Before photography, and before ALS, my life was my work and my work was carpentry, or more specifically, timber framing.
After nearly 8 eight years doing conventional, modern stick framing, I realized that I hated my work. It was all about quantity and speed, and not really about quality and craftsmanship. I had decided to quit and start looking for another career. Then I found timber framing.
Timber framing, or timberframing, combined my love of building with my pursuit of creativity, it opened by eyes to a whole new world of woodwoorking and craftsmanship, it gave me something I could be proud of when I went, most of all it help me see who I was and what I wanted to be.
Timberframing also introduced me to traditional western and Japanese hand tools. For years, I collected and restored old beat up woodworking tools. Sometimes I splurged and bought new tools, and some I was given as gifts. Nearly ever tool in this photo is a tool I cherished and used quite often, and nearly every one of them is ready to go to work tomorrow.
Barely 7 years after I cut my first mortise, I was diagnosed with ALS and within a year and a half I could barely lift a hammer. Over the last 5 years I have had to let go of many things, but I still can't let go of these tools.
Daiku San is the Japanese title for carpenter, and regardless of whether I was or not, it is/was what I aspired to be.
To see some of what these tools have done, please visit my company website,
<a href="http://www.swiftsuretimber.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.swiftsuretimber.com/</a>