I can now say with tremendous relief that Issue Two is officially in the hands of the printer. The past few weeks I’ve been slaving at the computer screen making sure every detail was exactly how we wanted it to be. There was (as always) a lot of back and forth with the contributors and interviewees. Although this slows the process down, we feel strongly that we don’t want to move forward on publishing something without the blessing of everyone involved. I am so delighted with how this issue has turned out. Although Mike and I have been riding the Issue One excitement for a year now, our enthusiasm for this second issue has dominated our attention. If you...
One of the most exciting aspects of working with old handmade objects is deciphering the stories told by tool marks. An undercut here, some traversing there - these can give great insight into the thought process of the craftsman who first handled these pieces of wood centuries ago. But the language written by old bits of tool steel can be mysterious and inexact - our familiar rules of grammar don't apply. How do you ask, "Did you use a template?" in Old Dovetail? Or, "What's with that drawer bottom?" in Rough Hatchet? It can be a great exercise in forensics trying to solve these very, very cold cases. Occasionally, a piece will contain a much clearer form of communication from...
Because we’ve had several requests for gift cards over the past year, it has been on my list to do for a while. Well, good news: I’ve finally got that launched tonight.
Have you come up short on gift ideas for your furniture-nerd loved ones? Besides pre-ordering Issue Two, you could consider a gift card to the Mortise & Tenon store. If they already have the magazine, they can pick up one of our DVDs, a t-shirt, stickers, a poster, etc.
Or if you’ve been asked you what you’d like, tell them you want a gift card here. We’ve got a good selection of goodies for you.
Gift cards are available here: http://mortise-tenon-magazine.myshopify.com/collections/gift-card/products/gift-card
Fig. 1 Before Treatment Abstract This paper addresses a concern heard more than once from readers of Mortise & Tenon Magazine. The kraft paper and waxed thread wrapping has presented many a vexing conundrum: although anxious to explore the contents of the publication, they are hindered by the desire to preserve the physical integrity of the artistic wrapping. Several readers have commented that they even spent days perplexed by the matter until finally their desire for the contents outweighed the preservation of the pretty paper. This essay points out that, during original fabrication, shipping practitioners occasionally found need to safely disassemble said wrapping for adjustment, etc. Currently accepted opening practice is surveyed and a newly developed minimally invasive removal...
Yesterday my family spent the morning stacking firewood for the coming winter. Having both my seven-year-old and my (almost) two-year-old handling so much split wood I think embeds within them a deep awareness of the nature and properties of wood as a material. Eden (7) has known for years which logs make great splitting stumps and which ones are great for riving. He watches out for crotch wood and knows the implications of knots. Besides serving as a basic introduction for kids, I think all woodworkers should have some of this experience. Straight grain is understandable in theory but seeing how grain runs on a split burns it into your mind in a way you’ll never forget. If you haven’t...
Wow. Thank you, readers. So many of you have clearly been excited about this next installment of M&T. Some of you were even crazy enough to stay up late or set your alarm to put in your order at midnight - the moment Issue Two came up for sale! What dedication! Thank you for your enthusiasm. Then, all day as I’ve been finishing up my last day teaching the SAPFM group in Atlanta, orders have been pouring in. There truly is a growing desire for understanding better and celebrating woodworking handcraft. I will be getting on a plane tomorrow morning to head out of Atlanta to kiss my wife and boys and sit down to dinner with them. The trip...
I’ve just opened pre-orders for Issue Two! Get free shipping by putting your order in here:
http://mortiseandtenonmag.com/collections/magazine/products/issue-two
Check out the Table of Contents here.
Everything is all lined up to begin taking pre-orders starting tonight at midnight (Eastern time). As I’ve been editing through the material for months now, I have been getting more and more excited to get this issue in your hands. The table of contents, frankly, blows me away. How in the world was I able get such top-drawer folks to write such unique and enlightening material for this issue? I never thought I’d be part of a publication along with the names Don Williams, George Walker, Chris Schwarz, Peter Follansbee, Tim Garland, Zach Dillinger, Dave and George Sawyer, Skip Brack, and Michael Updegraff. As I’ve said before, M&T is simply the magazine I always wanted to read: No ads,...
It’s been really rewarding being able to spend a few days with the Peach State SAPFM crowd. These guys are highly skilled and very passionate about period furniture and have been doing it longer than I’ve been alive. This fact is obviously humbling to me and so I am grateful to be invited to come down here. The whole time these kind gentlemen have received me as one of their own. I’ve heard several times this weekend that seeing a younger generation taking interest in our woodworking heritage is an encouragement to them. They’re excited to see that Mortise & Tenon Magazine and all my rambling about period tolerances and hand tools has struck a chord with folks outside of...
