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.
What’s a song that changed your life? View all responses I am probably practicing guitar more now than at any time in the past thirty years, and the fingers are beginning to respond. Charlie, my guitar, is whispering to me, "So when do we go lookin' for a gig?" I hush him. Even if the …
What are your thoughts about cryptocurrency? View all responses I once heard a definition that stated that any technology sufficiently advanced that it defies description is actually magic. Reading a definition of cryptocurrency this morning made me think about that definition because I got lost in the first sentence. But thinking about the Binance hack, …
I found this while cleaning up on the front porch. It was buried in a small pack my oldest son used for school when he was little.
We didn't get too many Trick or Treat visitors at our loft building down by the old Boston and Maine railroad tracks. The visitors that did show up were not looking for tricks or treats, but usually for theft. The building was a big old wooden frame loft building. It's still there, and you can …
Too many cruel people hide among merrymakers dressed as ghosts, goblins, and political figures.
The photo is of my third Dan diploma (third-degree black belt) and my short sword on the wall in the bedroom. That's right, I am certified lethal with a sword. The short sword is not the Vorpal Blade of literature, which was "swift and keen, and always ready for service," as the Cheshire Cat said …
I suffer from a bit of seasonal affective disorder. When the sun sets early and rises late, I get the blues. Over the years, I've actively sought out ways to minimize those sad, bad days. I try to keep my physical activity levels up, find ways to engage my mind in educational and entertaining ways, …
Share a few recent shots from your camera roll, no context needed. View all responses
What’s one thing you own that holds deep sentimental value? View all responses Here we go again. It's revelation time. The Kingston Trio saved me. Act I - the gang and guitar noise We were living in Washington Heights in the big old apartment building where my dad was the superintendent. One of the "wanna …
Flee!!!! Run away! It's coming for me!
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