Dave Roberts finds that keeping up with the times isn’t always the same as making progress.
“The world has gone past me,” laments Soloman Gills in Dombey & Son, “I don’t blame it; but I no longer understand it. Tradesmen are not the same as they used to be, apprentices are not the same… I have fallen behind the time, and am too old to catch it again.” It’s easy to empathise with Sol’; times change. In the 1840s, Dombey & Son’s themes reflected, in part, a concern regarding the railways’ effect upon traditional life, and their unnatural speed only underscored their role in the wider social change wrought by an era of industrialisation (see ‘Impressionist painting’ sidebar). Today, the extension of that same industrialisation continues to cause environmental concerns, which have in turn become agents for change – as I’m often reminded when trying to strike a balance between the means by which things were done and the materials that were used when The Old Vic’ was built, and how they might be done now. Walking this line often involves a stroll, sometimes figurative, at other times literal, around the problems and possible solutions – a habit that Dickens, who regarded as vital the freedom to walk abroad and collect fresh impressions, described as ‘amateur vagrancy’. And as a fully paid-up amateur, I find that time spent in the company of the new or unfamiliar is often well spent, if only because it helps to reveal what I hadn’t realised I didn’t know, if you follow me. One such walk recently took me out around the glue pot via a decision over paint for exterior woodwork…
A brush with change
This story is from the September 2017 edition of Good Woodworking.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2017 edition of Good Woodworking.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Learning wood machining skills
In the next part of his new series, Peter Sefton and his Long Course students mix up the use of machines and hand tools to make a small rack
triumph over disaster: a rescue mission
aleksei sebastiani turns disaster into triumph as he experiments with kerf cutting techniques to produce a stunning end table.
Game Changing Chisels
The Axminster Rider chisel range aims to change the game for affordable quality tools, and if the sets tested here are anything to go by then this is a very exciting prospect indeed
Bring Your Projects To Life
If you’re looking for a way to transform a mundane substrate into a stunning piece of work, then take a look at these two veneer packs – both offer a great introduction to veneering and are ideal for use on a variety of small projects
From Apprentice To Skillbuild Judge
SkillBuild judge Tibby Singh gives us a glimpse behind the scenes in terms of what this important competition involves, and tells us how his passion for championing young and upcoming talent makes his job all the more worthwhile
Techniques For Turning Part 1
In the first of a two-part series focusing on woodturning techniques, Bob Chapman begins by looking at those techniques used for turning bowls, as well as beginning to discuss various finishing and colouring methods.
Rings Of Doom
Don’t despair of ringmarks on your furniture, advises Stephen Simmons.
Top Tips for Buying Woodworking Machinery
Alex Dalton, managing director of Daltons Wadkin, takes a closer look at some of the top things to consider when making a woodworking machinery purchase.
Home sweet home
Jumping to the aid of new home buying family members, Glenn Perry sets about replacing an old, worn out door with a custom-made framed ledge and braced version.
Great Expectations
The front door opens at The Old Vic’, the central character in a serialised story of everyday adventures in woodworking (among other things).
