Interesting fact on spiral stairs

As a builder of both full size and miniature spiral staircases, I was fascinated to find the following history on spiral stairs. As with many architectural designs, the spiral staircase has its roots in old European history. They were used as a defense mechanism for castles. When looking up from the bottom, exterior stairs were typically built against the walls of the towers in a clock-wise direction and in a counter-clock wise direction when on the inside of the tower walls. With the majority of swordsmen being right-handed, this design allowed the defending swordsman to swing his sword freely while either coming down the stairs or backing up in reverse, while the attacker, who again was usually right-handed, would have his swing blocked by the walls and the lack of a handrail made it easier to knock your opponent off the stairs. Also interesting, if you happened to be a left-handed swordsman, you were worth more than twice the price of a right-handed swordsman. Who knew. Go southpaws !!!   

Sam Maloof

Chairs by Sam Maloof Woodworking

Images by Gene Sasse

Sam Maloof was probably one of the most famous, recognized and successful woodworkers of the 20th century. Sadly, he passed away in 2009 at the age of 93. He has been a mentor of mine for over 30 years. His book Sam Maloof - Woodworker is about his life, how he started as a woodworker and made it his life long passion. It has been and continues to be a major source of inspiration for all of my woodworking and furniture. While I cannot pretend to be the craftsman Sam was, I can attempt to build everything I make to highest level of workmanship possible, as Sam would do.. His eye for simple design, balance and his "hard line" through out all of the many pieces he built, was extraordinary. His work is exhibited in famous collections such as the Smithsonian and the White House and is shown in galleries around the world. The furniture he built can sell for tens of thousands of dollars at auction, if and when it becomes available. I especially like how he used the term , woodworker,  to describe who he is and what he does.
As Sam would say "It's an honest word and that's what I am: a woodworker"
Get his autobiography "Sam Maloof - Woodworker" and enjoy it.
Or you can follow this link to his site Sam Maloof Woodworking

                                                                     

Goodbye winter ?!?

At last the Crocus are croaking, so maybe spring is actually on it's way. I know it wasn't a hard or real cold winter, but it seemed to snow more times than usual, so it felt like a longer season. The wood stove has been going full blast and I'm looking forward to letting it cool down. I think we've gone through about 8 rick of wood. On the positive side, we've used only about 1-1/2 tanks of gas compared to 4 tanks last year. Guess I'll start piling up the wood for next year! Maybe I should stockpile 10 rick this time.