Windsor Institute, Day 3

Do you like the look of the strapping doctor in the plaid shirt above? That's my dad. Today he learned about the power of a blog, and he just asked me if I could use it to find him an attractive female companion.

Me, I use the powers of the blog only for good (read: beer). I wouldn't use it to look for a meaningless (or meaningful) relationship. But hey, it is my dad. So bring it, ladies.

Today as we were drilling the holes in our seats to receive the spindles, a reader stopped by and dropped off a nice Belgian Trippel from Allagash (thanks Matthew!). My dad was a bit stunned.

"People just bring you beer?" he asked.

"Sometimes, yeah," I replied.

"Do you ask them to bring you beer?"

"No. But sometimes I mention that I like good beer. They do the rest."

I hope that the reason people bring me the occasional beer is that they are trying to do me a favor. And "favors" was definitely the theme of the third day of our class at The Windsor Institute.

We made a lot of progress on our chairs – we legged up, drilled holes for the spindles and stumps and we fit and shaped the arm. We also made a lot of mistakes – or we almost made mistakes. I was getting ready to drill a hole in my leg for a stretcher when Dan, a fellow student, stopped me short.

"Wrong way."

He was right. I was about to drill the hole in my leg at the exact opposite angle I needed. It would have been an embarrassing and time-consuming fix. But his two words saved me. And that was the scene the entire day – it was like an AA meeting on a tight wire over a pit of emaciated and perturbed piranhas. I caught at least two fatal errors before they happened. And everyone else had at least as many saves.

That's something that people don't really talk about much about woodworking classes. Working with other students keeps you on track, out of trouble and highly amused. It's a contrast to when I try to learn new things in the shop by myself. My progress is slower and riddled with false starts and dumb errors.

So tonight as I am sipping my Allagash Belgian ale and typing this, I am thankful for my fellow woodworkers. They keep me out of trouble in the shop during the day and in deep, barley-fueled trouble in the evenings.

— Christopher Schwarz

Other Woodworking Schools I Like

• Kelley Mehler School of Woodworking (kellymehler.com)

• Marc Adams School of Woodworking (marcadams.com)

• Northwest Woodworking Studio (northwestwoodworking.com)

Learn all about the Turncrafter Plus wood lathe.