Welcome to the Blog!

Hi there,

My name is Danny Spatz and I am a passionate woodworker just like you.  I will use this blog mainly for four reasons. The first and most important is to update readers with my adventures in woodworking, such as current projects that I am working on.  Second is to create an archive for things like finishes I used on a specific project that I can reference if I choose to repeat it at some point in the future.  The third reason is to create a virtual résumé for potential employers or people interested in making a commission.  Finally, I have heard that starting a blog is a great way to improve your writing and developing a voice characteristic to yourself, and that is one more thing I wish to achieve from this blog.

Here's a photo of me at 15 years old with my first project, a jewelry box.  

To tell you a little more about myself, I have been woodworking almost entirely by hand for about two and a half years now.  I am lucky to live in a time where just about anything can be learned from the internet, and I have taken advantage of that.  Most of what I know I have learned from the internet, but I have taken a few classes taught by some of the most well known teachers such as Phillip C. Lowe, Christopher Schwarz, and Bob van Dyke.  I am also a subscriber to Popular Woodworking and Fine Woodworking magazine.  I do all of my work in my small basement shop with the decent assortment of tools I have acquired with the money I have earned by lawn mowing for my neighbors and more recently, lifegaurding at a local pool, as well as a most gracious donation from Mr. Carl Bilderback, who sent me a router plane after reading about me on Mr. Schwarz's Lost Art Press blog, you can read the article here. I am most grateful to both of them for their help in allowing me to further develop my skills.

Speaking of current projects, I am working on a set of two nightstands for my bedroom, which I share with my older brother.  As you might have guessed we will each get one.  One is made of Tiger Maple and the other, which is destined to be mine, is made of Cherry. I will update you in the progress I make in the coming posts.

Here is the current process on the nightstands.  The tiger maple one is nearly done, all it needs is for the profile on the plinth to be cut out and the finish to be applied.  The cherry one is not quite there but I'm chugging along just fine.

Blogs can be wealth of information, but also a source of controversy.  That is why I will do my best to write about my methods of work while avoiding the much disputed topics such as pins or tails first dovetailing, just about anything concerning the topic of sharpening, or the use of western style or japanese style tools (though you can probably figure out which one I use from the picture above). I will do my best to provide accurate, grammatically correct, information in my posts, but do let me know if I have made a mistake, politely if you will.  Talk to you soon and happy woodworking!