Grand Slam Tools – Whisper Mini
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Just before we moved out of our old house, I received a complimentary set of tools from Grand Slam Tools. I figured you guys would like to see them for yourself. Grand Slam Tools is a small company run by fellow podcaster Tommy MacDonald. Their initial offering of products include high quality wooden marking gauges, baseball bat mallets, and paring blocks. You can buy the items separately or in a 4-pack to save a few bucks. Check out all their offerings at:
Italian Food and Woodworking
An amazing and groundbreaking thing happened in my neighborhood this week: The Olive Garden opened its doors! Nicole was very excited. Me? Not so much. Where Nicole grew up, Italian food WAS Olive Garden. Where I grew up (in a predominantly Italian area known as “The Burg” in Trenton, NJ), Olive Garden was the punchline to a joke. But despite having access to all of these small, ambiance-rich, high quality restaurants, our local Olive Garden was always packed. And many truly considered it to be “fine dining”. As far as I was concerned back then, it was all just food and I ate where my parents told me to. If they had Chicken Parmesan and French dressing, I was a happy boy. But as I got older, I developed an appreciation for the true difference between the mundane consistency of Olive Garden, and the punchy, fresh, and vibrant flavors delivered by a thoughtful and prideful chef.
Well today, Nicole finally got her wish as we headed to Olive Garden for lunch. The meal was everything I thought it would be: one-dimensional and heavy on the oil. But as we were eating, I noticed that the trim on the walls was nothing more than construction grade douglas fir. Upon further inspection I could see oodles of nail holes and even the tell-tale ridge that develops when your round-over bit is set too low. Nicole laughed at me as I pointed out the lack of care and attention given to the finer details. Douglas fir or not, the wood deserved a better fate than that! Now don’t get me wrong. I realize that this is a commercial chain restaurant. I am just illustrating a point. Just as refined taste buds and an appreciation of quality ingredients helped me realize where Olive Garden stands in the world of food, an ever-increasing knowledge of quality wood and refined techniques allows me to discern the difference between good woodwork and bad. Believe it or not, it wasn’t long ago that I would walk through IKEA wishing I could build some of the cool modern furniture I saw there. Today, needless to say, I see things with a different pair of eyes.
So this brings up a thought-invoking question. Does enlightenment bring with it responsibility and obligation? That is, making sure your projects live up to the standards you are aware of and are capable of. As a lover of great food, should I kick and scream as Nicole drags me by my ear into the Olive Garden? Or should I shut up and just eat my oily pasta dish? As you progress as a woodworker and learn more about creating quality work, do you feel guilty if you stop short? Do you ever say “good enough”, even though you know you could do better? I am curious to hear where you draw that line.
I’ll go first. I definitely feel a sense of guilt if I don’t do something to the absolute best of my abilities. But there are times, as a business, that I must come up with cost saving solutions that frequently mean lowering my standards. When making my own personal pieces, however, I really do try to make everything as good as it can possibly be given the tools/materials on hand and my current skill set.
And just an FYI, after years of taking Nicole to what I consider “good” Italian restaurants, she walked out of the Olive Garden slightly disappointed today. For some reason, she just remembered it tasting better. Haha! My evil plan is working!
35 – A Visit To Fine Woodworking
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A few months ago we paid a visit to the offices of Fine Woodworking Magazine and The Taunton Press. It was a great experience and incredibly cool seeing how an initial idea becomes an article. This video gives you a behind the scenes look into that exact process. You’ll also get to see the Fine Woodworking shop and we’ll hear from numerous key staff members as they explain their roles in the process.
And by the way, most of the interviews were significantly longer than what appeared in the video. If there is any interest, I would be more than happy to release the full interviews at a later date. Just let me know.
Wood Talk Online – Episode 25
This week, Matt and Marc are wingin’ it! Part of the reason is because of Marc’s technical recording difficulties. Marc is currently working on a sculpted end-table and for The Wood Whisperer and Matt brings up his concerns about The Woodworking Shows. Marc then reviews the new tools being offered by Festool. Our first email was from Austin who needed finishing advice for his new kitchen table. Our second voicemail came from Roberto who wanted to know why most folks opt for router tables, instead of shapers. Marc recommends this Fine Woodworking Article. Our emails include questions about patterns and templates, jointer chatter, finishing the inside of a box, and mortising machines.
Don’t forget if you have a woodworking question, you can leave us a message at 623-242-2450, or you can email us at woodtalkonline@gmail.com
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