The following is excerpted from the third edition of Christian Becksvoort’s “With the Grain: A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood.” It is, above all, succinct, easy to understand and perfectly suited for the furniture-maker. As important as what is in its 160 pages is what is not. It’s not a detailed analysis of cell growth….
Read moreThe following is excerpted from the third edition of Christian Becksvoort’s “With the Grain: A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood.” It is, above all, succinct, easy to understand and perfectly suited for the furniture-maker. As important as what is in its 160 pages is what is not. It’s not a detailed analysis of cell growth….
Read moreThe following is excerpted from John Porritt’s “The Belligerent Finisher.” This shows the first two steps (surface preparation and adding color) before he goes on to burnish, stain, paint, shellac, oil, dent, wax, and add the finishing touches. It sounds overwhelming but the process is such an incredible transformation that you can’t help but to want…
Read moreThis is an excerpt from our newest book “Good Eye” by Jim Tolpin and George Walker. Like their counterparts in the West, traditional artisans in China, Korea and Japan understood symmetry and used it extensively in their designs. By symmetry, we mean creating designs that display a mirror image both left and right. Symmetry is…
Read moreThe following is a portion of the introduction to Karvsnitt: Carving, Pattern and Color in the Slöjd Tradition. Cutting patterns is a natural part of working wood with hand tools. For centuries, patterns and symbols have decorated simple tools and utensils. During long winter nights in front of the fire, symbolic patterns were carved into the wood….
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