Arts & Mysteries

Philadelphia’s Powel House in 1933 The Powel House is still standing at 244 S. 3rd Street During the Great Depression, the U.S. Government instituted a program through the WPA that paid [...]

A lighter than expected turnout at Mt. Pleasant yesterday allowed me to sit in on Chris Storb’s presentation. It was great and I learned a lot. But as I sat in the room where John Adams may [...]

It is my understanding that there are still a few slots open for this weekend’s “American Craft Traditions at Work” at Mt. Pleasant in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. This is a [...]

Early American Life magazine honored me by including me in the 2008 Directory of Traditional American Craftsmen. I also snuck past the judges in 2005. The name of the directory has changed since [...]

I’ll be giving a talk about period woodworking to the Woodworkers’ guild of South Jersey on Thursday night, March 27th. The talk is held in Cherry Hill NJ, which is very near [...]

The “Nicholson” or “English” bench is a simple workbench, possibly made using 2 by construction lumber, that features a characteristic deep front apron drilled to enable [...]

I hosted a sapfm chapter meeting in my tiny basement shop yesterday. My Nicholson bench provided comfortable theater seating for 5. A walnut plank, supported by hold fasts, served as a [...]

This weekend, I’m hosting a SAPFM get together. A few fellow period woodworkers are going to crowd into my tiny workshop and see how and why I make my own hand saws. Of all the really [...]

This year’s conference was a delightful departure from the so far typical furniture fare of Colonial Williamsburg’s “Working Wood in the 18th Century” woodworking [...]

I’m heading off for the woodworking conference in Williamsburg. This year’s subject is Tools, Tool Chests, and Workbenches. I’m looking forward to spending some time with [...]

For me, part of the fun of building furniture by hand is working with the tools, materials, and hardware. This hardware, from Londonderry brasses, really has the feel of the 18th c. The little [...]

Writing for PW is really cool. People I tell about it often ask whether I feel great about seeing my name in print or the validation of being published. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but [...]