Acorn Carpentry

“Mr. Gorbachev, Pare Down This Wall”

It has been a long time since I have written anything on this here blog. I don’t really know where to begin. The time has been very rewarding to me in the last few months: the birth of our daughter Odetta (what an amazing thing to watch a little person grow!) in May, 2nd kneeContinue reading ““Mr. Gorbachev, Pare Down This Wall””

Third hand, third eye, Third Man, man

I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the woodworking concept of the third hand. I know, it sounds creepy. Sounds like some sort of mystical malarkey. Sounds like a mutant carpenter. I wish I had a literal third hand that served as a clamp, and a bench stop. Actually, I do haveContinue reading “Third hand, third eye, Third Man, man”

Old School to New School and the Perplexity of Power Tool Worship

Not that there is anything wrong with them, but I simply do not like power tools very much. This is the 2015 version of me speaking. Last year I was in Alpha Building Center (a local lumberyard/hardwarestore) and I saw a miter box unlike any other miter box I had ever used. I will notContinue reading “Old School to New School and the Perplexity of Power Tool Worship”

When Dovetails Cry

My dovetailing progress has been quelled by circumstance lately as I deal with an injury to my right patella, which is to say kneecap. What happened was some ice went gangster on me and showed out some slippery dealings. Tomorrow my lovely (and pregnant) wife will drive me to Indianapolis to have a surgeon lookContinue reading “When Dovetails Cry”

Hey there, Mr Tambourine Man.

” I am ready to go any where, I am ready for to fade, into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it,” -Bob Dylan, “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Whenever you are learning something new, there are days when frustration digs its dirty claws into you and refuses toContinue reading “Hey there, Mr Tambourine Man.”

Wolfgang

My workbench. His name is Wolfie. The idea for this thing came about studying the benches of Lost Art Press, Roy Underhill of The Woodwright’s Shop, and countless others. I conceived the design while I was running a CNC routing machine for a trailer parts factory. and we had these seven inch leftover pieces ofContinue reading “Wolfgang”

Question: which wood is best?

Wow. That is a good question. There are many answers to it and that, my friends, makes it a good question. Wood is good. Good for building things. Good for adding aesthetic beauty to our lives. Good for practical purposes like storing things. It is one of those things that merges the practical and theContinue reading “Question: which wood is best?”