Second nature to some
The other day, I was trying to show someone how to cut an avocado to produce a thin-sliced “fan” pattern. It didn’t go well. It turned out to be something…
The other day, I was trying to show someone how to cut an avocado to produce a thin-sliced "fan" pattern. It didn’t go well.
It turned out to be something that the person simply could not do, even after repeated demonstrations which went as far as literally holding their hands and making the cuts, showing them how to hold the knife at the proper angle.
This illustrates something that we tend to forget when trying to teach people how to work in the shop. After years of working with tools, many processes become second nature. We cruise through them without thought or difficulty.
They become "easy" when there is really nothing easy about them. Something as basic as holding a chisel at the correct angle is often incomprehensible to a person who has never cut wood with a chisel.
D.D.

David DeCristoforo possesses an extensive resume as designer/maker of fine furniture, high-end cabinetry and architectural woodwork. His experience in professional woodworking spans a period of 35 years. For the past 20 years David DeCristoforo Design has been located in Woodland, California. During this time David's shop has ranged in scope from a "full on" cabinet production shop with as many as 15 employees to a small fine furniture and custom millwork shop, working with his son, David RBJ, a highly skilled maker in his own right.