a snippet from my Craft Genealogy

From time to time I’ve mentioned a project I have in the works, mostly in my head, some on the hard drive here, I call my “Craft Genealogy.” It’s about the people I’ve known who taught me the particular brand of woodworking that I have been involved with now for 45 years. I have been incredibly lucky over those decades to meet some people that really moved me in many ways. A little while ago, Curtis Buchanan and his wife Marilyn made a trip up here to New England to see some old friends and I was glad to be on the itinerary. We spent a couple of very nice afternoons together - I mentioned one of them in an earlier post https://peterfollansbeejoinerswork.substack.com/p/a-chairmakers-picnic

I think it was there that I heard Curtis telling a story that I’ve heard from him many times - and I know it from its source, Daniel O’Hagan.

(photo from Drew Langsner)

Daniel was a huge influence on me - when I met him at Drew & Louise Langsner’s in 1985 I owned a tablesaw, jointer, drill press, router, electric lathe, circular saw(s) and more. One week learning timber framing with Daniel and I got rid of all of them - and have never missed them. I kept the lathe but got rid of the motor. Here’s my Delta pole lathe, c. 1990. (eventually replaced it with a lathe a friend and I built).