There’s always another way
One of the wonderful things about woodworking is that there are so many different paths to success. Whether it’s cutting a decorative profile, or a certain kind of joint, there are a lot ways to get to that end result depending on what your skills are and what tools you have access to. I think that’s one reason our Tips and Tricks department is so popular: there’s always a new way to get things done. And it ties into the idea that we should all be lifelong learners. Personally, I enjoy the challenge of learning a new technique and weighing it against what I am already familiar with. For example, as I was building the club chair for this issue, I opted to cut the tenons on the table saw. I’ve done this innumerable times before, but for this project I used a follower block to guide the pieces along the fence instead of pushing them with the miter gauge. This is a technique I learned from working with contributor Ellen Kaspern and I’m pleased to report it worked quite well for me. I encourage you to give it a try, even if you’re not building the chair.
As we put our stories together we try to keep this exploratory approach in mind, presenting a wide variety of techniques that make woodworking accessible to anyone who has an interest in the craft, regardless of how big a budget they have for their shop. Whether you build a specific project or not, it’s worth the time to go through the story to see if you could use those same techniques somewhere down the road. Conversely, if you find a project you do like, but lack a certain tool to build it as shown, there is bound to be another way to get the job done. This is also the approach I take in the woodworking classes I teach. I’ll present how I do things, but will help students adapt those techniques to their own particular shop and skills. As long as a method isn’t dangerous, I’m happy to help tweak it to fit the task at hand. And that goes for you, our valued readers, too. Please realize that we want you to be successful building the projects we present. So don’t feel limited by the techniques we show in our photos; there are bound to be other paths to the same end result. And if you’re having trouble finding an alternative, don’t be afraid to reach out, we’re happy to point you in the right direction.
Ken Burton, Coordinating Editor
ken_burton@woodcraftmagazine.com
