This is going kinda way back to my teen years, when my best friend, Mark, and I would spend time at his grandpa's house. His grandpa, Owen Kunkel, was a home builder who constructed some of the finer homes in Medford, OR, until becoming disabled from a heart attack. Owen encouraged my interest in architecture, and he had a reputation for perfection. Depending I guess on your own disposition, you either approve of or find overbearing a perfectionist sensibility, and therefore may or may not demand perfect knot-free boards precisely cut and fitted with no tool or brush marks and built to last for decades or dare I dream centuries workmanship. Those are the questions one asks of himself when putting steel to wood.
Fast forward a few years, and Owen's daughter asks if I would like to have some of his woodworking items. I received several things, but what I use most are some carving gouges, especially when violin or mandolin making. I also use his rafter square frequently. I see Owen's kind and encouraging face often when I work.
Fast forward a few years, and Owen's daughter asks if I would like to have some of his woodworking items. I received several things, but what I use most are some carving gouges, especially when violin or mandolin making. I also use his rafter square frequently. I see Owen's kind and encouraging face often when I work.