One Last Rodeo – Handworks 2026

In what will almost certainly be my last long trip unrelated to family matters, Mrs. Barn and I hit the road for a Labor Day weekend toolapalooza in Amana, Iowa, for the fifth (?) convening of Handworks, a mondo gathering of hand woodworking enthusiasts.  The trip was very long, two full days of driving each way (I took a full-to-the-brim truckload) and even though the gathering of several thousand friends old and new is a delight, it is just too much for us.  Part of the problem is that Mrs. Barn’s CR-V is excruciating for me to ride or drive; it was not made for linebacker-sized folks.  My large pickup is a perfect fit but Mrs. Barn hates driving it.  Oh well.  I still get many invitations to travel to speak and teach but at this point I decline them all.  The Wood and Shop school fits my needs just perfectly as it is two hours away from Shangri-la.  That I can do easily.  Two days each way?  Not so much.

We were joined by dear friends Mr. and Mrs. Ripplin’ John.

John was with me side by side throughout the event as multitudes of folks wanted to ask about historical wood finishing and we were delighted to explain and demonstrate.  While we were doing that the Misseses were out and about doing gal-pal stuff.

We were among the first to set up, near the center of the giant Festhalle.  I brought two of my smaller workbenches to use as display and demonstration space.  Soon the place was filled with enthusiasts of every stripe.  I was glad to see that the demographics of the attendees was becoming broader and especially younger.  It gave me hope for the future of the skill set.

The Festhalle was only one of many venues for the event, I think the total this time was seven.  They were all filled with a bajillion tools, old and new.  I only managed to get pictures of about 10% of the goings-on.

On the second morning the packed house was regaled first with a stirring rendition of The Star Spangled Banner magnificently presented by Mike Siemsen followed by a recitation by Chris Schwarz of some old-codger-ish correspondence between a Welsh Stick Chair maker and an American host regarding some workshops.  Very entertaining stuff.

One final note is a comment on the weather, which was a stark counterpoint to the first Handworks.  At Handworks 1 the weather was absolutely frigid, a very cold and rainy Memorial Day weekend fifteen years ago.  This year the air in central Iowa was stifling, temps in the mid 90s with a choking level of humidity.  With every handshake, two hands stuck together.  They day after the event was much cooler.  Oh well.

Latest Conversation

My most recent conversation with long-time friend, broadcaster Brian Wilson, is now posted on his Substack, Brian Wilson Writes.  If pungent conversation about the state of the culture it might not be for you.

Not Mussorgski

It was not the Pictures From An Exhibition but rather pictures from an exhibition of traditional wood finishing as last month I taught another iteration of my class at Joshua Farnsworth’s Wood and Shop classroom.  Oddly, three days is barely enough time to scratch the surface of the topic while still changing the students’ mindsets pretty profoundly.

So I present, Pictures From An Exhibition of Historic Wood Finishing, featuring performers (students) from all over North America.

Clothespin Nirvana

For many years I’ve been a fan of Herrick Kimball and his Planet Whizbang site.  He is one of the most inventive guys on the interwebz.

I’ve posted occasionally about my fixation with the utility of clothespins in the shop, employing them for a whole host of uses.  I’m always on the lookout for good clothespins and currently have a shoebox full of them on the clamp rack.  Since even better ones are cheap, I use and dispose them frequently.

Even Mrs. Barn appreciates a good clothespin as most of our laundry is hung on the line.  A while ago I bought her some of Herrick’s clothespins from his Classic American Clothespin website.

Holy cow!  They are so different in quality that they are different in kind.  I mean, who makes clothespins from kiln-dried ash, and oversized to boot (compare it to a pretty good quality clothespin from Ace hardware.)

Maybe my search for the perfect clothespin is over.