Mastery Through Repetition
Practice is the best of all instructors. Maynard lived next door. When he wasn’t spinning wrenches at the local Ford garage, he was out in his driveway, hunched over a neighbor’s car. As a kid I [...]
Ideas that Jump Off the Page
Isometric views help keep your designs grounded. The kite leapt into the wind and I frantically uncoiled string that burned and chafed my hands and fingers. The thin wooden crossbeams bent almost [...]
Artisan Geometry
The universal and timeless structure of our imaginations. Woodworking spans the globe and is a common thread linking humans across the ages. This craft shares a basic tool kit across time and [...]
Making Sense of Forms
Early 20th-century filmmakers used time-lapse photography to dazzle audiences with never-before-seen images of flowers emerging and bursting into bloom. Critics with Victorian sensibilities [...]
Secrets of the Cyma Curve
Invisible lines and circles explain the beauty of a series of fair curves. I can still remember Holloway’s farmhouse. Even in summer when the fireplace was cold, the smell of wood smoke lingered [...]
Great Legs
The black stallion’s name was Step. Marvin, the only man I ever saw ride him, called him simply “the horse,” his raspy Southern voice pausing for emphasis. I was 5 years old the first time I laid [...]
Design Matters: Brooke Smith
Adding Curves to Your Toolkit
A lot of woodworkers shy away from curves. There’s plenty of reasons for this. For starters, some of the common power tools are built for rectangular construction, a table saw is a good example. [...]
Rustication Heightens Both Organic and Crafted Elements of Design
One of my favorite places is a neighborhood Italian market called DeVitis. Every time I step through the door, I stop and let the smells of a great kitchen waft over me. Italian sausages and [...]
Popular Woodworking in America: An Interview with George R. Walker
After decades working in corporate America, George R. Walker’s woodworking took a huge detour while doing research for an article on pre-industrial design. Since that time, George has [...]
Design Matters: ‘Good Eye’
Awaken your inner design sense with just a little practice. By George R. Walker Pages: 20-22 From the February 2010 issue #181 Buy this issue now Talk about design often leads back to the idea of [...]
