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I
have been a
craftsman in this satisfying, hands-on field for over 40 years and have
done so both as a pro as well as a hobbyist. I've done
virtually every aspect of working with wood (even
some boat
building)
and it is my testimony that
the thrill of acheivement is incomparable. So,
whether you
are seasoned or just beginning, I encourage you to follow your instinct
and just jump right in to your favorite topics.
 To the left, and
below, are
detailed photos from a sets of spiral
stairs.
They are made
from virgin, long leaf southern pine, recycled
from
joists and columns
of a building built c.1840 in Manhattan.
The building was a 4 story furniture
store with its warehouse above and in 1986 it was converted for co-op apartments into a 6 story
building. My task was to reuse the timber and fashion it into
spiral stairs. I was given free reins to design and execute
this project. Two of the aparments were to be duplexes and two were to
be triplexes. 6 flights of stairs in all.
Designing the risers and treads were mathematical plus some
inspiration, but designing the handrail took me 6 weeks to engineer.
The grain of the wood was so beautiful I didn't want to lose
its characteristic so I decided not to laminate the curve but to
segment the wood and carve it and the result was exciting.
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Throughout this site you
will
find
extensive information on leading tips and
techniques to help you on
your way to success at working on your project. I
strive
to provide
quality information, so if there is a specific topic you are interested
in
that you would like me to cover, email
me any time.
Take a read though
the articles,
sign up for my newsletter and broaden your perspective while I'm
broadening mine.
jlchrlsrecommends.com
is about:
- carpentry
- cabinetry
- joinery
- machinery
- routers
- hand
tools
- clamps
- saws
- power
tools
- marquetry
- veneering
- dust
collection
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- router
bits
- saw
blades
- jigs
- plans
- projects
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- benches
- shop
design
- fine
woodworking
- classes
- homebuilding
- hardware
- shows
- software
- schools
- tips
- joints
- forums
- crafts
- scroll
saw
- finishing
- millwork
- Woodwork
as a Hobby
- you
name it . . .
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Using
Videos as Your Woodworking Classes
When it comes to
learning from a woodworking class, I’m a
hands-on kind-of-a-guy. I
have learned
to look for details from the beginning, even looking at my own
techniques for
perfections or more accurately for imperfections.
For then I can see the
imperfection, I then
know what to work toward. It
is much the
same as rereading a good book or watching your favorite movie and
getting more out
of it each time. I’ve
lost count of the times
I’ve watched Casablanca
or The General or The
Seven Samurai
but I know that I haven’t finished watching them.
As I said, I like
hands-on not translations and I like to watch
others do their thing with deliberation and forethought. So, in looking for some good
videos or woodworking,
I came across several that I want to comment on. The
first is from Woodcraft at http://www.woodcraft.com/videos.aspx.
They
have a list of videos to watch, all
to do with products they sell. To
me,
these videos are no better than a movie trailer touting the next
blockbuster,
but for the most part. They
don’t titillate
me enough. For
example, the first on
their list, #1
Odd Job Tool Video is about a lovely, multi-purpose tool, but
they cram all
of its functions into a 2 min 34 sec video. I’m
sorry but I’m not sold yet, I want to see
more. Why should I
buy it simply because
it’s a 4-in-1?
Another
video is Building The Ultimate Birdhouse DVD
Preview. This
is a 4 min 13 sec video of poor audio quality that spends almost half
of its
time showing a craftsman ripping some pine boards. I
know how to do that. Please,
show me something I need to
learn. Would I
really buy that video on
the hope that I might get something out of it? It may be that Woodcraft has
good products and
great instructional videos, but I guess I’ll never know.
On
the other hand, I visited DIY to watch their videos.
What a difference! They weren’t
perfect, but I was at least inspired
and instructed. Their
imperfections are
only that they are incomplete. I
was
left with quite a few questions. But
that’s a good thing. It
prompted me to look
further. I’ll
leave it up to you. Visit DIY videos.
In the
meantime, I’m headed back to see what Neil Lamens has
added to http://www.furnitology.blogspot.com/.
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I found
an 85 page eBook
with a clear approach to beginning
a career or simply gaining the skills to tackle a project.
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