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.
Hickory: Toughness Forged by Storms and Time
Hickory is one of the toughest hardwoods in North America — a wood shaped by storms, ice loads, insects, and time. Its strength didn’t start as a shop‑floor truth; it began as a legend built from axe handles, old stories, and the idea of a wood that simply refuses to break. Before I ever touched real hickory, I knew the reputation. This is the story of how that reputation formed, and how the real wood proved every part of it true.