Author Archives: fitz

I’ve been listening to folks wax poetic about Dan Raber’s Colonial Homestead for a couple of years, and I now know why. Chris Williams, Christopher Schwarz, Terry West (Christopher’s mother) and I took a drive up to Ohio’s beautiful Amish … Continue reading →

I searched high and low for a bathroom vanity that fit my aesthetics, space and budget, but found nothing I liked at any price point. I refuse to settle (which is why, says Chris, I’m single), so I designed and … Continue reading →

Lost Art Press Hang out with six (and in a couple cases a few more) of your new closest friends as you learn woodworking in our upcoming classes. Below are listed and linked those in which there are one or … Continue reading →

I’ve heard many folks say that the difference between a professional and an amateur is that a professional knows how to hide her or his mistakes. I guess I do know how: Don’t write about them. But I would never … Continue reading →

Yesterday morning, I picked up some nice 8/4 cherry at Paxton Lumber (thank you, Greg, for searching through the back for the perfect stick); today, I milled it down into eight 34″-long x 1-7/8-square sticks and stickered it on my … Continue reading →

I bought some architectural columns and knee walls to go in the large opening between my front hall and the living room, but instead of creating a frame around the space, the columns will butt into the door frame – … Continue reading →

Just…wow. On the block at the Martin J. Donnelly Nashua spring auction is an actual Dutch tool chest – complete with carpenter’s tools, brought to the U.S. from Holland by Marinus Steenland. According to Jim Tolpin in “The Toolbox Book,” … Continue reading →

Get your head out of the gutter. I mean three letters of alphabet: S, E and O. Now I have nothing against search engine optimization; if done properly and in a way that legitimately reflects what’s on one’s website, and … Continue reading →

I awoke this morning in a destructive mood, so I grabbed my dropcloth, pry bar and a lot of garbage bags, and finally got around to finishing the tear-out on the front of my staircase (it’s been in the same … Continue reading →