Going into business as a woodworker wasn’t really what I intended. I had trained as a classical musician, and after several unsuccessful auditions, had finally found a job. While holding down my music gig, I made some musical instruments and furniture for myself and a few friends, and really enjoyed the additional creative outlet. And then life got in the way. At age 27, I discovered I had kidney disease, and everything was upended.  I really couldn’t work as a musician on the medications my doctors prescribed – I was too exhausted and jittery (not a great combination). But I could work at my own pace making things. I had acquired a lathe, a bandsaw, and a tiny drill press, a set of chisels, a saw or two, and a miter box. With the addition of some handplanes and then a router I was able to make a pretty good variety of pieces.

The woodworking saved my sanity every bit as much as the various treatments and surgeries saved my life. I dove into learning new techniques, exploring design ideas, and figuring out new skills with a vengeance. Focusing on my new creative endeavor kept me from stewing over the shocking loss of health and intended career.

I devoured everything I could read. Tage Frid’s and James Krenov’s books were inspiring and useful, and set the tone for my explorations. I did not subscribe to Fine Woodworking from issue #1—I missed the first handful of years. But my local woodworking store had a bunch of back issues, and I snatched those up. And although I had started out with precious little skill (and a lot of nerve), my skills developed. And they continue to develop, as I explore new (to me) techniques, types of furniture, and other types of woodworking.

I need to mention one other avenue for development as a woodworker: design. As I designed new pieces and my design skills developed, the challenges of making these designs were an amazing catalyst for skill development. As good as plans might be, there is little that compares with making one of your own designs for boosting your skills.

Almost 40 years down the road, my health issues are still here. But so am I. And woodworking continues to help keep me sane, feed my creativity, and nourish my soul.

Here are just a few of the many articles that inspired me and taught me to be a better woodworker.

Jeff Miller

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	Shaker Round Stand Three legs are dovetailed to turned pedestal John Kassay
	Wood Planes Made Easy Make a smoothing plane to rival the best metal ones on the market David Finck
	Bent Laminations Slice and glue the wood to make it curve Jere Osgood
	4 Chisel Tricks From chamfering to shaping curved parts, a flat bench chisel is all you need. Philip C. Lowe
	Making the Chippendale Chair Breaking down this complex chair into small steps makes this build easier. Eugene E. Landon
	9 Tips for Better Design How to find new ideas and do justice to them Michael Fortune