A few notes on wood. Literally.
As a writer, I’m never without pen or pencil. I rarely have paper, but being a woodworker, that’s not a problem. I always have a pen. I’m more likely to…
As a writer, I’m never without pen or pencil. I rarely have paper, but being a woodworker, that’s not a problem.
I always have a pen. I’m more likely to leave the house without my wallet than a pen. I’ll forget to put on socks before I forget to slip a pen in my shirt pocket. I suppose this habit is tied to my adult working life.
My first-ever paying job was in a public library, and having a pen was mandatory in those precomputer days. Entering broadcasting in my early 20s, I was constantly required to keep both transmitter and programming logs when on the air. Again, pen mandatory. Then, once I switched to publishing, the need for having a writing implement at all times should be obvious.
But those jobs come with things that require being written on, so I’ve never gotten into the habit of carrying paper or a notepad, although I’ve tried. Now, since always having a pen generally means always having a shirt with a pocket, I do tend to slip store receipts into said pocket, so I frequently do have something to jot a note on, but not always.
Yesterday, I was doing a photo shoot in the shop of the local technical school for an article I’m working on. The main photo involved two students building a large oak carriage. Once I got the shot I wanted, I reached into my shirt pocket for something to write the two kids’ names on. I had a pen, but nothing else.
No problem. As I do in my own shop, I just reached into the nearest scrap barrel and grabbed a small offcut, and wrote their names on it before slipping the scrap into my camera bag.
In my shop, I have dozens of small pieces of wood here and there with notes on them, simply because they were closer than a note pad. For those times when no scrap is within reach, I often jot notes right on the workbench or assembly table. In some cases, on the back or underside of a project itself. Maybe this is why I’m mystified by “go paperless” movements. When it comes to my shop, I’m mostly paperless already.
A.J.

A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.