Writing the build instructions is the reason it took so long to get my Shave Horse kits ready for sale. The drawings were easy. Jeff Lefkowitz took a rough SketchUp model and turned it into a piece of functional art. The drawing provided the kind of clarity I could only have hoped for from architects I worked with as a field engineer.
At some point, I realized I needed to honor Jeff's hard work by getting the job done and shipping the damn things. The instructions had to be written, but being the perpetrator of boring woodworking content is one of my greatest fears. I stalled as long as I could.
Eventually I got them done. Jeff challenged me with each draft to make them clearer and more concise. We were both pretty happy with them when they finally started shipping. We've only made one or two changes since the first printing.
Written instructions, however, have limitations. It was my plan all along to write a companion series of blog posts, complete with photos. They would be a supplemental guide to help you through the build. I never told anyone about this plan. So without any accountability, that part of the project just didn't move forward.
Enter YouTube
Avoiding writing is the reason I started making videos. Show and tell is just so much more fun than read and sleep. Ironically, shooting videos has forced me into writing. I'm here writing this introduction. An Introduction to a series of videos that I'm making about a process that I didn't want to write about.
At worst, I hope these videos don't make your eyes glaze over like "Hot, Fresh" Krispy Kremes. At best, they'll help you turn that kit you bought into a shave horse. Then, you can use that shave horse to make some furniture for people you love. Those same people will remember you through the pieces you made for them.
If you don't already have a Shave Horse kit you can order one here.
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