Our two youngest grandsons have demonstrated aptitudes for making and building. Calum, lives out of town, and is not able to spend as much time with us. Jacob comes regularly into the shop and has develop impressive skills. He has built many projects (with a little help from his grandpa) and is currently making a bed for his older sister.

I’m located in the center of our city on one of the main arteries. The construction was a challenge with many visits to the building department.

The workshop is approximately 850 sq. ft and well equipped for the work I do. I mostly use rough lumber to build instead of sheet goods. I have vertical lumber storage with an average inventory of 1,500 + board feet of various hardwood mostly air dried. Much of my equipment is on casters maximizing the space I have available. Every square foot of floor and wall space has been optimized for storage and working space.

Life is incredibly good and I thank my loving wife for being so supportive.

When I walk through the door of my workshop, I always get a sense of calm. It’s quite special. I really enjoy being able to design something, then build it with my hands. It’s a thrill. These are some of those moments.

In the beginning hand planes can be intimidating. I purchased on eBay over 50 planes in various state of repair and spent a year refurbishing them. I learned a lot. Kept four great hard to find planes (i.e. Stanley compass) and sold the rest.

I love being around wood and people that love being around wood. Many friends drop in to chat, to borrow supplies or work on a project. You`re always welcome and I apologize for all of you that don`t appear here. Next time your in, I`ll whip out my camera and add you to the hall of fame. :-)

I’ve adopted the same approach as most master and craftsman that I’ve studied under. Use power tools to do the heavy lifting and hand tools to refine and massage your creation.

Then comes sharpening. It’s a laborious boring task at best, but essential. Sharp tools is what allows you to produce quality work and enjoy the craft. The sound of a hand plane lifting a shaving is like listening to Mozart :-)