From The Editor
Focus on the future.
Much what we do as woodworkers is rooted in the past, using many of the same tools and techniques that joiners and cabinetmakers used in previous centuries. Lately, though, I find there’s an awful lot of new technology creeping into the shop (or my shop at least).
Last year around this time, we surveyed our readers and found that most had the basics of a power tool-centric shop: a table saw, band saw, jointer and planer. Almost all had a cordless drill, miter saw and a handheld router. But what was the one machine they would purchase next if they could? Overwhelmingly, our readers indicated that machine would be a CNC router.
A machine that’s super precise and can do the mundane, repetitive tasks while you focus on the fun stuff? Sign me up!
Then I think about all of the very talented people I know who create things digitally, who want to see their creations in the physical realm. It’s similar to what I do at the start of a project—i make a sketch of what I want the finished thing to look like and make a plan for how to get there. Is that so different than drawing an object on a screen and then using machines to realize it?
Though sometimes technology can be frustrating or intimidating, it’s also very exciting. I think that might be a key to getting some new people into woodworking. Using the Shaper Origin, for example, sometimes feels like a video game: You’re trying to keep the dot as close to the line as possible. And if you do, your joints will line up perfectly (you win!).
When the dust collection adapter on my planer cracked this winter, I couldn’t find a replacement anywhere. Then I saw a post online about a 3D-printed adapter, made from plastic. My friend, who caught the 3D printing bug for making miniatures, printed it for me and it was ready the next day (faster than if I’d ordered a replacement online).
There’s definitely an artistry to modeling things virtually, then creating them in the physical realm. I look at the various port sizes on my tools and think about printing custom adapters to hook my dust extractor to everything. And hooks and clasps to hold tools on the wall or keep drawers organized. Or being able to replace a plastic part that breaks at the most inopportune time. It’s bordering on Star Trek-level technology.
The idea that how we make things is changing is one reason why I was so excited to get Tim Celeski’s design for a workbench. Thinking about a surface that uses a grid for layout, using non-traditional tools such as track saws, Domino joiners, CNC routers and the like, is invigorating. Yes, perhaps the way we’ve always done it is the best way. Exploring what else is possible is just as worthwhile and central to what I like most about being a maker.