Early Work
As an apprentice I trained in the proper care and sharpening of hand tools before graduating to learning their use. Hand tool work is slow, methodical, and beautiful. About one third of the work time is spent sharpening, as planes and chisels dull quickly when cutting mortise and tenon, dovetails, and other gorgeous joints out of hardwoods. This slowness allowed careful growth of both my skill and my understanding of the material. In the first few years of my training, I assisted my mentor on his projects and completed a few of my own.