talk about it...

I have been reading a book called Talking Shop: The Language of Craft in an Age of Consumption by Peter Betjemann and it's dense enough to convince me that actually doing shop is a far better proposition than talking about it.

My book, The Box Maker's Guitar Book goes to press on Monday after I review just a few pages to make certain all is right. In the shop I've been preparing stock for turning pens at school, and inlaying box lids and business card holders.

The photo shows the type of joint that I'll cut as a demonstration for Fine Woodworking magazine when an editor is here on Sept. 4. The miter at the top edge of a finger jointed box provides an easy way to use decorative bandings, and an easy way to install a floating panel lid. It is also a joint that requires mindfulness.

While the cutting of the finger joints can be a near mindless exercise, the miter is not. It is also a joint that can last well over a hundred years if cared for. Today I will select the material for the article, plane it and make two boxes that will serve as examples of the finished work.

We have friends and family in Houston and are braced in our thoughts as Hurricane Harvey hammers the Texas coast. There are times when people really need to know how to do things, and times as well when they really need the tools of real work. Recovery from this storm will be one of those times.

Make, fix, create, and increase the likelihood that others learn likewise.