The Essence of Essential

"I cannot remember not having some of the basic woodworking skills.  However, many men, women, boys and girls, of all ages, who are keen to make a start at woodworking, find that a multitude of excellent books on the craft assume very basic knowledge which they do not have."  --Robert Wearing, The Essential Woodworker

This is the first re-post from the old blog.

The above quote floored me.  But it took a while.  I read the book without it registering; maybe I didn't even read the introduction from which the quote comes the first time around.  Regardless of the journey, I only remember reading it the second time I picked up the book.

As a computing professional, I know a little something about gaining new knowledge from 'documentation' as we call it.  Reading highly technical Stuff is a daily part of life for people like me.  I never before seriously equated learning tactile dextrous tasks with reading.  The above quote brought it all into perspective.

That new found perspective coupled with one of my favorite quotes from Joseph Joubert:  "To teach is to learn twice" is the impetus behind this blog.  Not that I'm egotistical enough to believe that I'm a woodworking teacher, but I do hope that posting thought processes behind projects is instructive to others and to me as I learn and grow.  I fully expect to look back from time to time and laugh at myself.