New Tool!

and recommendations

I’m probably jumping the gun a bit, but I’m super excited about this new offering. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but alas, everything else was pulling me in too many directions. I recently had some rods machined to fit in drill chucks and now, instead of fussing with extension rods, couplers and allen keys, I can do my extension drilling just as fast as chucking up a bit. Plus, I can use any sized bit with a shank 1/2” or smaller. I had tried other options where the chuck has a built in coupler, but the length of the unit became cumbersome and created challenges I want to avoid.

I started with a short run that will be ready for shipping in about 2 weeks. The price is $110 plus shipping and you can place a preorder on my website. I’ll ship them as soon as all the parts come in.

If you are wondering why I would need to extend my drill bits, WELCOME!, you’re probably new here. Using an extension rod helps with different drilling operations, such as when using my drilling jig for seat drilling (free plans here), or the “Dart” drilling jig for stretchers (seen here). It’s incredibly handy and I’ve wanted this for myself for a while. Previously, I used motor shaft couplers, but they limited the bits I could use to 1/2” shank.

I’ve been doing some thinking about recommendations I want to share. One is a short lived but I think very relevant Substack from Dawson Moore. Dawson is an exceptional craftsman out of Michigan (you may know him as Michigan Sloyd), but he’s is also an excellent thinker and writer about craft. I kind of got blasted out of my complacency in the last year being in the orbit of a younger generation of craftspeople and I am doing my best to become more aware of the state of the craft for myself and for folks getting into it. A while back, I started to realize the relevant experience I had to offer folks getting into the crafts professionally was getting threadbare. The landscape is changing as rapidly as the world around us. The younger set, raised in a digital world, has lots going on and faces a very different set of challenges and opportunities. Part of me wants to put my head firmly in a hole in the ground, “isn’t this supposed to be my refuge…dare I say safe space?” But I believe that what we make matters and contexts and meanings can shift. I’m not quite ready to be put out to pasture, so I’m open to thoughtful and clear insights. Dawson offered some in the posts he published and I’m working on pushing him to write some more.

I know it’s off topic, but anyone who works alone in the shop listens to podcasts. So here are a couple of my favorites.

• You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney is a popular psychology book and podcast that explores how humans are generally unaware of their own biases and cognitive distortions. Covering 48 cognitive biases, it argues that self-delusion keeps people sane, and focuses on how individuals create narratives to justify their decisions.

• Fall of Civilizations podcast with Paul Cooper. I enjoy his long form explorations of the rise and fall of various empires.

• The Guardian Long Reads takes me places I probably wouldn’t come across in my normal pathways and delivers thoughtful and relevant articles.

There are plenty more podcasts, feel free to share your favorites. I’ve also been spending more time with my nose in actual books, which feels great. I’ll have some recommendations there soon as well.

A Temple Chair class starts tomorrow. I’m happy not to be worrying about snow clogging the parking area. It’s thawing out around here, birds are singing and classes will be eating lunch outside again soon. Probably not too long before we can complain about the heat.