My name is Aaron Henderson and I love old tools.  I use old tools to do traditional woodworking, as well as new tools based on old designs, and I also compliment my collection with tools that I make myself.  I have been involved in woodworking in varying degrees for 40 years, but it has only been in the last decade that I have really started getting serious about using hand tools.

My Grandfather was the first person to really get me excited about woodworking. I can remember going into his shop when I was 6 or 7 and smelling the the wood and the linseed oil he used as a finish. He would always stop what he was doing and take time to show me what he was working on, no matter how busy he was .

Years later, along comes, Roy Underhill, of the long running PBS show The Woodwright’s Shop filmed in nearby Chapel Hill, NC. He  has had a big influence on me and how I approach this wonderful craft.  I have watched his show since it’s  start with awe and fascination. I finally got a chance to meet Roy when I took his dovetail class in May 2012. I was hooked on hand tools and have never looked back.  Others have influenced me as well, such as Chris Schwarz of Lost Art Press and previous Editor of Popular Woodworking, and Bill Anderson of The Woodwright’s School and Edward’s  Mountain Woodworks and many others.

My goal for the site and blog is to document and capture my journey in woodworking and maybe help other people from my triumphs and mistakes.