Teaching has paradoxically revealed to me just how much knowledge I have acquired over the past years, while at the same time how much more there is for me to learn.  Consolidating information, and the inevitable questions of “why do it this way,’ has made me a better woodworker.  It has forced me to focus on the myriad of small step and fundamentals of the craft that so often get lost when rushing toward the final product.  It has revealed the trees from the forest.

Woodworking, aside from goat herding (which is another love of mine), has to be one of the oldest trades.  However, in our present world of mass production and consumption, it is harder to find both true examples of the craft and places to learn it.

I have hope that the interest in and support of its practitioners is returning, as evidenced by the large number of people from all walks of life that turn up for workshops.  It is in this setting, in giving back to the local community, that teaching is most rewarding and satisfying.  I was fortunate enough to have good teachers along the way, and it only seems fitting that I pass on the knowledge that was passed to me.