In the last issue, Joanna shared the tale of her dog’s “stick envy” and wondered whether woodworkers suffered from the same malady. At least one does, at least to an extent. – Editor
“I am absolutely driven by ‘stick envy’ and will submit that woodworking design is an evolutionary process in which a ‘new’ design or look can be traced back to a previous work. Having said that, I will often see a piece I find attractive and work up my own based on those parts I like with my own inspirations added in. I do this in cooking, too. So much so that my wife chides me for never leaving well enough alone. There is something about setting out to just copy someone else’s design that feels unethical to me, although I readily acknowledge that there is a purpose to this in courses that teach painting or sculpture. For it to be mine, I have to have at least some of me in it.” – Lee Ohmart
We also heard an additional tip from a reader about the quest for perfect miters described in our Q&A section. – Editor
“I read with interest your story on ‘perfect miters.’ I was in the picture framing business for a number of years and encountered this same situation, often. A quick and final solution is to make sure both parallel sides are the same length. After making the cuts, it’s a matter of putting them ‘back to back’ and comparing if they are exactly the same dimension. If they are not, simply shave a little off the longer one until perfect. Guaranteed the joints will not open. This takes a few seconds only to check.” – John Proulx
