Shop Notes & Rambles
The Rambles are the stories lived and learned over decades — the moments, the lessons, and the shop life that shaped the craft. They accumulate here, sorted by publish date. If you want the curated version, explore the Workshop Library.
Old Machines, New Machines, and the Quiet Math of a Working Life
Every machine in a working shop carries its own math — the cost, the risk, the payoff, and the lessons learned. This Ramble looks at the old cast‑iron tools I rebuilt, the new machines that expanded what’s possible, and the decisions that shaped the way I work. From a tuned General 490 to a SuperMax drum sander to the Laguna Revo 24|36 that opened the door to bigger, more creative projects, it’s a story about choosing the right tools, understanding their limits, and letting them push the craft forward.
Shop Life
Shop life is a mix of smooth mornings and sudden chaos — lost tools, kickbacks, forgotten plans, and the small moments that shift a day from normal to “oh, fuck.” This Ramble looks at the humour, frustration, and timing that shape a working day, and the quiet skill of knowing when the day is done.
The World Runs on Pencils
Pencils disappear in every shop — buried in dust, stuck behind ears, dropped in tool piles, or sharpened down to nothing. Yet nothing starts without one. This Ramble follows the hunt for the perfect point, the belt‑sander sharpening ritual, the borrowed pencils that never return, and why the smallest tool in the shop quietly holds everything together.
How to Arrive at Perfect
A Quiet Story about tear‑out, stubborn boards, and the moment every woodworker learns that perfection isn’t found in flawless cuts — it’s found in embracing the imperfect work that real wood demands.
The Power of Lazy
A Quiet Story about the autobody lesson that shaped a lifetime of woodworking — why “lazy” workers often produce the smartest, cleanest, and most reliable work, and how slowing down became one of the most valuable skills in the shop.