Hewing joinery stock

I'm lucky

Now that the cupboard project is done it’s time to wrap up writing the text and picking photos for the book about it. Both clients for those jobs were amazingly supportive - when I first got contacted to make the cupboard the customer said “the price is fine, it doesn’t matter how long it takes, I just want it done right and I want it well-documented.” My emphasis. 

I’ve kept a camera and a tripod in my shop since I started studying joined furniture with Jennie Alexander in 1989. Back then we used 35mm slide film and a long cable-release to fire the shutter, now my digital cameras use a little battery-powered button that sometimes shows up in my shots. Saw one yesterday - right beside the mortise chisel:

Nikon remote button

So when that stipulation about documentation came up, I was ready. Then Chris Schwarz and Megan Fitzpatrick said “let’s make it a book...” 

I told you I’m lucky. 

Yesterday I was filling in holes in the text - writing about the froe and the hatchet. Lots of people use froes these days, but the slender stuff chairmakers use rarely needs hewing. The bulky stuff I use in joinery often needs some hatchet work prior to planing. But it’s funny, I started using the hatchet when I learned chairmaking from JA. The first one I had was a German hatchet, 1979 or so - it was excellent. Looked like this (if you ever see one, grab it, they’re real nice hatchets)

FWB hatchet, 5 1/4” cutting edge. 2 1/2 lbs