Highland Staff

Article: Milling Wood the Hard Way

Jan 152019
 

In the latest issue of Wood News Online, Bram Gallagher tells the story of milling a salvaged tree that was being taken down in his neighborhood. 

I was initially disappointed to find out that the tree they were felling was a Bradford pear, that despised tree that smells like rotting fish in the spring and collapses under its own weight in the winter. Still, the loggers were happy to drop it off in my driveway rather than spend an hour chipping it, so I was resolved to experiment on my new wood. I can today state, emphatically, that if you get the chance to get 400-500 pounds of green pear wood for free, you should take it. You don’t need to park your car indoors anymore.

Click here to read more!

Book Review: Ingenious Mechanicks by Christopher Schwarz

Dec 202018
 

Christopher Schwarz’s fascination with workbenches and workbench design history continues in his new offer from Lost Art Press, Ingenious Mechanicks. Norm Reid reviewed the book, here are a few of his initial thoughts:

A recent release from Lost Art Press, this book is an homage to Christopher Schwarz’s love for workbenches and his dedication to understanding them in all their manifestations. On the surface, Ingenious Mechanicks is a beautifully-illustrated treatise on ancient workbenches. But while it does illuminate our understanding of how woodworkers from Roman times forward did their work, it contributes much more than that. Readers will find here guidelines for crafting several styles of low workbenches that are both beautiful (they can serve as furniture!) and surprisingly functional. In doing so, it turns our heads toward new directions for approaching hand tool woodworking that may well shake up practices well-enshrined in Western tradition since before Joseph Moxon and André Roubo came on the scene.

Read the rest of the review

Purchase your own copy of Ingenious Mechanicks

Click the link for more great woodworking book ideas

Book Review: Slojd in Wood

Dec 182018
 

Lost Art Press has really upped their game this year in the variety of books they are releasing. We were especially excited to see this book on crafting utensils, given the current spoon carving craze. Norm Reid read the book and reviewed it for us:

In this brilliant little book, Slojd in Wood, Jögge Sundqvist provides a complete course in crafting utensils and other useful items from wood. Though the Swedish term slöjd may at first be off-putting to English-speaking readers, it needn’t be. Slöjd refers to crafty and traditional ways of working with hand tools to make functional and decorative items for around the house and homestead. The term itself derives from the word slög, meaning artful or clever. Slöjd is a practice that has evolved from centuries-old traditional practices of self-sufficiency that can be applied to many types of raw materials. Here, Sundqvist shows how to craft items from his chosen medium, wood.

Click here to read the rest of Norm’s review

Click here to purchase your own copy of Slojd in Wood

Click the link for more great woodworking book ideas

The World Could Use More Woodworkers

Dec 132018
 

I think we can all agree this world would be a little better off with more woodworkers, right? All of the skills we learn from woodworking – self-reliance, persistence, planning, hand-eye coordination, the ability to problem-solve, are useful in many areas of our lives.

If you aren’t sure what gift to get the non-woodworker on your list this year, maybe it is time to try and convert them to a woodworker? At Highland, we’ve got ideas for all tool categories at economy and premium level pricing, so you can find the right gift for anyone who might like to learn to work wood.

Take a look and find the perfect gift for the aspiring woodworker in your life

Sharpen Up or Shut Up – Chris Schwarz weighs in on the Handtool Backlash

Dec 112018
 

Christopher Schwarz has noticed a trend in some sections of the woodworking world: otherwise capable woodworkers struggle when it comes to using their hand tools, even when their tools are of the highest quality. Chris thinks he knows why that might be the case.

Click here to find out

 

 

 

Video: Flex Arm Magnetic LED Work Light

Nov 202018
 

Not all of us have beautiful natural light pouring through the windows of our shop. And even if you do, you may still need more light in your shop. The sun does go down at the end of the day, after all, and we aren’t always done with our woodworking by sunset! If you are looking for a great light to shine on your woodworking, the Flex Arm Magnetic LED Work Light might be just what you are looking for.

Matthew Morris walks us through the key features of this flexible work light and shows off some of the convenient ways you can use it around your shop.

Click to find out more about the Flex Arm Magnetic LED Work Light, available at Highland Woodworking.

Book Review: Mortise & Tenon Magazine, Issue 5

Nov 152018
 


We are excited to present the brand new fifth issue of Mortise & Tenon Magazine! Take a look at what Norm Reid had to say about it:

Once again, Joshua Klein and his co-editor Michael Updegraff have brought forth an eclectic and engaging gathering of articles about matters woodworking in Mortise & Tenon Magazine, Issue 5. As is their wont, the articles range widely in scope, emphasizing an historical perspective, with nary an electron-powered device in sight. While respect for tradition is evident throughout the issue, missing is the explicit attention to conservation and preservation that was evident in prior issues. Also missing is any attempt to present a how-to-do-it approach to our art and craft. What remains, though, is delightful and inspiring, as well as a darn good read.

Click here to read the rest of Norm’s review

Click here to purchase your own copy of Mortise & Tenon Magazine