Tools for Working Wood

Spooncarving is a gratifying activity. The carving itself can be deeply meditative, and the transformation of a hunk of green wood into a useful implement can seem magical. Morakniv hook knives are ideally suited to hollow out spoons and bowls. Made in Sweden from 12C27 stainless steel, the curved 2.2" blade has a ½" internal radius that's perfectly sized for spoon bowls, small cups, and detailed relief work.. The oiled birch handle sits naturally in your grip, balanced for long carving sessions without fatigue. At just 4 ounces with its included vegetable-tanned leather sheath, it's a tool you can toss in a bag and take to the woods, the park bench, or wherever you find a quiet moment and a piece of green wood.
Link to store in Bio

There's a moment every woodworker knows — when a freshly sharpened chisel bites into end grain and the wood just… yields. That moment starts here.

DMT Dia-Sharp stones are precision-ground steel plates coated with micronized monocrystalline diamonds — the hardest abrasive on earth — bonded to a nickel-coated surface that's flat to within ±.001". Made in the USA.

What makes them special? They can be used dry, with water, or oil. No soaking. Just pull one out at the bench and go. A polymer eraser cleans them off. They never dish and never need flattening.

Available from pocket-sized 4" stones (perfect for carving rolls) up to luxurious 10" × 4" behemoths with 67% more surface area than the standard 8" size. Six grit levels from extra-extra-coarse for edge repair all the way to extra-extra-fine at 8000 mesh — 3 micron diamonds doing the work.
For woodworking we recommend 8" stones - fine and extra-fine. Paired with an 8000 grit water stone for final polish. This is a sharpening system that takes minutes, not ceremonies.

Sharp tools aren't a luxury. They enable everything woodworking.
Link to the store in Bio.

Did you know there are still wooden frame houses standing in Manhattan?

Just down the block from Manhattan’s Museum Mile are buildings that are neither grand mansions, old law tenements or packed apartment buildings - they’re wooden frame houses, built before fire safety zoning codes banned them and still housing New Yorkers today. Joel's latest blog traces the story of these buildings, the explosive growth of post-Civil War New York, and the role that water infrastructure, parks, and zoning played in shaping the city we know today. It's a wonderful reminder that craft and history are everywhere — sometimes you just have to look up from the sidewalk. For the complete blog post, please click the link to Joel's Blog in the Bio.