The Turned & Joined Chair Production of the joined chair began as a cottage industry in the last quarter of the 18th century in Briezi and Striki (western Latvia). The start of chair making as a main source of income was likely due to the shortage of land suitable for farming. Chair making spread to…
Read moreTulip Poplars Are Blooming After the showy early spring blossoms have come and gone the tulip poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera, comes into its own with yellow and orange flowers. The flowers can be hard to miss as they are higher in the canopy and well above head-height. The flowers have abundant nectar and attract bees and…
Read moreAlthough it is several days after the Equinox (sorry, I was busy), it’s still close enough to let you in on a dockside tradition. If you have spent any time around saltwater sailors you may be familiar with The Burning of the Socks. If not, the poem below will explain. Here are a few more…
Read moreToday is for all the woodworking math nerds. You know who you are. In 9th grade you cried when you found out Geometry and Shop Class were scheduled at the same time and you had to choose one or the other. You chose Geometry. Stashed somewhere in the back of your closet or in your…
Read morePublisher’s note: I first learned about Henry Boyd in “The Furniture Makers of Cincinnati: 1790 to 1849” (1976) by Jane E. Sikes. The short entry on Boyd was fascinating, but I found little else that had been published about his life or his woodworking. In the early 2000s, I encountered one of Boyd’s amazing beds…
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