The Winter of Our Discontent

There’s just no nice way to say it. The line has been crossed. The off-grid chores that keep us running around outside even during winter have officially become NOT FUN. The four feet of snow and the number of times we’ve had to shovel the path up the hill to the generator shed; the number […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in From off the Grid
Mar, 01, 2014
2 Comments.
Custom Entertainment Cabinet in Spalted Maple and Walnut

During the summer and fall of 2013, I built this credenza, or entertainment cabinet, using solid walnut and the air-dried sugar maple lumber from one of the 300 year old trees. The most challenging thing about building this piece was supporting the heavy top with the four angled side posts. The cabinet essentially has two […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in Custom Furniture Stories, Featured Work, New Work from AP, Notes from the Woodshop
Feb, 16, 2014
1 Comment.
Advice From a Woodworker

If you know someone who wants to be a woodworker, here’s what I have to say: What you are building is not furniture. You are building within yourself the ability to create furniture. You will never get paid enough for the time you put into your best pieces. You need to settle with that now, […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in Dan's Philosophy, From off the Grid, Notes from the Woodshop
Nov, 30, 2013
2 Comments.
Why it Pays to Go Tankless

We have a strange- looking contraption in our bathroom. It’s about the size of a carry-on suitcase and mounted to our wall above the commode. Copper pipes extend from the case like octopus arms that curve and climb. Mounted next to that is a small white keypad about the size of an alarm clock. This […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in From off the Grid
Nov, 17, 2013
2 Comments.
The Box That Saved My Marriage

There’s the score card from a round of golf played with your brother and dad, a guitar pick, and a rock. A business card, a spring, and the handful of change from your pocket. All of it looks like nothing much to me, but if I throw any of it away, I’ll be in big […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in Dan's Philosophy, From off the Grid, New Work from AP, Notes from the Woodshop
Nov, 02, 2013
1 Comment.
Considering the Well-Fit Drawer

One of the things that first drew me to wood-working was the feel and sound of a well-fit drawer. When the fit is good and very tight, there will be a small resistance when you go to tug open the drawer. When you push it closed, a small pocket of air will come out in […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in Dan's Philosophy, Notes from the Woodshop
Oct, 18, 2013
5 Comments.
Sculpted, Live-Edge Mirrors in Sugar Maple

The mirrors are framed with thick beams of sugar maple carved and shaped to mimic attributes in nature. A series of pegs poking up like sticks, shelves like mushrooms growing from the sides, and little drawers with peep holes small enough for wrens. These are the beautiful functions carved into the frames of the new […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in Dan's Philosophy, Featured Work, New Work from AP
Oct, 05, 2013
1 Comment.
A Brief History of Glue

Three-thousand years ago, the Egyptians at Thebes used hide glue made from the skin, bones, and connective tissue of animals to create inlays and veneers on wooden furniture used in the funerals of their mighty pharaohs. Over 1,500 years ago, Chinese masons mixed a sticky rice paste with lime juice to serve as mortar between […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in Dan's Philosophy, Notes from the Woodshop
Sep, 14, 2013
1 Comment.
Finishing the Back of Wood

Dan once told me that when he’s building something small like a run of boxes, he imagines a master craftsman coming across it years from now. He imagines that box in their hands, and how they would look it over, inspecting the joinery, the design, the matching cut of the grain. Doing this helps him […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in Dan's Philosophy, Notes from the Woodshop
Aug, 31, 2013
No Comments.
AP’s 2013 Show Season

Stop in and visit our booth. We hope to see you at one of our shows! Brookside Art Annual May 3, 4, and 5 Kansas City, Missouri Broad Ripple Art Fair May 17 and 18 Indianapolis, Indiana Oconomowoc Festival of the Arts August 17 and 18 Oconomowoc, Wisconsin The Plaza Art Fair September 20, 21 […]
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dan.carol
- Posted in Featured Work, New Work from AP, Notes from the Woodshop
Aug, 24, 2013
2 Comments.