At a crossroads with the Newsletter

Without a doubt, 2020 certainly has been a crazy year. I think it’s fair to say, some people have lost jobs, some have to deal with homeschooled kids, and some have contracted the Covid virus. I’m sure each of us have a story we can share. I would like to share some of my year […]

My First Netsuke

Mitch Peacock When a friend recently passed away, I was asked if I could make a memento for his mother. Could I also make it using wood from a crossbow that he himself had made years ago. Paul had a particular love of oak trees, and so that was my inspiration. NETSUKE Small sculpted objects, […]

Nothing personal, it’s just Business.

Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a terrible business person. I would rather pass on an easy job for a difficult one. I have turned down making multiple furniture pieces because I have no passion in making the second one. I have even turned down sponsors and good money to endorse what […]

Breaking Point

I have the good fortune to have some woods just behind my shop. This is always a nice feature for me to have because when stress or pressure is building up I enjoy a short walk in nature to relax my soul. Just the quietness of no one around seems so appealing to me. Recently […]

Investing in Tools

By Scott GroveLet’s face it: most of us are tool junkies. Yup, I freely admit it! In the early days, I’d buy whatever new gizmo was on the market. On weekends, I went to all the auctions, scooping up super deals on tools I would never use. Sometimes I’d get a large piece of equipment […]

Making the Right Impression

Recently I met with a new client. This is always a very exciting time for me. I don’t do any advertising, so anything a new client has heard was by word of mouth. I always want to make sure I live up to their expectations. I welcome the opportunity to do a good job for […]

Finishing with the Experts

Written by Scott Grove Finishing is a necessary step to completing a project; it’s a critical part of the process. And as everyoneknows, a bad finish can ruin a good piece.While teaching at Marc Adams this spring, I asked my fellow instructors and colleagues to share theirexperiences in a problem/solution format; I’ve added a few […]

Pricing, Profit, & Problems

Most woodworkers would love to do my job. Walking out into my shop, turning the lights on, Youtube plays documentaries or blues music, and I start working with wood. And although it sounds like a dream job, it does come with its own fair share of nightmares. Here is one such story. A relatively new […]

Wood Grain Matters

A well-designed piece of furniture has proper function, form, and beauty. Each of these three points can be a book in itself but I want to focus on the topic of beauty. Beauty consists of the right size, look, color, and even the correct wood choice. And when choosing the wood choice to make up […]

New Tool for an Old Technique

The other day a packaged arrived at my shop. Inside was a new tool that could prove to be a game-changer in woodworking. Now any reasonable woodworker would be thrilled to get a new tool to use in their shop. But in this case, I am almost dreading this one. Before I explain what’s in […]

Getting Better

In my town, “getting better” is the topic everyone is talking about lately. COVID 19 patients are recovering. Stores are slowly opening.  And grocery stores are replenishing their shelves. People are slowly seeing signs of improvement. But that is not the topic I’m referring to today. I’m talking about getting better at woodworking. People always […]

Keeping with Tradition

I don’t like change. I typically have a method or system that I like to stick with it. However, with that being said, I do like to learn to read and educate myself. So why then is it so hard for me to change my traditional ways when I learn something new is actually better? […]