Category Archives: Design Basics

Design wisdom from another craft

Posted on April 19, 2016 by walkerg

My lovely wife Barb is a painter and when the weather turns mild you can find her outside with her easel and paints. She’s helped me to see the world through a painter’s eyes and it’s helped me dig deeper … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Basics | Comments Off on Design wisdom from another craft

A woodworking hero

Posted on April 3, 2016 by walkerg

We’ve heard the unbelievable stories about how workers of yesteryear cranked out huge amounts of high quality work in an insanely short period of time. There’s no way to confirm the exploits of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Basics | 1 Comment

Hot Rod in wood

Posted on February 19, 2016 by walkerg

Tucked away in an alcove in the Springfield Museum of Art this 19th century desk begs more questions than answers. The form itself is typical of furniture built in a rural setting by a cabinetmaker who sparingly added a few touches … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Basics | 5 Comments

Preserving the Fire

Posted on February 3, 2016 by walkerg

It’s 6AM and five year old Seth, sitting beside me on the couch wrapped in his favorite blanket, looks up and says, “Poppy, can we go downstairs?” “Downstairs” is Seth’s word for my basement workshop. It’s a place where he … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Basics, design workshops | 3 Comments

Magic in the forest

Posted on September 27, 2015 by walkerg

We paused on our hike Saturday to admire a stand of mature American Beech trees. In this part of the Ohio valley they are the kings of the forest, their smooth grey bark shining in the shadows underneath the canopy. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Design Basics | 4 Comments

The English Woodworker Premium Videos

Posted on August 16, 2015 by walkerg

  I’m not too proud to admit that after thirty years of hand tool woodworking, there’s still much to learn. From the start, Richard McGuire’s blog and video clips at The English Woodworker struck me as the real deal. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Basics, design workshops | 1 Comment

Salvaging a Design Failure

Posted on July 6, 2015 by walkerg

  I know artists who save some of their early paintings as a reminder that in spite of their doubts, they are making progress. Others more ruthless, cast their failures into the fireplace where they can at least enjoy a … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Basics, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Handy layout tip

Posted on June 29, 2015 by walkerg

Here’s a slick way to layout an octagon from a square blank without resorting to math or measurements. Just connect the corners with diagonals and then use a combination square or a small wooden gage block like this one, set … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Basics, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

For all Practical Purposes

Posted on April 13, 2015 by walkerg

The design aspect of every craft has some theory, a bit of myth, and a sprinkling of mystery. But, there’s another category of knowledge,  things that work because – well.. they are just practical and intuitive. The best of all … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Basics | 4 Comments

Shop Geometry that won’t make your eyes bleed

Posted on March 3, 2015 by walkerg

Recently Chris Schwarz lamented that that much of the historic literature on craft is stuffed with geometry but doesn’t explain how to set up a smoothing plane. And to make matters worse the geometry lessons quickly spin out of control … Continue reading →

Posted in Design Basics, Design Book | 5 Comments