A slice of Pye...
Oh puns, how you slay me. I think that's a really fresh joke. I feel like I could really carve out a niche for myself as a writer of puns. Oh... I've done it again.
Hilarity aside, I do regret to inform you that I accidentally deleted my pictures before I got a chance to upload them from the end of last week. Almost everybody had a bench that went together, most had them glued up, and all should be proud of what they accomplished. What they left with at the end of two weeks was more than a simple bench, but a new understanding of how how joinery works and how to execute it. There really is no middle step between that and creating your own pieces of furniture from your mind. If you can imagine a shape and figure out and execute the joinery properly, well, that's furniture making. That's all it is. So kudos to everyone who participated in the last two weeks of the Basic Woodworking course. You should be pleased with your results and proud of what you accomplished.
Now, for these next two weeks, I have the great pleasure of working with Chris Pye. Master carver and "sometimes sculptor" as he said, we're embarking on two one-week classes for the next steps in carving. We have some very ambitious projects and I'm sure all will accomplish some great things under his tutelage. I will also get to do some carving during the classes. I do have plenty of other responsibilities to make sure the class runs smoothy, but as much carving I can possibly do with him around I will—and I'm very much looking forward to it. Carving was a fascination of mine even before furniture making; gargoyles and green men, ball and claw feet and Ionic columns. Perhaps now is the time to sally forth in those great unknowns with more gusto than I have in the past. But for now, I'll start with a simple relief carving of a leaf.