​​I think the heart of any shop is the work bench, a belief that I have had for many years. It's the place where every project comes to life, where the craftsman comes alive with in what ever they are building. ​

Being in a world of social media I have noticed the popularity the subject of work benches has become. Every article and video trying to guide you in what bench to build. The problem for someone researching the subject is the amount of information out there that they have to sift through. Then who do you listen to ?  If Chris Schwarz is talking about work benches you can rest assured it is good sound advise. But you have to look at what someone has done to know if you should listen to what they have to say. I would listen to Tommy MacDonald talk about drawer construction all day long before I would spending five minutes listening to the guy with the fancy blue jig talk about the same subject.      
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​I think a work bench is a personal thing that can only be decided on by the person using it, and only after years of developing their craft can they truly know what does or doesn't work for them. If you are a person who creates hand cut joinery maybe a moxon vise is something you should think about, removing the need to build a bench that may or may not work for you. Especially if all your after is a way to secure stock while  cutting dovetails.    

​My best advise is to take in as much good information as you can find. Then look at established woodworkers whos styles of work you are influenced by and see what they are using, committing yourself to understanding why they use what they use.  But most important don't build a bench just yet, get a couple of saw horses and put a few boards across the top and start woodworking. Because only after you progress in your craft and gain some knowledge can you make an honest, informed and educated decision on what will or will not work for you.   
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​Today began like any other day, with a cup of coffee sitting in front of my computer and seeing what's going in the world. Then it happens, I go to my emails and get the age old question. " I want to get into woodworking. What tools do I need to get started ? "  And going back through everything I have published I quickly realized I have never addressed this question before, I have not even touched on the subject. 
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​Now looking at a question like this I can understand how it could be intimidating to walk into the shop of someone who has been woodworking for years. All the power tools, the hand tools, the jigs, and then the work bench and the walls covered with everything from clamps to templates, it's a lot to take in. 
But I think the intimidation comes from the simple over sight that you are standing in a shop that is built from years of various projects, filled with the tools collected to complete each one of those projects.  With this in mind my best advise is to decide what you want to build, then it's just a question of what tools do you need to build that project and that's where the tool buying should start.    ​

This last week I finally found myself back in my little workshop, spending most of my time trying to remember what I was doing last. I'm not sure if that's my age showing or if it had just been that long since I found myself in here. But I decided to take advantage of a nice day and spend my time cleaning up and dusting off the slant top desk I built a while back, then moving it outside to get some good pictures of it as I usually do with most of my work.

It is funny how much different things look through the eye of the camera. What I mean is for me especially I find I do not truly appreciate anything I build until sometime after the project is finished then one day I find myself looking at pictures of it and that's when it hits me, that feel good moment the moment of pride .

I have been producing content for years for other people to enjoy and if I'm judging this on the number of people who subscribe to or follow me, I would be inclined to believe I have done a pretty good job. But I have to question the quality of what I have been doing and a lot when I look at projects like this desk. In the world of youtube for example I would have to build this desk and edit the video in one week, so I have to ask myself if I could build this at this level and craftsmanship in that time frame and I have to say no. I could hit that time frame if I half assed it with plywood and pocket screws, but half of the pride for me at least is the joinery and  meticulousness that a build like this offers.   

Don't completely miss understand me, I'm sure there are craftsman capable of producing a piece like this in that time frame, just not me and nor do I want to be. I believe this is what has pushed me away from social media platforms such as youtube. It has become a place where quantity of content has surpassed quality, a place where bragging about your new foreman machine gets people excited yet talking about your scratch stock is typically greeted with that famous cricket noise.  I'm not sure what the future of my content holds or where it is going, but I am sure I'm happy with quality versus quantity.  

I think we have come to a cross roads. Is it about the quantity of projects produced or the quality?  Is it about the number of views or the time spent to hand rub the french polish finish of a piece like this desk ? It comes down to what motivates you, I think if your chasing views and your only concern is revenue, then it makes sense to break out your foreman machine then a rattle can finish to hit your deadline. For me I would rather spend that week with a scratch stock and a beautiful piece of Holly working on something federal and if someone happens to see it that's great, and if they appreciate it or gain something from what I'm doing that's even better.