Marcus Sly - Furniture Making and Design

Today I've been fitting some doors to an oak cabinet.  There are all sorts of devices available to a modern woodworker to hold things while we work on them.  Some of these are quite complex and expensive.  However often simpler is better.  Working on the doors I held them in place with a couple of wooden wedges.  I've found this is very efficient, fast and flexible - and it's quite satisfying to tap them into place and have the whole thing held as tight as I want.  I find that there's always an extra bit of enjoyment in using a tool that one has made oneself instead of one that has been bought ready made.

Now I'm not immune to the fascination and fun of of complex mechanisms (far from it!), but it's worth remembering just how effective and enjoyable simpler ones can be....