An Unusual Retirement

In 2015 I spent several days interviewing plane maker Karl Holtey for a profile which would be later published in the June 2016 issue of Popular Woodworking. That piece is one of the articles I’m most proud of. At the time of that interview, Karl had announced his impending retirement. He and I stayed in touch, and occasionally discussed doing a “post-retirement” follow up. The December 2020 issue of Popular Woodoworking is now available digitally, and carries the post-retirement interview with Karl, including discussion of his new plane – the 985 smoother.

Time for Tea

The latest issue of Popular Woodworking landed on my doorstep yesterday. I’ve been looking forward to this particular issue because it includes an article I researched and wrote at the start of the year about the restoration of the iconic Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed “Willow Tea Rooms” in Glasgow.

Following PopWood’s entry into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year it wasn’t clear if this article would ever see the light of day. Fortunately, with Active Interest Media’s purchase of PopWood, the magazine seems to be in better shape.

I’m grateful that this article is now in print, as it examines a painstaking (multi-million pound) restoration of a hugely important Mackintosh landmark, and shows the very finest of contemporary Scottish craftsmanship. It is a breathtaking project, and I hope readers will find it as interesting as I have.

Fail at Something Today

The December 2017 issue of Popular Woodworking is now available for download and contains, amongst many other excellent articles, my End Grain column on why embracing the risk of failure is a necessary part of developing as a woodworker.

Daddy has a Saw Problem

The October issue of Popular Woodworking appeared on my iPad this weekend, which means that it must be in print in the US now (though it will take a while longer to reach these shores). This issue includes my Saw Till as a project article, alongside fascinating articles by Nancy Hiller and Chris Schwarz amongst others. It was a real thrill to write a project for PopWood (thanks to Megan for asking me at Handworks last year), especially a project that I use every time I set foot in the workshop.

The Grand Reveal

Over the past couple of months I’ve been working on a project which I’ve refrained from writing about on OtW. That project is a wall hanging saw cabinet (daddy has a saw problem, remember?) which will be the subject of a project article for the October 2018 issue of Popular Woodworking. With the build now complete, and the copy, drawings, and process photographs, all submitted to the magazine, I have added the saw cabinet to the Portfolio section of OtW. Click through here to see a selection of the excellent beauty shots of the saw cabinet Gareth took two weeks ago. And if you want to know how to build this cabinet? Stay tuned for the October issue of PopWood!

Karl Holtey profile in Handplane Essentials

Over the past 5 years I’ve found the first edition of Chris’ book Handplane Essentials to be an invaluable reference, so when he announced last year that he was working on a revised second edition I knew I would have to pick up a copy. What I didn’t realise, until an eagle-eyed reader at EWS 2017 told me, was that along with a lot of new content by Chris the 2nd edition of Handplane Essentials also contains my profile on Karl Holtey.

My copy arrived last week, and although I have only had a brief opportunity to flick through it so far, my first impressions are that the second edition builds on what was already an excellent body of reference material. To have one of my articles included in this collection is a real thrill, and I’m looking forward to stealing some time to read the new edition in depth. Handplane Essentials can be found in the Popular Woodworking store here.

Karl Holtey, Plane Pioneer

If you’re not already a regular reader of Popular Woodworking magazine then shame on you. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t read my article on plane making legend Karl Holtey – the full article (from the June 2016 issue) is now available to on read on the Popular Woodworking website free of charge. So if you are interested in one of the most important tool makers of our time, point your browser: here.

Karl Holtey in his Highland workshop

 

In print on both sides of the Atlantic

The June issue of Popular Woodworking is now in stores on both sides of the Atlantic, and carries my feature on Karl Holtey (including quotes from interviews with Chris Schwarz, Wayne Anderson, Raney Nelson and Konrad Sauer). Also featured is a staked table project by Chris, Megan’s medicine cabinet, and Peter Follansbee’s excellent regular column.

My copy landed on my door mat yesterday, and it was a real buzz to see my words nestling amongst articles by such well acclaimed woodworkers and writers.

Over the Wireless in Unexpected Places

So here’s another announcement I’ve been patiently waiting to make.

Last October I took a trip up to the Scottish Highlands and spent two days with storied plane maker Karl Holtey, and his wife Claire. Karl is in the process of finishing his final run of planes, after which retirement beckons. The purpose of my fieldtrip was to interview Karl on his career, processes, and plans for retirement, for an article for Popular Woodworking (my very first for PW).

The June issue of Popular Woodworking has now been unveiled, and you can read the introduction to my article on the PW website here.  In addition to the interview with Karl, the article also includes interviews with Wayne Anderson, Raney Nelson, Konrad Sauer, and Chris Schwarz.

The PW June issue is in stores from 26 April, and I am looking forward to it very much.

And before you ask, no, this is not some elaborate April Fool (unless Megan has been plotting this since August 2015, in which case I entirely deserve to be duped…).