Musings of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
Gourds have played an important role in human history in both the Old World and New. The origin, domestication, and spread of this and other plants was a topic of much conversation when I was in graduate school. It seems now that its antiquity and introduction to the Americas is becoming much clearer. This humble […]
Read More On the Antiquity of Gourds“I never let my schooling interfere with my education” Mark Twain Wise words. Sometimes I think we’re entering a Dark Age just at the moment when we have vastly more knowledge at our fingertips than ever before. We can look far out into space and at the tiniest of the tiny to understand our universe […]
Read More EducationBecause they didn’t know better, they called it “civilization,” when it was part of their slavery. Tacitus, Agricola, Book 1, Paragraph 21.
Read More Lulled into ComplacencyOriginally posted on Kindness Blog:
Can I ask you some questions? Why, when we grow up, do we move out from our family home and then go and buy or rent a house in a street full of complete strangers, sometimes many miles from our loved ones? When did this practice start, why and to…
Today I’m prepping to present some primitive skills on Saturday, from raw materials to finished goods. I’m also getting some kid’s activities together to draw in the latest generation. An assortment of stone-age technology laid out to take to the public.
Read More Primitive ArtsSeveral years ago, I made a shoulder bag that I still often carry today. It is the perfect size for a small field bag or hunting pouch. It was a lot fun looking at various designs, mostly from the 18th century to try and come up with something that would fit my needs. When I […]
Read More Making the Possibles BagI’m re-sharing an older post of some experimental turnshoes I made quite a few years ago. These were based on some Scandinavian examples from the archaeological record. They came out pretty good for a first try. My only modification would be to tighten the width through the arch and lengthen the toe area slightly. I […]
Read More Medieval TurnshoesComing soon to the blog; New plans for a packable frame saw. In the mean time, check out the link to my older post about making a frame saw from 5 years ago.
Read More Packable Frame SawIn preparation for summer teaching I recently spent some time making a couple new pump drills for demonstrations and hands-on activities. While some modern tools were used in the production, these are entirely hand-made with no purchased parts or plans. As I have only made two of these previously I spent a little time perusing […]
Read More Pump DrillsOriginally posted on Shavings:
I had this crazy idea about the world and how I’d like to change it today. Hear me out. What if folks acted as if they were responsible for their actions? That whatever they did out in the world had a pond and ripple effect? That they are not alone on…
