Mention the world ‘veneer’ to some woodworkers, and they may turn their nose up at you. “That’s for cheap, mass produced furniture. I only use REAL wood!”

Well, surprise. Veneer IS real wood, applying it is a venerable woodworking skill to master and there’s a website that can show you just how impressive veneered projects can look.

Joe Gorleski, Jr, - known far and wide as Joe Woodworker – is a retailer of fine wood veneers that can take a woodworking project from nice to Woah!

Joe’s beginnings in woodworking were pretty humble. “I had inherited a used jigsaw that was gathering dust in my parent’s basement. One evening, we were cleaning out the basement and I had to decide if I wanted to keep the jigsaw or toss it out. I saw this pine board lying on the floor, grabbed a pencil and drew a pig shape on the board. I cut it out with the jigsaw and I discovered that I loved it!” Within a few days, Joe had plunked down some of his hard-earned cash and bought some other essential tools. The woodworking bug had bit him hard, but the biggest discovery was yet to come.

“Veneer is definitely cool. It has dramatically affected the way I look at wood. I used to spend hours at our local saw mill looking through hundreds of freshly dried boards to find anything unusual. The hard part was finding enough lumber with character to make a project. Now when I buy lumber, I look more often for perfectly un-figured boards so I can highlight any veneered portion of a project and keep the visual focus on these truly figured parts.”

 And, what figured parts they are! The selection of wood species available is stunning. Walnut burls, fiddleback maple and sapele pommele are just some of the stunning offerings on the site. It seems that you can find exactly what you need – regardless of your requirement for wood color, figure or even cost. Some breathtaking veneer lots can be found for cheap – offering multiple sheets for book matching or other eye-catching effects.

For his first projects, Joe cobbled together a vacuum pump from plans he found online and by talking with other woodworkers. Since he was learning on his own, sometimes these early projects worked, other times, they didn’t. “Sure, there was trial and error. But, some of the techniques I’ve picked up from our gracious customers who very frequently share their success stories with me. One of the greatest things about woodworking is the incredible amount of sharing that goes on between woodworkers.”

From those humble beginnings, it didn’t take long for Joe to realize that he had way more veneer than he could ever use. “When I got to the point at which I was storing veneer under my bed, my wife and I realized it was time to let some of it go. Between veneer and vacuum press parts, we figured there was enough to get a small business going.”

Today, Joe’s commercial site VeneerSupplies.com provides quality veneers, equipment and – most importantly – know how to thousands of woodworkers around the world. “Our customers are quite varied. We have a lot of customers who are not woodworkers. They just want to veneer over something unsightly. I’ve had strange questions about veneering everything from refrigerators to turtle shells. I don’t recommend veneering your turtle!”

Veneering might sound intimidating – and expensive – at first. However, there are some affordable options that the hobby woodworker can look into. First is a glue called Heat Lock. By using this glue, veneer and a clothes iron, the average woodworker can get good results. The ancient art of hammer veneering is also an option. But, for woodworkers looking to really expand their veneer options, vacuum pumps are the easiest – and sometimes the best – option. Some build it yourself kits start at $150, and complete systems can run about $400.

 ”Our website often conveys the image that we are a huge company. There’s a fine line between an average website and a professional one. I prefer to have a professional website but it’s not easy to communicate that we are still a small company consisting of just my wife Christine and myself. Our customers like the personal attention they get from us because it means that our answers and comments to their questions are always genuine.”

While Joe’s website is impressive, his personal approach with customers can leave some people a little off guard. “I always smile when someone calls to place an order and asks my name. When I say “Joe”, they always reply “the Joe?” I can’t help but smile because I’m thinking who else would answer the phone in my shop?”

What separates an ‘OK’ woodworker from one who has a passion for the craft? Sometimes, it’s as simple as encountering someone who can show a new, interesting way of looking at things. For Wood Magazine’s contributing craftsman Jim Heavey, showing the way for others is something that - due to a family tragedy - he took to at an early age.

Jim’s dad passed away when he was in grade school. Out of necessity, Jim assumed a leadership role as the man of the house at an very early age. “Being the oldest of seven kids in a household with very little money, repairs and projects around the house fell to me. I think that it was there that I developed an appreciation for woodworking and the sense of accomplishment that completing a project brings.”

Later in his life, Jim’s leadership ability again came to the fore. He even served as his children’s school board president for 16 years - all this after doing his ‘day job’ as a firefighter. His years at this important position allowed him to hone his presentation skills considerably. “Having audiences both happy and irate - sometimes at the same time - kept me on my toes and helped me develop a style that people seem to enjoy. I don’t take myself too seriously and I think that I can relate to my audiences.”

Does he ever! Jim’s easily approachable style allowed him to marry his love of woodworking and presenting when he landed a position doing tool demonstrations for the Skil tool company at the now-defunct Builder’s Square home improvement stores. When Bosch bought Skil, Jim’s expertise was recognized, and he was chosen to present at national shows. One day in 1996 at one of these national shows, a Wood Magazine representative approached Jim to fill in for an ailing presenter. The rest, as they say, is history.

Jim has been teaching at the Woodworking Shows for Wood Magazine ever since. You can find Jim at the Wood Magazine demonstration booth, teaching tips and techniques to dozens of very interested woodworkers. While you might assume his presentations are just tool or magazine sales pitches, Jim always keep his focus firmly on helping the audience learn new techniques. “What I enjoy the most is being able to bring enough content to the presentations to touch some aspect in every attendee’s shop experience. We have a wide skill level in attendance at the shows and I am so glad when people will say, ‘Thanks, I learned something new today.’ The challenge is to remember that I’m not selling the tools, I’m imparting knowledge. A good tool sells itself and I’ll use it to its best advantage but I want them to learn something.”

Learn something they do. The day I met Jim at the Woodworking Show in Tampa, he was demonstrating a very simple yet elegant way to embellish a project by using an applique technique.

By cutting a shape out of a contrasting piece of wood - a leaf pattern, for example - and gluing it on the surface of the project, then sanding it down to about one sixteenth of an inch with a belt sander, anyone can create an interesting design feature with minimal work.

“I do like to watch the faces of the attendees when they see that a topic I’m talking about suddenly look so simple to them. It’s that ‘ah-ha’ moment. My hope is that attendees will try some of the techniques that I use. When they find success, they will take one more step that brings additional success. It’s very rewarding to talk to someone who had watched and tried something that they learned come back the following year even more excited about their craft.”

What’s the toughest part of the job? “The traveling part can be very tiresome. There seems to be a different TSA standard in each of the 30+ airports I’ll see in a season.”

“But,” Jim continues,”when you see the crowds at the door, you know it’s show time. They expect a good experience and I really do enjoy giving it to them.”

“In the end, a one on one discussion with a fellow woodworker brings out our commonality regardless of locale. It must be in the wood,” Jim laughs, “or maybe it’s the high from applying lacquer.”

There is nothing quite as noble and enriching as teaching others. It’s something that motivated people do so their students can go on to discover their own path to achieve great things.

Luc Rousseau, owner of Rideau Cabinetry, has learned from one of the best, and now is helping educate other woodworkers through his efforts. If the name Rideau Cabinetry sounds familiar, keep reading.

Luc’s woodworking education started at home. His dad was an upholsterer, so young Luc was always around tools and the woodworking craft. “I was good with tools and I noticed the little details that set quality woodworking apart.”

Eventually, Luc enrolled at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada, to become a student in the outstanding cabinetmaking classes offered there. That’s where he met one of his most important mentors - Danny Proulx.

Danny immediately recognized and appreciated Luc’s skill and work ethic. After graduation, Danny offered Luc a few jobs, as well as the motivation and guidance to continue his growth. “One kitchen, then two, then projects for his books and magazine and so on. Apart from my parents, he is the first one that really took the time show me and work with me as a friend and a partner. We got along really well.”

Work in the shop with Danny was marked by a great partnership and outstanding cooperation. “The day always started with an extra large coffee at his desk talking about hockey. Then we would plan the day or days ahead. Danny always had four or five things on the stove and ideas for years to come.”

Always busy, Danny and Luc were working on some articles for magazines and a new book, 50 Shop-Made Jigs and Fixtures in the autumn of 2004. Work was progressing nicely, and, with Luc’s help Danny had gotten the first two chapters written.

Sadly, on November 26 of that year, Danny passed away. Fittingly, he was on his way to a woodworking seminar to help teach the craft to others when he passed.

The news hit Luc and Danny’s wife Gale hard. “She went through the hardest thing someone has to endure in life, losing a loved one.”

After a month of intense grief, the two sat down to talk about the projects that were left incomplete. “I finished a lot of projects over the winter. Then in June, Jim Stack, the editor from F&W Publications, and I sat down and planed the other six chapters of 50 Jigs.”

The work proceeded slowly at first. Luc remembers seeing the notes and sketches Danny had left, and feeling overwhelmed by the work ahead. After all, Luc couldn’t simply ask his partner what he had intended. He had to rely on his experience of working in the shop with Danny decipher some of his ideas. Four and a half months of hard work later, and the manuscript was finally ready to go to print. “The day I mailed everything to the editor, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Danny was really gone.”

While some people may have one personality when dealing with the public and another in private, Luc says that was not the case with Danny. “He was the same guy in the shop, in the classroom, or his office, the same guy you folks saw on the forums. He was patient, relaxed, fun to work with. I never saw him panic or get mad or scream. He was always looking for solutions, new ways, new tricks. He was a great listener and not the kind of guy who would try to put one up on you guys.”

Today, Luc owns Rideau Cabinets and maintains the company’s online presence. He’s revamping the ordering system for books and hardware to make shopping at the site easy. “Hey, it’s 2008. I have to keep up with the times!”

As far as writing his own books? “Well, this might come later since I am only 43 and Danny started about 48. I think I have a few years to practice my writing before I start getting my own books published.”

As if he wasn’t already busy enough. Luc also took over the woodworking classes Danny had taught over at Algonquin College. No doubt, his students are being introduced to their own dedicated, knowledgeable mentor.

All woodworking is a matter of scale. Some woodworkers build in huge dimensions - ­ entire libraries of bookshelves, complete room paneling systems and kitchens full of cabinets. Others work on the small side ­ - boxes, clocks and other small items such as toys.

While working large has its challenges, the small scale stuff can be even more intimidating. After all, it’s highly unlikely that someone will pick up a bookshelf and turn it in their hands, examining every small detail. In this small scale realm, one woodworker has made a name ­ and reputation ­for himself.

Doug Stowe, a woodworker from Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is widely known for his books and magazine articles on building awe-inspiring boxes from what many cabinetmakers would call scrap.

Doug has his father to thank for his woodworking roots. “My earliest remembrance of my father is being instructed by him how to hold a hammer and how to avoid hitting my thumbs.” While young Doug was honing his skills, his father recognized the potential he saw, and presented Doug with a Shopsmith for his 14th birthday. “The Shopsmith and I are both 1948 vintage,” said Doug, “and still going strong.”

The second part of his career ­ - the writing of woodworking books and magazine articles - ­ took a little more time to perfect. “I had studied creative writing in college and got some encouragement to go on with it. But I knew very little of enough interest for me to write about. Then I read James Krenov’s Cabinet Maker’s Notebook and realized that there was a lot more to say about woodworking than how to cut wood. So, I knew early what I wanted to write about, but also knew the depth of experience necessary to have anything meaningful to say. My first writing for magazines came at the invitation of Woodworker’s Journal in 1994, and my first book about boxes came in 1997.”

Doug has built a number of outstanding larger pieces, but his work with the smaller boxes is his calling card. His boxes are seen universally as creative, innovative and drop-dead gorgeous. While these masterpieces may seem beyond the abilities of an average home woodworker, they can serve as an excellent starting point for acquiring new skills and breaking out from beyond the norm. “Making boxes takes so little material, and so little space compared with larger work. You can learn so much from them. Nearly every technique associated with larger work can be learned through making boxes. You can more easily take risks in design making a box, so you get to be more experimental. When you make a box, you don’t have to think of the whole room setting the piece will compliment or dominate.”

While his boxes are striking and dramatic, his preference for materials actually brings his interest closer to home. “I have a very strong preference for using Arkansas hardwoods. I seldom find Arkansas woods with very dramatic figure like you may find in exotic woods, but that is not a problem. Nearly every piece of wood is suitable for box making. If you have plain wood, you have to apply more craftsmanship to come up with something striking. And what’s wrong with that?”

Given the small scale of these boxes and the outstanding results Doug demonstrates in his writing, woodworkers might stumble a while before they truly master the projects. “We all make mistakes, and we get better at things through practice. If your toddler takes his or her first three steps and then falls, you celebrate the steps, not the fall. Your toddler gets right back up and goes again. When we make a box, we know the first won’t be the best, but each will bring new skill. Don’t worry about your finished product. Learn something from each one and celebrate the steps.”

Besides the immense satisfaction Doug takes from building these boxes and teaching the craft to thousands through his writing, he also sees the big picture ­ what people will take from these pieces years down the road. “We each can leave an important legacy in the things we make that tell more clearly than our words about caring for each other and for the planet. In the meantime, we become more potent, more creative, and more alive when we are engaged in making things from wood.”

To read more about Doug’s thoughts on woodworking, visit his Wisdom of the Hands blog.

If you think about retirees in Florida, your thoughts might turn to leisurely rounds of golf, early bird specials and people driving slowly in the left lane.

For some retirees in Sun City Center, just outside of Tampa, Florida, retirement is definitely covered in sawdust. That’s where you’ll find the Sawdust Engineers, a group of woodworking retirees who are making a difference in the local community.

(click on images for larger versions) This tight band of nearly 350 woodworkers help to make this 501(c) 3 charity work. The Sawdust Engineers tackle many charitable projects from their shop. From building math and spelling puzzles for Hillsborough County, Florida school teachers to use in their classes to foot lockers for teens at a local shelter, each of the woodworkers feels pride in the work that they do to help others.

One of the most interesting projects they are undertaking is the nationwide Personal Energy Transportation (PET) project. Templates for parts of hand-powered wheelchairs hang from the wall, and when members have the opportunity, they cut, sand and drill a few dozen parts for each of the chairs. The parts are sent to assembly facilities and put together. They are then sent overseas to countries in Africa, Asia and Central America where diseases such as polio and hazards like land mines have disabled many residents. “Even though the people getting the PETs may be maimed, they still want to be independent to provide for themselves and their families,” said PET program coordinator Jerry Beavon. “These chairs returns the freedom to them that they thought was lost forever.”

The Sawdust Engineers had their humble beginning back in 1962 with Sun City Center developer Dell Webb. Mr. Webb knew that many of the retirees moving to this sunny spot were cabinetmakers and carpenters during their working year, or spent time in the shop a hobby. Mr. Webb started the tool collection by donating a table saw, drill press and some space in the community center.

While the original tools are gone, the Sawdust Engineers are not wanting in that category. A large, comfortable shop is stocked with cabinet saws, planers, jointers and the other large shop machinery any good workshop needs. Another room stores the routers, sanders and other hand held power tools to round out the complement.

Most of the tools are donated by members or their families when they can no longer use them. Others are brand new, selected for safety as well as performance. The group recently bought a brand new Saw Stop cabinet saw. “You can’t stop thinking about safety.”

When new members sign up to become Sawdust Engineers, they must take a seven hour safety class - regardless of their level of experience. “Every shop has its own peculiar ways of operating,” said Houck. “It takes some time to get used to each of the machines, no matter how much you know.”

Hauck is a typical example of how most members join. A retiree since 1985, he and his wife found their spacious home and yard in Maryland too much to take care of. In 1999, he and his wife came to Sun City Center to find a smaller home and warmer weather to enjoy during the cold winters. While they were touring the community to see if it fit their needs, Houck discovered Sun City Center was the place for him. “Oh, it looked like a great place to move to, but when the agent brought us through the shop, my decision was made right then. I turned to my wife and said, ‘this is the place for me!’”

While the shop does a great deal of charity work, members also have the opportunity to use the facilities to build their own projects. Since the Sawdust Engineers are a charity, members have to abide by the rules - the projects can be for their use or to give as gifts, but the members can’t make a profit from the sale of the items. Needless to say, some of the most popular personal projecs include cradles,cribs and toys for grandchildren back north.

The facility contains nearly 5,000 square feet, which is divided between the machine room and a spacious assembly area. There is also an office (which doubles as the group’s reference library), a tool room, a dedicated paint room and a toy display room for area teachers to look for items for their classroom.

In the paint room, I met Wilma Schafer, the paint coordinator. Hands covered in bright yellow paint, she explained how the painting crew, as some of the ladies in the club are affectionaltely known, takes great pains to lovingly sand each piece slated for school projects and coat it in non-toxic paint. “You never know when one of the little ones will put this into their mouths.”

Members pay annual dues of $15, and other community organizations and indivduals help with donations. Each year, the Sawdust Engineers set up a booth next to the other craft organizations to sell a number of their projects at Sun City Center’s annual Fun Fest.

The Sawdust Engineers’ charitable work is well known in Sun City and in the surrounding areas. They get a great deal of their supplies and lumber for their charitable projects donated by local sawyers and hardwood dealers. And, when one of their long time contributers unexpectedly stopped donating, anonymous contributors sent in money so the club could continue turning out projects. “It gave me a very good feeling to see that outpouring of generosity,” said Houck. “I guess we’re doing a pretty good job, and people are recognizing it.”

There’s a lot of great woodworking information out there on the Internet. It seems as if every woodworking magazine, television show and product manufacturer has a web site jammed to the gills with great tips, how-to’s and background. (Click on the images for larger versions)

But, what if you also want some entertainment while you learn?

Enter The Wood Whisperer. Young, up and coming Arizona based woodworker Marc Spagnuolo runs a web site featuring a dynamic blend of solid advice, sound techniques and a unique, quirky style of humor.

While Marc’s Internet outreach represents the cutting edge of interactive woodworking education, his journey into woodworking began while watching his stepfather tackle a kitchen remodel and a living room addition in their New Jersey home. After a while, Marc soon found himself making his first cuts and swinging a hammer at his side. And, as a self-confessed tool drooler, he was into each of his dad’s tools. “It’s funny. He used to yell at me for not putting his tools away. These days, I’m the one who cringes watching him use my tools!”

After moving into his own home outside of San Diego, Marc started doing the handyman thing himself, turning his house into his own California Dream. Watching the transformation of raw materials into finished projects proved too fascinating for Marc, and the carpenter inside him quickly turned into a woodworker.

While developing his skills, Marc got hooked on David Marks’ show Woodworks on the DIY Network. Soon, his amateur woodworking methods began to become more refined, and Marc took the first step toward becoming a master of the craft.

At a woodworking show, Marc met David Marks and scheduled a class with him in his Santa Rosa, California shop. “What struck me about David was his unwavering love of woodworking. It was inspirational to see a man who, after woodworking for decades, still spoke about woodworking with a passion that I had never seen before.” After spending a few days with David, Marc realized he could learn a great deal more. Shortly after his class, Marc approached David about a short-term apprenticeship. David accepted, and a few months later, Marc was at David’s shop,

Marc learned the intricacies of freehand inlay, marquetry, power-carving and veneering. The pair completed several projects, most notably a hollowed 400 pound redwood burl that is still on display at a California winery.

It was shortly after his internship that Marc knew what he wanted to do for a living, and left the biotech industry that he had worked hard to enter. In 2003, Marc and his wife Nicole left California and moved to their new home in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. That’s when he established Marc’s Wood Creations, where he builds custom projects and runs the Wood Whisperer website out of his shop

Marc’s philosophy is simple when it comes to commissioned pieces. “I want to build the best possible piece I can within the budget. I want every piece I sign my name to to be an heirloom quality piece that will certainly outlast my lifetime.” One of the most challenging projects Marc undertook was building an entire book store’s worth of book cases for a small Christian bookstore in Phoenix. While this might be a production style job for most woodworkers, Marc takes the time to carefully craft each piece to ensure that each case is as perfect as it can be.

By far, the most rewarding aspect of Marc’s business is teaching, and it shows in his enthusiasm. I was fortunate to meet Marc Spagnuolo at the American Sycamore Woodworker’s Retreat in Cloverdale, Indiana. Marc was going to attempt to teach me - a cabinetmaker who sees the world as a very square place - how to work in curves while creating an Asian-style contemplation bench.

There were several times during the class where I had to stop and look at Marc as if to ask, “Do I really want to carve into this beautiful piece of wood?” With a knowing nod, he told me to give it a shot. As the Arbortech blade bit into the slab of tiger maple in front of me, Marc stood off to the side, carefully observing my technique. With the skill of someone who knew what the wood could tolerate, he knew as I approached the layout line in the seat carving and told me that I needed to slow down and get ready to refine the curve.

That’s how the entire week went, with Marc patiently guiding a class-full of students as they crafted their own benches out of purpleheart, mahogany, zebrawood and other exotic timbers. And each day, after a pile of wildly colored sawdust covered the floor, Marc went from student to student to encourage each of them, telling them that each was crafting a unique bench that would eventually be a piece of art. For a young teacher, just a few years away from his initial learning of the craft, he is well on his way to developing the skill and patience of a master.

While serving as a guest teacher is a rewarding experience, Marc’s true passion reaching out to the woodworking world at his Wood Whisperer website. This one-time side project has taken off during the past year, and is now becoming his calling card.

Understanding that it is better to show than tell, the site features a series of downloadable podcasts that walk beginning woodworkers - and those more experienced who need a refresher - the finer points of the craft. How to equip a shop. How to select lumber. He even did a holiday shopping guide aimed at the friends and relatives of woodworkers to guide them through purchasing gifts for that special sawdust covered someone in their lives.

The site also goes beyond the video lessons,hosting a blog, offering tutorials - there’s even Wood Talk Online, and audio podcast he co-hosts with Matt Vanderlist, administrator of Matt’s Basement Workshop Podcasts. Not only can you listen to the podcasts at the site, you can also download them at iTunes, so you can listen on your iPod at your leisure.

Marc has further enlisted the help of other woodworking bloggers and established the Wood Whisperer Network. From here, there are links to dozens of other blogs hosted by talented woodworkers. From the amateur to the professional, there’s a vast array of woodworking disciplines bound to suit just about anyone’s taste. “The member sites represent some of the best of the best in the field. I’m really excited about the quality of the woodworking blogs out there. There’s definitely something for everyone.”

And, it’s all coming to your computer, courtesy of the Wood Whisperer.

Some woodworkers are made, while it seems that others are born to the craft. That just might be the case for Ralph Laughton, a London-area woodworker and published woodworking author.

Growing up in a houseful of boys, Ralph’s first exposure to the craft was with his uncle, a professional cabinetmaker. “We had all sorts of materials to hand. Off cuts of timber, second hand shuttering ply, scaffold poles and the like,” Ralph says, as he recalls his early days. “The tool kit consisted of a tin bucket half full of rusty nails, hinges, door bolts and other useful ’stuff’, a couple of claw hammers and a saw.”

At age 11, Ralph started at comprehensive school - sort of a technical school - where he had his first formal training in the craft. His lessons started with the most basic and essential skill any woodworker should know. “Our very first lesson was on sharpening hand tools. From that day on I was hooked and the passion has never left me.”

At 15, Ralph moved on to three years of technical college where he studied mechanical engineering for three more years. “While I found that work interesting, I did not pursue a career in engineering but opted instead to enter the world of specialist publishing working for a military book publisher and subsequently moved on to design and commercial art. But, my passion has always been woodworking”

Over the years, Ralph’s skills increased. He’s tackled many different styles of furniture, and has even ‘dabbled’ in turning. “Mostly, I turn round parts for square projects.” Even though there is a millennium’s worth of cultural history in his native Great Britain, one of his favorite furniture styles comes from across the pond – the clean lines of Shaker projects.

As Ralph’s expertise grew, he was called upon by the editors of two British woodworking magazines - The Router and New Woodworking - to write his first two works – Success with Sharpening (ISBN – 978-1861083296) and Success with Joints (ISBN – 978-1861084156).

The books were well received, and, through them, he caught the attention of the late Danny Proulx. Danny, already a well-respected woodworking author in his own right, recognized Ralph’s ability to explain difficult woodworking concepts clearly, and introduced Ralph to his publishers at F&W Publications. “According to Danny, they were looking for some British authors to add a different perspective on things. I said ‘yes’, and things started to happen.”

After much thinking and collaboration with his wife Sue, Ralph hit on the idea for a book of storage projects for the home woodworking shop. Aptly titled Workshop Storage Solutions (ISBN – 978-1558708129), the book offers some interesting projects that draw their inspiration from some unlikely sources. “One day in the shop, Sue and I were talking about somewhere to put routers. A few sketches were made but nothing seemed right. A couple of days later Sue came up with the idea that the routers need to be taken to the work, just like a hairdresser uses a trolley to take the tools to the customer. A couple of thousand words, A few sketches and a working drawing, some MDF, a few wheels and the trolley was a reality.”

The creative process is helped along by Ralph’s prior experience with graphic layout and publishing. According to Ralph, putting the thoughts into words and creating the projects are the easy parts. “Writing books is just a long slog. Sue and I will formulate the idea, write a table of contents and then I will sit down and write the whole thing. From there, it’s off to the workshop to build the projects according to the instructions I have just written. We shoot the photographs following the captions like a script - that’s all there is to it…”

Time always seems to be at a premium for Ralph. “I have a few things in the planning stage such as some Victorian style built-ins in the master bedroom, I need to build a hobby chest to house a huge vintage Meccano - I think you call it ‘Erector’ in the US - collection. There are a few other projects needed to complete the follow-up to the Storage Solutions book and there are always the ‘requests’ from editors.”

Even as a published and well-respected woodworker, Ralph knows that he – and his readers – still have discoveries to make and skills to improve. “My goal is to pass on the basics, the first principles if you like. Once someone has mastered the basics the rest is just practice. Lots of it. In fact I am still practicing now.”