By Jeff Miller I’ve been teaching now for more than 15 years.
And in that time I’ve thought a lot about why students are or
are not able to do certain things. Problems arise only rarely as
a result of a student not having good information about how
something should be done. Most know the steps involved. Many are
familiar with multiple methods of cutting dovetails or mortise-
and-tenon joints. The problems are almost always more
fundamental in nature. If you’re having trouble with your
dovetails, or even your band sawing, here are a dozen
fundamental things to think about that may help. Stand up
Straight? Actually, No Woodworking is one example where standing
up straight is actually a bad idea. Why? Standing up straight
puts you in a position that is less balanced, less stable and
less versatile than what you need for effective woodworking.
That doesn’t mean you should slouch. It’s just that good posture
for woodworking is more like that for many sports. Woodworking
is not really an athletic endeavor – although