Sorting out some carved coves for an upcoming project.

Resawing some Port Orford Cedar for drawer bottoms. I love how this stuff smells- this kind of intense, citrus- piney tang. That's not really it, though. Really, taken on its own, the smell can be a little much. After a while you start to wonder if maybe someone dropped a big thing of kitchen-counter cleaner. My wife is horribly allergic to it. But it still reminds me of school, of piles of shavings and adventures and late nights at the shop. Good times.

I spent the better part of this week cutting dovetails for the bridge table drawers. This is always one of my favorite parts of a project: the piece is basically made, and (hopefully) most of the weird technical hurdles have been cleared. Still plenty left to do, but somehow sitting at the bench chopping dovetails always feels like a break, a time to collect my thoughts and take a deep breath before the last push to finish a piece. Huge cup of coffee. Sharp chisels. The last few hours of "A Dance With Dragons" on audiobook. I'm gaining on it...

Interview with Mockingbird Domestics

I was excited to do an interview with Mockingbird Domestics, a home-furnishings retail space and website that specializes in Texas-made craft.  (You can read the interview here.)  I think what Laura and Jeff have put together is really neat, and I am delighted to be at least a small part of it.  If you have a minute or two, have a look around their site, or better yet, if you are in the Austin area, stop by their shop!  Long live Texas craft!  

Laying out sone tiny dovetails for the backs of the bridge table drawers.

Assembling the "flipper-flapper" tray- stops.

Fitting up one of the drawer fronts prior to dovetailing.

Fitting and surfacing one of the bridge table trays.