cast iron relief sculpture on the sides of my woodshop stove

The little outbuilding I recently converted to a dedicated woodshop has a small cast iron stove. After installing a new roof with a pair of solatubes, the interior light is much brighter and I finally got a good look at the romantic scene relief-cast into the stove’s two long flanks, which I’ve scraped clean of most rust and built-up grime. Depicting a young couple, gesturing towards the mountain peaks arm in arm, the relief reminds me of a photograph of Ene and me at our wedding under a tent on the banks of the Hudson.

Ene and my ‘first dance’ at our wedding on the Hudson in August, 1989

As we enter the season of crisp clear days and frosty nights, and I get into a rhythm making morning fires to warm the woodshop and plunge into the daily rituals of planning projects and preparing my stock, I’m happily reminded of the larger scale motivations underlying the busywork comprising the day, and its cumulative effect, the dance of life.

Tagged: craft philosophy, deep craft, scott Constable, woodworking, wowhaus

I’ve tried to map the five levels of consciousness detected during lucid dreams

I don’t normally lend much weight to dreams, but for the past couple of years I’ve been having a randomly recurring type of dream, where whatever the action, I suddenly become aware of myself dreaming, and can make things happen, like flying. On occasion, just before I wake up I have the presence of mind within the dream to be a passive observer, and pay attention to the actors and the narrative. The little glimpses I’ve had of this dream state have enabled me to count five levels of consciousness happening simultaneously within and outside of the dream:

1. The sleeping dreamer
2. The character(s) in the dream
3. The director of the action
4. The objective observer
5. The primordial life force

Upon waking, the five separate levels merge back together into one seamless state. It has me thinking that maybe one of the functions of sleep, or of dreaming, is to spread out and tinker with the multiple layers of consciousness so they work more harmoniously in the course of day to day life.

Tagged: consciousness, deep craft, lucid dream

Front and back of my last box of Blue Band Velevet #5572

As a daily comfort I prefer quality, vintage pencils, which I use in the course of drawing, writing and working with wood. I’m in a bit of a panic, down to my last box of Blue Band Velvets, manufactured by the American Lead Pencil Company in the 1920’s, that I inherited from my grandfathers (not sure which one), along with some drafting tools and hand planes of the same vintage. Luckily, I’ve discovered Bob Truvy’s website dedicated to the historic archive of pencils from around the world. Unfortunately, his collection is not for sale, so I plan to continue my search, knowing that contemporary pencil manufacture is not up to snuff. I’m even considering making my own as we prepare to fell a pair of incense cedar trunks on our property, the best wood for making high quality pencils.

our twin trunk incense cedar, limmed and ready to be felled

Tagged: aesthetics, bob truby, deep craft, furniture design, green woodworking, pencils, woodworking

Pippa Murray, Donald Fortescue and John Randolph, a-whittlin’ at the Headlands

Craving both a mental vacation and physical challenge, I decided to embark on an impromptu four day bike trip down the coast, eqipped with the barest possible essentials of food, clothing and shelter. My destination would be the Headlands Center for the Arts near the Golden Gate Bridge, about seventy or so winding miles down the Pacific Coast Highway from the wowhaus compound. My friend Donald Fortescue had invited me to participate in a ‘Whittling and Scrimshandering Soiree’ in honor of Herman Melville’s birthday, as a kick-off to his residency at the Headlands.

detail from Donald’s invitation

cycling past Bolinas Lagoon en route to the Headlands, about halfway there

Making the journey on bicycle proved to be great mental preparation for an afternoon of sitting, chatting and whittling among a crew of mostly familiar faces, all accomplished makers who have had some influence on Donald’s career as an artist (and vice versa). Choosing from Donald’s selection of carving knives and blocks of wood, we arranged ourselves in a circle in the ample, naturally lit Project Room and let our hands do the thinking while we told stories, laughed, snacked on gingery treats and tea, and took turns plucking Donald’s banjo.

Yvonne Mouser’s stools were perfectly suited to an afternoon of whittling

I’m confident we all found inspiration in the primal simplicity of sharp steel on buttery wood, a respite from the complexity that typifies our project-related daily routines.

To read more about the Whittling Soiree and to follow Donald’s project at the Headlands, please click here.

To see the Headlands’ photostream of the day, please click here.

To see Russell Baldon’s documentation, please click here.

Yvonne Mouser’s ‘Bucket Stool’

sunset at the Headlands

Tagged: deep craft, donald fortescue, headlands, herman melville, scott Constable, whittling, woodworking

I love my vintage Craftsman “60″ one speed drill

As challenging as it can be, it’s always wise to extract as much satisfaction from the task at hand as from what the task yields. This is especially true in production woodwork, where tasks are sometimes tediously slow, repetitive and physically demanding. My approach is to have particular tools dedicated to specific processes, allowing me to build a relationship with the character of a tool and a level of expertise in knowing how best to optimize its inherent attributes.

I love the vintage Craftsman “60” drill I inherited from my grandfather and have relished using it since I was a kid, but with its one speed operation and 1/4” chuck, it became somewhat obsolete with the advent of cordless drills, kind of like Mike Mulligan’s steam shovel. I could never justify using it out of sheer nostalgia, despite its no-nonsense aluminum casing and graceful mid-century styling. Gratefully, I’ve recently discovered that coupled with a wire brush, my childhood drill is the ideal tool for removing bark and stray fibers from the ‘live edge’ of my slab constructions; the speed is just right, it has just enough power but not too much, makes a pleasant sound, and warms to the touch. Plus, I feel a connection to my grandfather and recall happy times making stuff with my dad whenever I plug it in.

Tagged: aesthetics, craft philosophy, craftsman "60", deep craft, vintage tools, woodworking

I typically paint or wax the ends of green logs/slabs to ensure a slow and even curing.

I’ve begun to harvest some of the holly trees on our property in anticipation of making small bowls, spoons, candlesticks and other tableware for our inaugural Secret Dinner scheduled for this fall. The trees were probably planted about 30 years ago as an ornamental and they’ve grown to an unmanageable height, blocking light and clogging our gutters with their spiny fallen leaves. We’ll continue to make winter wreaths from branches of the remaining variegated shrubs, but I’m eager to try my hand at turning, break in an excellent set of Sheffield chisels and learn a valuable new skill.

In Celtic folklore, the holly tree symbolizes protection, and it’s an ancient tradition to plant them close to dwellings to ward off evil spirits while providing food and shelter for seasonal bird migrations. A healing tea can be brewed from the leaves of certain holly trees, and it was believed that throwing a stick of holly towards bears, wolves and wildcats will ward them away. The tree has also been thought to protect people from threat of lightning and severe weather. I will consider these themes as I turn the wood over the summer for an autumnal feast featuring foraged foods from the sea.

Tagged: california flora, deep craft, green woodworking, scott Constable, slow food, sonoma coast, sustainability, traditional craft, woodworking

Stilleben, 1613, Flores Van Dyck

Making the time for a lovely lunch is a fundamental privilege, motivation and reward for any hard-working artisan.

Tagged: aesthetics, craft, craft philosophy, deep craft, scott Constable