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
achievement 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 I designed an built in the mid 1980's. They are made
from virgin, long leaf southern pine, recycled from
the 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 apartments 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. |
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:
Using Videos as Your Woodworking
ClassesWhen
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/
.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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