watching the Antiques Roadshow (the program which asks the question: why didn’t your parents give you a Chippendale highboy?), I was once again struck by the way that all humans attempt to surround themselves with beauty. From folk art to fine furniture, the desire is the same — to make the space we live in more pleasant. (And, of course more functional, but even there, beauty occasionally trumps practicality.)

  • An Orderly World

    It’s not exactly a revelation that life is messy. It can be frustrating and confusing and sometimes it’s just not satisfying. But that is not usually true in my workshop. One of the ways that my shop provides, in the words of songwriter Bob Dylan, a shelter from the storm, is the illusion of order and control it provides.

  • Woodworking in the New Year

    With the New Year well under way, I have got a few must-do woodworking projects on my list that will use my woodworking skills, but they are not exactly run-of-the-mill woodworking.

  • Keep On Truckin’

    Late last year, I asked for your advice regarding what to make for my first granddaughter’s first Christmas gift. The response from you all was tremendous — both in the quality and the quantity of suggestions that you offered. I truly appreciated the wisdom and thoughtfulness in your emails … which makes it all the more difficult to explain, not to mention embarrassing, when I have to admit that I totally ignored them all and made Maggie Lu a truck.

  • It’s Go Time

    I am not even sure how I am making time to write this editorial. Having completely ignored the imminent approach of Christmas in recent weeks, I have — as of now —moved into “woodworking shop ninja mode.”