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Another most undervalued and underestimated tool I often wonder if spokeshave is something of a misnomer, spoke, spindle, spike and so on serve only to tell of a small facet of what this tool capably makes. In the former world before the chair bodger's demise it simplified the

Oh, it was such a sick, sinking feeling in my spirit. My student's Irwin Record #4 smoothing plane sat bright blue atop his workbench awaiting my critique. He was proud of it but couldn't get it to cut at all. I thought to myself, 'well,

Perhaps I should say, "Who Are You? Periodically I wrestle with the terms adopted to describe a certain category of woodworking and then other crafts generally too. Somehow it's an effort to slot people into a more suited category, you know, to match their skill sets. On

My workbench has always anchored me. It's the epicentre of my work, the hub from which all of the pieces I ever made came from. The designs for US senators and then too even a US President and the Permanent Collection of the Whitehouse pieces I designed came

Today times are changing. People have questioned my using plywood for a lifelong workbench but believe me, plywood is a well proven material. I have total confidence that a well made plywood workbench will stand the test of time. Would you believe me if I tell you that Plyscrapers are

The weeks pass quickly as I make, write, film, draw, plan and design. Behind the scenes other things go on too. I design for other situations too. A birdhouse here, possibly other simple things for others to make there. Across from me someone is making a table, beautifully, like poetry.

Why Common Woodworking came about is because I felt we needed something that could build yet another bridge. I wanted to span the ever-increasing gap between those who only ever reach for the on/off buttons and those who've discovered skilled methods of working wood that are not