Blog Posts by George Walker

Good Bones
Scratch beneath the surface of any great design and there’s always something simple and profound. This fact is not lost on ages past. Even when fashions called for…

Gateway to the Gateway
Design is a step into the unknown. It’s much different (and safer) to stick with things like learning to cut precise dovetails or learning to sharpen a blade.…

Abracadabra – make your own water
It's not quite as magical as making your own water but it's pretty close. Our latest book "From Truth to Tools" explores how artisan geometry was the flame that…

Working to Plans… or not.
A wise woman once said, "Plans take all the fun out and make it seem like work". Eight years ago I stopped using plans. My idea was to…

Morning Sun, front and back
Morning sunlight streamed through the back kitchen door and something about the light gave me pause to look more carefully at the design of the door itself. An…

Da Vinci’s Teacher
This short video clip is a sample of what Jim Tolpin and I are putting together for our soon to be released on-line design workshop. This is one…

If Doors could Talk
I’ve been thinking a lot about doors for an upcoming “Design Matters” column for Popular Woodworking Magazine. A good door design satisfies our demands for function as well…

Leave Your Tape Measure at the Jail
At one time to my way of thinking, the idea of working without rulers would have been right up there with a plaid colored sky or steak flavored…

Euclid wearing work boots
Jim Tolpin and I both entered into this "Language of the Artisans" through different side doors. We each wandered about in amazement before we even realized the enormity…

Affirmation
Making a Rudder for a Ship of War, by W. H. Pyne 1803 By the look on their faces, the folks at Braxton Brewery were not prepared to…