Intro to Woodworking: Session II

Glen Carley has over 40 years hands on experience in woodworking and over 20 years owning and running a part time woodworking business. He grew up in a “Maker” environment where the family figured out how to do and build a wide variety of items from built in cabinetry to functional items like cutting boards and jigs to help make something else. This gave him the opportunity to develop not only mechanical and visual artistic skills but also a good deal of practical problem solving which helps a person to design and build purpose-built pieces that also look and feel great. His father was a precision tool and die maker at Bell Laboratories and had a wood shop at home and as soon as Glen was old enough to push a broom, dad had him there learning how to be careful, thoughtful, and creative. Having spent most of his professional career as a Software Developer and Project Manager, Glen developed a strong focus on process refinement through prototyping, organization, testing, measuring, and analyzing results, which he applies to his woodworking endeavors. Glen says “It is a good idea to start with at least some rough sketch or prepare a more detailed drawing of a more complicated piece before you start cutting wood. This design concept can evolve as you progress. When you select the wood for the project, if there is some unique character in the wood that would add value to the piece you might want to make some changes to highlight that. I often prototype a challenging joint or assembly process or build a scale model of a piece to sort out the build process or visual flow. If something does not work out do not be afraid to throw it out and start over or repurpose that item for something else. I encourage you to explore the possibilities of creative woodworking”.