Jack planes are the most-used tool in my hands. Hands down, hands forward and hands back. I’m on my third jack plane iron since 1996. I’ve never even come close to wearing out a plane iron for a smoothing or jointer plane. (I have eaten through some block plane blades, though I blame that on…
Read moreBarely in time for Christmas, we have a batch of our Special Edition Engraved Lump Hammers in the store and ready to ship. This will likely be the last batch before the end of the year. The engraving was designed by Jenny Bower and translated into really fluid toolpaths by machinist Craig Jackson – a…
Read moreEvery year Lucy and I give what we can to a variety of charities. We are picky. Lucy has spent most of her career covering the societal safety net here in Cincinnati. She knows these charities inside and out. She has taught me to be careful as well. We do our research. And look at…
Read moreNothing irritates me more than when I hire a tradesperson, and they spend most of the time criticizing the worker who was there before them. When Lucy and I bought our first house, it had been essentially condemned. All utilities had been shut off. The old coal furnace had been tagged by the city as…
Read moreIt’s an unusual thing to be a woodworker. My daughter Katherine says her friends give her the strangest looks when she tells them I make furniture for a living. “It’s like I told them, ‘Yeah, my dad’s a court jester.’” Katherine said. Thankfully, I know that some of the 20-somethings in Katherine’s cohort will turn…
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