Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down the dulcimer.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
- Mevlana Jellaludin Rumi
Category Archive for 'Thoughts'
I once came home from an auction with a two-person crosscut saw.
I knew I had a tool problem.
I will never have a need for this saw but it was only $15.00 and it fit in the back of the car!
Having a small shop with limited space and only so much money to spend on tools [...]
I put a lot of time into choosing which pieces of wood become a finished dulcimer. Sometimes I spend hours deciding which board (or boards) will provide the top, back peghead, fretboard, endblocks and sides for a particular dulcimer.
I am currently working on two walnut dulcimers. One is curly with beautiful red, brown and orange [...]
Dulcimer Making and The Weather
Posted in Dulcimer, Hammered Dulcimer, Lutherie, Quotes, Thoughts, Tools on Mar 6th, 2009
The first sign of Spring coming was noticing my wooden jack plane now has a twisted sole. Ah yes, the weather is changing!
I keep the humidity in my shop relatively stable by using a humidifier during Winter and a dehumidifier in the Summer. A hygrometer helps me tweak everything to keep the environment between 45%-50% [...]
I just spent the last hour hand planing a beautiful piece of figured walnut.
I was reminded of an idea I’ve had for some time; an exercise program for woodworkers called “Plane Away The Pounds!”
It’s really simple! You get a bunch of rough-sawn lumber, preferably locally harvested in an environmentally conscious manner and sawn by a [...]
When I was a teenager an older friend gave me a very helpful piece of advice.
He said, “You are a creative person and you may find that you don’t fit in mainstream culture. This can make you feel like there is something wrong with you, but really, it’s just that you are creative. You won’t [...]
Late last night I learned that some of the email sent to me via my contact page has been treated as spam for at least 2 weeks! Oh what fun!
If you have tried to contact me but have not heard back this is the reason why. My apologies. Please try again.
Several weeks ago my IP [...]
I have been thinking of writing this post for some time.
I love old woodworking tools. They have an aesthetic beauty that many modern tools are missing. They come from a time when form, function and beauty were equally important parts of design and manufacture.
My shop is in what had been a small bedroom in our [...]
The Learning Curve
Posted in Thoughts on Dec 1st, 2008
Some people talk about progress as being “one step forward, two steps back.” I find the learning experience is more often two steps forward, one step back, some thought, two steps forward, one step back, rinse and repeat.
My learning curve seems to be more of a spiral. I think this is a good [...]
I would like to encourage you to vote regardless of your opinion about who or what will be best for the United States and the influence the United States has over the rest of the world.
I know many people who are discouraged from voting because they feel their vote won’t count or because of the [...]