How Lucky Are We?
The kindness and generosity of woodworkers has always been a point of amazement and pride for me. You will be hard pressed to find a more agreeable and helpful bunch of folks and I think I know why.
It is the material we work. What could be more sincere than wood? How lucky are we to be able to shape and commune with a material that has built empires, naval armadas, giant parasols, and furniture masterpieces? This is the material that launched us into flight with the Wright Brothers. Great musicians coax stunning music from instruments made from it. Wood is infinitely workable, completely renewable, and comes in a variety so diverse as to boggle the mind.
Anyone who has felt the easy slice of a drawknife through riven wood or the smell of White Oak freshly milled cannot but smile. Anyone who has marveled at the stunning contrast between heart and sapwood or watched a piece of Walnut light up as that first coat of finish is applied has to stop and wonder about the miracle of this material.
