Closing the Castle for Christmas

The new Joiner's toolbox filming is done

My days are filled with different but interconnected events where I research and develop ideas, restore many things, design furniture pieces for training woodworkers around the world, write and blog, photograph and draw, work with film makers filming our work and with other men, friends that operate behind the scenes, who understand the delivery Joseph and I sought from the beginning.

A good few years ago now I established many patterns for craft training and one of the most rewarding outcomes for me has become distance training people I might never have reached were it not for the support of the people I work and live with. I don’t know if apprenticeships will return with the same fulness mine gave me, but I press on in hope knowing that we can make a difference by reviving what we all but lost for new generations.

Some of the projects seem quite basic I suppose. But really they're not, they're important building blocks for developing skills, lost skills, hand skills, key skills. This toolbox in some ways doesn’t get simpler really, but it’s a key project for large and small scale dovetailing and especially so with dovetails the size chosen by the man who made the original 150 or more years ago.

I just received this letter from someone in Vermont, half way through pulling this blog together. It says what I can’t say about what we are doing and indeed I lose track of the Thank You messages that come through each day. Please don’t stop. I still enjoy knowing that so many of you are growing into skilled crafting artisans. I just looked through the woodworkingmasterclasses.com gallery of projects and I am amazed at the progress.

Hi Paul:

Just wanted to wish you a Blessed and Merry Christmas. Hope it is a relaxing one for you and your family and your crew. Also, best wishes for a healthy and happy new year.

I'm thankful to the Good Lord that I found you on the internet a year or so ago. I'm 60 years old and a civil engineer by trade but had had a dream of going into woodworking after I graduated school so many years ago (going on almost 40 years ago now). I never followed that dream back then and it all but faded over the years. However after finding you and signing up for your Woodworking Masterclasses, much to my surprise I have found that the woodworking dream had followed me, patiently waiting.

You are a great teacher, and although I only hear and see you on the videos and read your thoughts and advice on your blogs, I feel and now see that I am able to do things with wood that were only in my dreams so many years ago. I also see that you have connected with so many others throughout the world (!!!) that have different but similar stories to mine. As said, you are a great teacher and I find that after I view your videos (sometimes need to watch one a couple or three times when I'm feeling a bit thick) I come away feeling and knowing that I can also do that (with practice).

Thanks for making the move to the internet courses. The sharing and spreading of your knowledge, expertise, and woodworking wisdom It is much appreciated along with your occasional bits of life in general wisdom.

I hope to cross paths with you someday.

Once again, have a Blessed and Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy new year!

Thanks,

DW

Concluding the toolbox filming

The filming for the toolbox is done now and we are looking into a new year with new eyes knowing that so many of you have learned so much. Big projects and small projects, real wood with real woodworking methods and without the influence of taking sponsorship of any kind and managed just fine. This for me shows lifestyle woodworking is growing in so many spheres and people are discovering a way out through their leisure time. Some of you have asked for more modern pieces and some for more unpacking of old pieces to learn from. We have many new adventures for the coming year not the least of which is more advanced stuff, but we will be working in both realms as we start building a houseful of furniture pieces for you to build. We will be dividing the workshops into building and decorating pieces, even showing how to build built-ins and workshop cupboards. All very exciting.

With the new traditional joiner’s toolbox build starting this week on woodworkingmasterclasses.com we acknowledge that marks the close of building the wonderful table project we unpacked to discover work of the unnamed craftsman from the 1800s. At first I was a little reticent to build a project like this but it left me with such respect  for craftsmanship and the silent humility of the maker I am very glad that I did.

I locked the Penrhyn Castle workshop and studio doors over the weekend, safe in the hands of castle staff for a few days break. At this time it’s pretty much shut down except for those wanting to walk off the Christmas dinner by walking somewhere safe. My favourite day is always Boxing Day when we recover sensibility and drift into preparations for a New Year ready to unfold.