Author Archives: literaryworkshop
The Best Tire Swing Ever
We have a large oak tree in our front yard, and while we have attempted to put up several different kinds of tree swings for the children over the years, this tire swing has been by far the best. The … Continue reading
Easy Wooden Pants Hanger
As a professional teacher, I own a lot of dress slacks. Until recently, I had them hanging on a variety of different hangers, most of which sagged and left unsightly wrinkles on each leg. There are a lot of effective … Continue reading
Old Names on Old Tools
Most old tools are anonymous–unless you knew the previous owner personally, there’s no way to tell who owned them before you did. But there are happy exceptions. Two of my handplanes have a previous owner’s name on them. And while … Continue reading
A Long Wall Shelf for Books
Bibliophiles face an ongoing problem: where to store the books? In our house, we have run out of places to put more full-sized bookshelves, so we have had to get a little more creative by using more of our vertical … Continue reading
How to Restore a Wooden Cutting Board
Wooden cutting boards are wonderful. I wouldn’t be without them in my kitchen. But over time, their surfaces get chewed up–especially if you keep your kitchen knives sharp. A wooden cutting board can go years and years before its surface … Continue reading
Hotel Spoon Carving
I travel for work once or twice a year. This summer it’s a week-long stay in a hotel, and I have evenings pretty much to myself. In such situations, I never want to be without my spoon carving tools and … Continue reading
From an Old Drawer to New Spatulas
People ask me where I get my wood for the spoons and spatulas I make. The truth is, I find it. Most of the time I salvage limbs and logs from downed trees, but sometimes I find wood in more … Continue reading
The Folly of “Prepping”
What is the best way to preserve a seed? I first came across this question in a gardening book, and it’s a trick question. The answer, of course, is to plant it. I have thought about that question a lot … Continue reading
Hardware Storage: Drink More Tea
Today was Workbench-Organization-Day. It’s amazing how cluttered my workbench can get over a few months. It took me a couple hours to toss all those forgotten scraps into the firewood pile, organize the pieces of When-I-Get-around-to-It projects, and–of course–collect and putting … Continue reading
This Isn’t Me Anymore
Like a lot of guys, I used to collect weapons. Well, “collect” is probably too strong a word, but I’ve had various blades hanging on the wall for a long time. But the time has come to take them down. … Continue reading
