Behind the Grain
This is the quiet room in the house. The place for the stories that sit just outside the shop lights — the personal notes, the health updates, the Knotty Dave bio, the business shifts, the website growth, and the reflective pieces like Grandpa’s Toolbox. These aren’t wood stories or craft lessons. They’re the stories that shape the maker. The life around the work. The moments that don’t fit into other rooms, but still matter. Behind the Grain is where the deeper context lives — the grain behind the grain, the part of the story you only see when the tools are silent.
The stories below are all written about Knotty Dave’s Fine Woodworking .
Health & cancer journey
New Beginnings at Knotty Dave’s
THE SHIFT — LIFE DOESN’T WAIT
Mini Kitchen
Recovery Ramble
Peripheral stories
The Power of Lazy
the world runs on pencils
how to arive at perfect
shop life
Knotty Dave biography
Knotty Dave’s Fine Woodworking
Knotty Dave
Heirloom Furniture Builds
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Grandpa’s Toolbox
Some stories start in childhood, long before you know you’re becoming a craftsman.
For me, it began in a basement shop in the 80s — sawdust, bent nails, and Grandpa’s old toolbox tucked under the bench.
This piece was originally published in Canadian Woodworking.
— David Flather — AKA Knotty Dave
Read Grandpa’s Toolbox →