Wood

Yes, professional upholsterers are still out there—reviving old armchairs, preserving a time-honored craft, and keeping many tons of furniture out of landfills every year.

Wood entices us with its natural beauty, usefulness, and endless variety. Yet, perhaps more than any other raw material, it defies the artisan’s Sisyphean quest for perfection.

Peter Steltzner’s bespoke, handcrafted skis are coveted by freeride skiing enthusiasts. His path to crafting a living this way has also been something of a freeride….

Inside a 250-year-old house in Cairo, patient teachers and traditional Islamic patterns offer students powerful lessons in craft, cultural knowledge—and math.

For nearly 30 years, woodworking has provided Miles Boudreaux with purpose, connection, and a creative “fix.” Now, science is catching up to what he’s learned from experience.

In a former silk weaver’s workshop in Lyon, a carpenter and trained musician is breathing new life into the alphorn—an instrument that was on the brink of extinction in France.

Precision is more than a relative concept. One is not ‘sort of’ precise in furniture-making. Precision involves an attitude about the work; standards for making; and, in fact, a way of seeing the world. There are various metrics for what precision means. For a welder, being short by 1/32″ just means making a slightly wider…

For the team behind Wowhaus Studio, great public art isn’t just about design; it’s about creating purpose, meaning, and joy. They apply this philosophy in their daily lives, too—and so can you.

Andy Graham—musician, instrument maker, inventor, and patentholder—takes us on a brief but fascinating “tour of sound.” Graham’s enchantment with a centuries-old Aboriginal wind instrument, the didgeridoo, has yielded several new instrumental creations. His passion for experimentation shines through as he discusses the process behind his work; the joys of tinkering; and some of the highlights…