Now you can see...

I am now working on the last of the many mortise and tenon joints used in making small walnut and cherry tables and you can begin to see the complexity of the process. As you know, tables can be made much more simply than this, but unlike my rustic tables, simplicity of construction is not the object in this case. And yet, the message I hope to convey is a rather simple concept.

As you may have noticed nearly everything is concealed from us. As Matthew Crawford points out his book Shop Class as Soulcraft, even Mercedes Benz cars, no longer have dipsticks, as consumers are no longer able to deal with complexity. They want to sit behind the wheel, all personal delusions intact. The thought of something that is oily and greasy, and that might touch clothing would be extremely offensive and might drive them to choose another model or something. All the moving parts are hidden from view, as the consumers are no longer to be trusted with any level of understanding or interest in moving parts. It is part of the process of disembodiment that goes with having attained the delusion of status and prestige.

I want the viewers of these tables to look and see and understand: These things, these tenons, these mortises, these interlocking male and female parts that connect discrete pieces of wood and join them into an integrated, purposeful whole. If I can get my viewers interested, they might find themselves actually touching something.

Before the last parts are cut, careful trial assembly is done so dimensions can be finalized and what you see in the photo above gives a hint of the final object, drawn inevitably closer to sanding and assembly. After a few short weeks in my shop these tables will move into new homes and if they are cared for will last for over a hundred years beyond my own time...