Back to making furniture

It’s good to be back in the shop and actually making some furniture. I sent the final parts of The Foundations of Better Woodworking off to the publisher a couple of days ago. And so for a short time, I don’t have to deal with it! The folks at Popular Woodworking Books get to play with it for now, and then I’ll see it again, looking much more like a book. Then it will be my turn again to correct and clarify, refine and rework.

Most of the content of Foundations… comes from years of teaching, and seeing what students know and don’t know. I’ve taught a bunch of very well-informed students, and they certainly know plenty about how various other writers and instructors go about cutting dovetails or mortise and tenon joints. They know plenty about various tool choices. But they often didn’t know how to stand, how to align their bodies for more accurate work, or even what part of their bodies should be doing the work. There are problems with what watch, and even more with what to observe. As I saw more and more of this, I got more and more excited about writing this book. And I was lucky to find a publisher equally excited about bringing it out.

The image below is a mock-up of the cover (I’m told it may change). It won’t be out until November, but the design is already under way.