Authentic Nautical Accessories, and Custom Furnishings
Figureheads get lots of attention in maritime museum exhibits. There are even museum collections of figureheads lost at sea. Often, the names of the ships they graced are unknown. If we knew, we could reconstruct a travelogue of all the ports they'd seen. But many ships lacked figureheads. The old figure went overboard in a …
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, a Drummer was not just a percussionist. A drummer was a traveling salesman who'd make the rounds with tools, clothes, or anything else you might wish to purchase but could not easily find at the small retail establishments in your town. Think no internet, no Walmart, and few …
Yesterday, I spent a significant part of the day working on a carving of a large schooner. I based it on research I did for an earlier schooner built by the same yard around the same time in the late 19th century. I used skills acquired in the earlier carving to ease the work on …
Photographs help me remember steps and processes. Years ago, I used photography only to record the results. But pictures of the in-between stages were more than a bit helpful. One of the big reasons I say this is because there are some things that I only do rarely. Reminders are valuable.I need to be a …
If you studied economics, process engineering or are an enthusiast of popular psychology, you might have heard of the Sunk Cost Fallacy. It's alive and well in woodcarving too. Sunk costs are costs you have paid and can't get back. That's fine if everything works out. But if the project just hasn't been the success …
This is my second run at the Steam Yacht Zaida. I've used different techniques and am more satisfied with the outcome.
I found the wood sitting in the shorts at my favorite hardwood dealer. It was very dark, heavy, and dense. It was mahogany but so dark and heavy that I felt it was a wayward piece of Dominican, not Honduran. It was just what I wanted.
We all want to be instant experts. One of my sensei describes this in terms of the training montages that are standard fare in martial arts movies; the neophyte progresses from clumsy beginner to skilled pro in thirty seconds of cinematic snapshots.
I admit that the sort of non complex carving that happens when I carve a small bowl is pretty alluring. No antsy detail. No pattern that needs to be followed. Just follow the will of the wood.
We can easily get lost in the weeds talking about tradition in crafts.
This chest was not in stock long enough for me to do a proper set of photos. It sold at it's first appearance at the Maine Boatbuilder's Show to a pair of Boston Harbor pilots who were going to give it as a retirement gift to a colleague.
As consumers, there is much that you don't know about your favorite woods.
It sails on my wall with a cherry ocean and sky heading east from Japan or China towards Los Angelos. I think my father is pleased that his ship is restored to an essential place in our lives, through the unexpected kindness of a fellow seaman.
While teaching, I always like to decorate the workshop with carving examples for students to use as a reference. Week-long excursions to teach away from home mean emptying the house of many of my carvings. But samples in three dimensions often are better than pictures or demonstration, and the extra work was worth it.
The problem with imagination is that it's boundless. On the wall is a poster telling you that you can do it if you can imagine it. Don't take it too literally.
That's right, boredom makes me nervous. I've never been the type to sit around and examine my navel. Action is my meditation. My mind can roam freely over thousands of things and be relaxed while doing the springtime yard work. I know I've often mentioned the "List". The list is stuck to the wall by …
It's almost fire-pit season. The springtime yard clean-up is mostly done, and the trees are beginning to bud out. In a week or two, the evenings will be suitable for lighting the fire, sitting down on the glider with a ginger beer, and watching the flames. I know that an evening fire on the edge …
And the number is: 243 A small sign in progress. the top is graced by a amall carved sloop. A large cherry bowl being carved. This piece was done by my wife's great grandfather who was very skilled carver. This was one of the rejects! The "good" stuff was sold. Intruders beware! Not only do …
Yes, that's right, most Social Media. Meh. For me, the heyday of social media was its infancy. It was simple, direct, and genuine. There wasn't a flood of associated apps that you just had to join, or the push to put your entire life online. Back when, I'd heard greater wisdom drooling from the mouths …
The new computer is arriving in about a week. Last night I finally hit the buy key and did it. Six years ago, when my "Trash Can" Mac died all of a sudden, I hurriedly bought the first thing I could get. I had deadlines to meet, and couldn't shop at leisure. There it sat, …
When you are self taught you can sometimes get to rather advanced stages, but miss something along the way. That's why I describe this little episode as a woodcarving oops. I was doing boat show, selling quarterboards and fancy doodads for boats that I was turning out in my shop, and generally thinking that I …
When we moved into our house, the first thing I dumped was the big bag of weed and feed. Generations may have occupied the house and ceaselessly been at war with the wooded bird sanctuary just past the old stone fence. No amount of weedkiller, fertilizer, or grass seed would create a thriving lawn there. …
Daily writing promptWhat place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?View all responses There is a bar in Lower Manhattan that I have vowed never to set foot in again. Besides being that I have "been banned forever," it might be healthier to stay clear. Yes, the events that led up to …
I leave the bedroom door open a crack at night. For the cats. I've learned that Marcus and Sabrina can combine their scratches on the door with soft meowings - let us out, or let us in. So it's easier to leave the door open, a crack to allow peaceful travel to and fro. Call …
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self." - Ernest Hemingway
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