A simpler Life – Hands

A simpler Life – Hands

David and Sally Shaw-Smith made HANDS, a unique, multi-award winning series of thirty-seven documentaries on Irish crafts for Irish television (RTÉ, Raidió Teilifís Éireann [Radio && Television of Ireland]). Capturing the final years of traditional rural and urban life in Ireland, during the seventies and eighties.

Firewood Project – Part 1

Firewood Project – Part 1

Fortunately the winter ran out before the wood, but it was close! What little wood remains seems silly to stack for next year. I recently finished reading ‘Make a Joint Stool from a Tree’ By Jennie Alexander and Peter Follansbee “When it comes to...
the-apprentice-and-his-tools

the-apprentice-and-his-tools

Now I have the glue on these boards and am ready to drive some brads in and can’t find my hammer. “John, have you got my hammer? I do wish you would try and get some tools of your own; I don’t mind lending mine, but it is such a nuisance and inconvenience to me and...

Tool Kits Through the Years

Continuing with the Tool Kit theme – I thought it would be interesting to look at toolkits through the centuries.       Starting with Joseph Moxon – not that he was the first man to put together a tool kit. Joseph Moxon was an English...

Logging of the Redwoods 1940s

Redwood Saga is an educational film from 1946 showing the cutting, loading, transportation, milling and finishing operations of the Northern California’s old growth Redwood forest lumber industry. It is fascinating to speculate what impression the great trees of...

Are You Aware?

I thought it might be of interest to share some woodworking trivia.  Then again it might be of no interest, but here goes. Are You Aware: That the first spirit level was invented in 1660 by Thevenove In France. It was called a Spirit Level because he used wine in...