Prodigal Ponderings — shoplife RSS



Frequently Asked Questions

Following is a list ( not exhaustive) of the most common posed questions I've received from friends and customers. I've answered briefly, but am always happy to respond in more detail to those who contact me. How did you get started in woodworking? Following my dad’s footsteps I became a “fixer upper” by taking on several home projects like: built in cabinets, desks, shelving units, etc. 2. Did you have any formal training in woodworking?  Nothing like woodworking classes, but instead I watched plenty of YouTube videos and read a lot of online blogs, tips and “how to’s.” What impresses you most about other woodworkers?  Obviously their skill level and detail of workmanship; however most of all is their overall desire...

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It's Not What You Make.....But How

I don’t subscribe to a lot of woodworking blogs because sometimes too much information makes matters more confusing rather than clearer. That said, I have subscribed to Paul Sellers blogs, as he is one of the real online pioneers (IMO) of woodworking. A recent blog post of Paul's called “Election Day” talked more about his woodworking ideology than about specific tools or products (https://paulsellers.com/2017/06/thursday-8th-june-2017/). In his blog Paul identified a certain passion that I immediately related to: the concept of “It’s not what you make but how.”  I don’t want to take credit for anyone else’s work so I encourage anyone reading this blog to check out his. That said, the concept of “how” over “what” is something that attracted me to...

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