The first time I made a door jamb I used no power tools. This was not before electricity was available on Nantucket, it was in a house on Orange Street, under the tutelage of my father a good 35 years ago. He had me square off two pencil lines on the ends of two pieces […]
Somewhere around 1977 or ’78 I was working with my father John Van Lieu on an extensive renovation of a pair of old cranberry shacks that had been moved to Baxter Road in Sconset. Part of the job involved converting an adjacent garage into a bedroom. It was a curious structure with sheet metal sides […]
I didn’t learn any woodworking from my grandfather Russell, I learned most of what I know from his son, my father John. The techniques and attitudes came pretty directly, nevertheless. I didn’t even get to see Russell’s work until long after he died when I saw the house he built for his family during the 1920s. […]
When I first posted about Milwaukee’s M12 Cordless Heated Jacket, it wasn’t cold enough to give it a try. Now it’s December and it’s seen some use. I haven’t worn it working construction, but it’s kept me warm on several photographic shoots and that’s why I wanted it. The jacket is warm even without the […]
Nantucket is the land of fir gutters. Historically correct perhaps, attractive in their own way and approved by the Historic District Commission, they are also heavy, difficult to join effectively, subject to the all the foibles of long pieces of wood and quite expensive. When I was first asked to look into fiberglass gutters, I […]
Combo kits are a good way to go when outfitting with cordless tools. They are more economical than a series of separate purchases and it’s handier to haul around a gear bag or two than a bunch of individual boxes. However, it seems that there is always one item that you might not have chosen […]
Russell Martin Van Lieu (1895-1985) was my grandfather. He was born to a family that worked a farm in Hunterdon County, New Jersey since pre-revolutionary times. I don’t know the precise location of the farm, if it still exists, but it wasn’t far from Van Lieu’s Corner on Back Brook Road. It was not a large […]
