From Darrick's Hands

Darrick is now in his fourth week at the College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking program. Shown here are some exercises meant to prepare the students for their first project: the mortise and tenon, a handmade plane and dovetails. Dovetails have presented some foot stomping, as they should.

This school has proven to be nothing short of very impressive. Everyone seems to really be challenging each other and, in many ways by default, making this his or her entire life at the moment. Every Friday we have what's called 'Elephants', which means party in woodworker tongue. Most Fridays, it's just outside the doors of the shop with a fire, food and volleyball. This last Friday we gathered at Ron Hock's place up the road. Beautiful property. Hock makes all the plane blades that the students buy to make their tools. Us and all the students and teachers present got a nice tour and demo of what he does. It's great that the woodworking community here is so connected!