jeff joseph -- woodworker
handcrafted furniture from sustainably managed woodlands
Tag: Philosophy
THE FINE ART OF PLANEMAKING
Over the years I have collected a large array of handplanes, in a variety of shapes and sizes to accommodate different types of work. In addition to their obvious visual differences, they all have differing ‘personalities’ in terms of how they feel in my… Continue Reading “THE FINE ART OF PLANEMAKING”
the adze
I have long been in the habit of buying tools before I really ‘need’ them. Sometimes it has been because I found a really good deal on a unique or high quality tool; more often though it has been because I have felt the… Continue Reading “the adze”
the right tool
Often times, the only way to know where the middle lies is to get some experience at either end first. Generally, exploring the extreme poles is a youthful endeavor, as with age (so we hope) comes the humility to realize that the black… Continue Reading “the right tool”
bats
Ten years ago, I started planting and tending a backyard orchard of about 50 fruit trees. From the outset I have been attempting to manage it organically, which in the northeastern U.S. is no small challenge, as there are a great many other life… Continue Reading “bats”
pine box
When asked to sum up the nature of existence in a few words, a Buddhist master once replied “Everything changes.” Of the few things that we can be absolutely certain of in this life, one is that—at least based upon all empirical evidence I’ve… Continue Reading “pine box”
tree medicine
Just ran across this article, which describes a statistically significant correlation between the presence (or absence) of trees and human health. In urban areas of the upper midwest most heavily affected by the Emerald Ash Borer—which has in the past 10 years killed over… Continue Reading “tree medicine”
beginner’s mind
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.” –Shunryu Suzuki The best lessons in life are often the most humbling ones. Here’s one of the best I ever got. I first ran into Buddhism in… Continue Reading “beginner’s mind”
the empty mind of the hunter
Here’s the scene: Bright sunny October afternoon, slight breeze, 50 degrees, leaves falling, dead silence. I am perched 20+ feet off the ground in a treestand hung in a large Hemlock on the wooded hillside, camo-ed head to toe, compound bow in hand, doing… Continue Reading “the empty mind of the hunter”
shinrin-yoku
“Go sit in the woods.” My friend Bobbie and I used to joke that if anyone ever complained to either of us about any type of malady or imbalance—physical, emotional, spiritual, whatever—that this would thereafter be our universal refrain and prescription, as we each… Continue Reading “shinrin-yoku”
nature and mind
As I sit pondering how to begin this blog, I am looking through the window above my desk at a late winter scene: morning sun on a fresh bed of snow, swirling snowflakes glinting in the slanting light, shifting shadows made by passing clouds,… Continue Reading “nature and mind”
jeff joseph -- woodworker 