When I put out a call for readers to help fund the upcoming free chair class for people who have been historically excluded from woodworking, my hope was to be able to buy a truckload of clear cherry for the students for their chairs. But y’all dumped about five times the amount of money I…
Read moreIt’s easy to find lots of scolding about the hazards of using woodworking machinery. I have seen some stuff. I have cleaned the interior of a jointer after someone else’s accident. I have seen a man wrestle a grinder (and lose). I’ve seen a guy try (and luckily fail) to cut off his finger with…
Read moreRunning an active workshop and publishing company in an inner city has its challenges, especially when it comes to moving stuff from Point Lumberyard to Point Workbench to Point Truck Terminal. Every week Megan and I move stuff – 500 woobies, 500 board feet of cherry, 500 lump hammers – to keep the business going….
Read moreWendell picked up a maul, which Meb had made from a hickory tree. It had a smooth handle and a bulbous head, squared off at the end. “With it,” he told me, “you can deliver a blow of tremendous force to a stake or a splitting wedge.” Thinking about a modern sledgehammer, I asked how…
Read moreVisiting John Hutchinson’s workshop outside Columbus, Ohio, was an unusual experience. And he wanted it that way. To get to his shop, you left his home and set off down a path through the woods. Then you encountered a stream and had to jump over it. Eventually you arrived at a small cabin surrounded completely…
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