HAND TOOL EVENTS

Here, there and everywhere.
 
Well it seems the heat wave we’ve been having here in Ontario is finally ending and temperatures are going back to the normal seasonal range. Winter to summer is starting to feel like the norm around here. I took this picture in the back yard yesterday while my daughter, Piper and I had our lunch outside. Spring has definitely sprung! To be honest, we’ve already had smog warnings here in the down town area. Gotta love this city living eh? It makes me want to get to the Coast that much sooner.

Yesterday in my backyard.

I meant to post this earlier but the weeks are flying by-

For Ontario readers, you have a few opportunities to get your hands on some of your favorite hand tools-
First is the Lee Valley Tools, in Store Hand Saw Event taking place today and tomorrow. 23rd and 24th. It actually started yesterday but as mentioned, I’m late in posting~sorry.
The second is the Lie Nielsen Hand Tool Event on March 30-31. This time around they’ll be in Stouffville, Ontario at Century Mill Lumber. Another great opportunity to get some of those tools you’ve been thinking about purchasing and trying them out beforehand.
Around the web, today is the day when Tools for Working Wood will be launching a new/old magazine.Work Magazine – An Illustrated Magazine of Practice and Theory was originally published on March 23,  1889. To celebrate the anniversary, Joel at TFWW is making these classic prints available online. I’m looking forward to checking it out and if you’d like to do the same go here to download.
Well, that’s the news for this Friday, March 23 and I’m off to the wood shop to make some shavings. Cheers!

Marching On...

“Slayer of the winter, art thou here again? O welcome, thou that bring’st the summer nigh! The bitter wind makes not the victory vain. Nor will we mock thee for thy faint blue sky.” – William Morris

Shop made,high angle smoothing plane tames this difficult birds eye maple.

This past week I had three people ask me if things were alright and I hadn’t fallen off a pier somewhere-it’s been four weeks since my last post?  Yikes~ Beware the ides of March, indeed!

I’ve been plugging away around the shop, working through the new book projects and can honestly say I’ve been enjoying every minute of it. It seems everything I write is book material these days and I haven’t found the time to blog. My apologies to you the readers who frequent these pages. All I can say is that the projects are coming along really, really well and I hope you’ll be as happy as I when the finished product is complete.  Some shop made tools, some workshop appliances and of course the furniture projects. What I’m most excited and proud of at this point  is that all of the furniture projects are designs you won’t find in other publications. Fun projects that are both useful and inspirational and things you don’t see everyday. To be honest, I was tired of seeing the same kinds of projects appearing in wood working books and magazines- a blanket chest, a chest of drawers, a hanging cabinet, etc…Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with any of those examples but let’s face it, there’s been enough ink spilled on that sort of project already and I wanted to offer something fresh and well, different. These designs reflect my own personal style and will showcase the passion of working wood by hand.

I’m a little over a third of the way through and on track for our release date for December 2012. This time through I’m not only photographing the steps but also filming the process and will no doubt be spending my summer editing hours and hours and hours of footage that will be available to compliment the book. I’m not exactly sure at this point how everything will unfold but can say you’ll be able to access this footage and it will be a huge help for anyone interested in this body of work.

Well, that’s the news and again my apologies for the lack of posts over the last month. I’ll do my best to keep things updated as I go. With that, time to get to work.

Cheers!