Just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, in a hole in the ground, works a talented woodworker. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare sandy hole with nothing in it to cut wood or finish projects: it was the workshop of Mansfield Fine Furniture, and that means comfort.
Sorry, I just saw the Hobbit, and couldn’t resist. Actually, in a comfortable, custom-built basement workshop works one Nick Roulleau, and the stuff he’s turning out in his shop is most impressive.
In his shop, you will find all manner of impressive custom woodworking – from the ornate to the terribly mundane (like the kitchen he’s currently building for his home). One thing you will find in all of his projects though – is a careful attention to detail and an eye for design.
Swing on by and say hi, but do me a favor, and don’t call him Rick… Just sayin’!
The city of Atlanta is famous for many things. The birthplace of Coca Cola. The site of the 1996 Summer Olympics. The home of one of the world’s busiest airports.
And, the home of High Rock Woodworking run by Chris Adkins. Chris is a gifted woodworker, able to build furniture, his own tools… the works. As with many woodworkers, has completed his new workbench – a Roubo, and it putting it to good use on a wide range of projects.
Chris also happens to be the founder of the Modern Woodworkers Association, and is one of my partners in crime on the MWA podcast.
Check out his site… I think you are going to be impressed.
OK, blame me for this one! Back in 2009, I had posted a quick poll asking ““Who have been the three most influential woodworkers who got you started woodworking?” It was about then that the muse of inspiration fluttered down and kicked one Steve Taylor (a.k.a. Torch02) in the posterior, giving him enough impetus to launch a blog of his own.
Steve’s blog has really been a voyage of discovery for him. He’s done a tremendous amount of work in the craft, developing his skills by showing his dovetail a day. He is in the process of building his own Roubo bench. He is turning pens for the troops… this guy has his beak dipped in all the action.
The best part about Steve is his down-to-earth attitude, friendly demeanor and his encyclopedic knowledge of movie lines. Just try to stump him… you won’t be successful.
Oh, and since today is the official end of the world according to the Mayans, I thought it would only be appropriate to post this along with today’s link.
While many people see woodworking as a project pursued by older gentlemen who acquired the skill under the training of masters, or who have had the benefit of wood shop, there’s a young gun up in Newton, Massachusetts who is doing some incredible woodworking using a blend of old-fashioned and new-fangled methods.
Rob Bois has been blogging for a few years now, and he has been building some great stuff in his shop. Step stools with bold curves. Classic chests of drawers. Screen doors! Yeah, sometimes you gotta build those, but Rob made a point of putting some classical embellishments to turn a utilitarian piece into a work of art.
Rob crates videos to help readers follow along with his builds, and his easy style makes following along a breeze.
Oh, and rumor has it that Rob won a Bad Axe tenon saw at Woodworking in America in 2011… be sure to ask him about it!
I have made a whole bunch of friends doing this woodworking blog thing. Friends right around the corner from where I live. Friends across the country. And, friends from beyond the borders of the United States.
That’s where my good friend Ian Mackay lives – north of the border in Torono (yes, it is spelled incorrectly but no, you don’t pronounce the second T in the city’s name – it’s my own phonetic spelling) Canada and is running a tidy little woodworking blog himself. He has currently been working on his workbench, but he has also built a marble roll, tables and even a canoe!
Poke around in his site for a while, and you will get a good idea of his style – and his building process.
Oh, and if you see Ian, be sure to offer to buy him a cruller and a double double at Timmy’s. Trust me, he’ll understand and thank you for it!
Somewhere in the corner of a nondescript basement in Ohio, there is some pretty darned sweet woodworking taking place. Today, my link of the week points you to the Corner Workshop, the workspace of Sean Wisniewski.
Sean is doing some incredible work in that shop of his. In fact, today he has a great post up about how he turned some wild looking bowls by using a very simple technique involving two cuts and a few pieces of contrasting colored spline. It’s an insanely simple embellishment that lends a tremendous amount of drama to the piece.
Sean has been a really good friend, and his site will hold your interest for a long time as you follow his woodworking exploits.
At the most recent Woodworking in America conference, I realized that there are many other woodworking bloggers out there that I count as good friends putting out tremendous content. Each is skilled in his or her way. So, for the next few weeks, I’m going to be featuring their blogs on my Friday posts.
Today, let’s start off with my good friend Joe Ledington over at Sleepydog Woodshop. Joe is – how shall I put this – a renaissance man. In addition to wood sculpting, furniture and tool making, he’s also studying to become a professional video editor. Joe even gave me a carving knife he had created from a scrap of walnut and an old barber’s straight razor. The thing – as you might imagine – is razor sharp.
Why not go pay a visit over to Joe’s site, and be sure to tell him that Tom sent ya!
