Popular Woodworking 2008-06 № 169, страница 6
Out on a Limb BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ, EDITO Howto Enroll in Hand Tool College A / Vfter many years of teaching people how to set up and use hand tools, I've come to three conclusions: 1. The best way to choose the right plane, chisel or saw for your work is to handle and use a wide variety of sizes and brands. 2. The best way to understand a technique is to watch someone perform it a few times and to ask questions about what you don't understand. 3. The best way to become skilled at hand work is to use your tools with an experienced teacher watching you and making the small corrections in your methods that will make a big difference. As you probably know, the written word makes it a challenge for us at Popular Woodworking to do these three things from our offices in Cincinnati. That's why we've spent many months planning a special weekend conference in Berea, Ky., for Nov. 14-16 that is designed to expose you to a rich and wide variety of expert craftsmen, toolsand hand woodworking skills. The conference, which we're calling "Woodworking in America," is going to help hundreds of woodworkers jump-start their hand-tool skills, expose them to tools they've seen only in catalogs and offer them face-to-face instruction with some of the best hand-tool woodworkers alive today. We're still working out the details as I'm writing this column, but here is the conference in broad strokes (for more details, please visit WoodworkingInAmerica.com). For starters, we're lining up many of the country's large and small manufacturers of well-made hand tools-everyone from the large companies that make high-quality tools down to the individual makers who build high-end, individually designed hand-planes. As a result, you'll be able to try a wide variety of tools-and get to know the maker -before you make that once-in-a-lifetime purchase. But trying and buying tools isjust one small part of this conference. Right now we're scouring the continent to invite the leading hand-tool craftsmen to teach seminars and hands-on classes on a wide variety of topics, from basic sharpening, planing and sawing, to marquetry and advanced joinery. All this will be held on the beautiful campus of Berea College - a picture-perfect jewel of a campus in Kentucky's foothills, and right off Interstate 75. Berea is one of the country's great epicenters of the furniture craft, with dozens of world-class makers, and it is a stone's throw from the Pleasant Hill Shaker Village near Harrodsburg, Ky. (That would be a great side trip for you-if you have some extra time in your schedule.) So I hope you'll mark your calendar for Nov. 14-16 and visit the conference's web site at WoodworkingInAmerica.com for ful 1 details. One more thing: Space is extremely limited at the conference. We want to keep things personal and intimate so that you will have the richest and most rewarding hand-tool experience possible. PW Customer Service How can I contact customer service with questions regarding my subscription, including a lost or damaged issue? Visitpopularwoodworking.com/customer service. Or write to Popular Woodworking, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Or, if you prefer the telephone, call toll-free 877-860-9140 and a customer service representative will be happy to help you. When does my subscription expire? The date of your subscription expiration appears on your magazine mailing label, above your name. The date indicates the last issue in your subscription. Can I get back issues of Popular Woodworking? Back issues are available while supplies last. Visit popularwoodworking.com/backissues. Or if you know the exact month and year of the issue you want, call our customer service department toll-free at 800-258-0929 to order. What if I want more information about the projects and tools I read about in Popular Woodworking? For all editorial questions, please e-mail us at popwood@fwpubs.com. Or write to Popular Woodworking Editorial, 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. Does Popular Woodworking offer group discounts? Group discounts are available by special arrangement with the publisher. For more details, send an e-mail to Debbie Paolello at debbie.paolello@fwpubs.com or call 513-531-2690x1296. Our Privacy Promise to You We make portions of our customer list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services we believe you may enjoy. If you do not want to receive offers and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at: List Manager, F+W Publications 4700 E. Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 Safety Note Safety is your responsibility. Manufacturers place safety devices on their equipment for a reason. In many photos you see in Popular Woodworking, these have been removed to provide clarity. In some cases we'll use an awkward body position so you can better see what's being demonstrated. Don't copy us. Think about each procedure you're going to perform beforehand. 12 ■ Popular Woodworking June 2008 |
