I honestly doubt the following blog entry will convince a single person to purchase the deluxe “To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Marquetry.” In fact, it might make a few of you rescind your orders.
But so be it.
Editing this book has been a personal struggle the likes of which I haven’t had since 1979. That was the year I heard “Outlandos d’Amour,” the first record from The Police. That piece of vinyl wrenched me from the mainstream of American pop music and set me on a journey of discovery that continues to this day – I purchase at least one album a week. “Outlandos” inspired me to learn to play bass guitar and the electric six-string. It pushed me to start a rock band I in was in through college and beyond.
But it also was a painful social transition that kicked me to the sidelines of Fort Smith, Ark.
As I have been reading A.J. Roubo – both in English and French – and struggling at times, I have had one verse from The Police running through my head almost the entire time.
And on the days that followed
I listened to his words
I strained to understand him
I chased his thoughts like birds
You will see light in the darkness
You will make some sense of this
That is the only way I can explain what it’s like to read this stuff. Unlike most woodworking books, Roubo can be an incredible mental challenge for the 21st-century woodworker. It is not for babies. If you think this book is going to spoon-feed you the secrets to French marquetry and joinery, I’m afraid it will disappoint.
I struggled for two days with Roubo’s explanation of drawing in perspective. Figuring out the tail vise on his “German Workbench” was like wrestling a brown bear. I’m still straining in places to understand some of his explanations for working curved pieces of marquetry.
I don’t blame Roubo. The fault lies with our modern minds and the way we are accustomed to learning. Because when clarity comes, it is like lightning. Things relating to veneer, layout and marquetry that seemed difficult or impossible are actually quite straightforward. I might not (yet) have the hand skills to do them, but I know the shortest and easiest route to get there.
And after enough flashes of insight and slapping my forehead until it is red, I have found inspiration in Roubo’s words and what is beneath his words.
Roubo’s footnotes reveal the man as one of us – someone any woodworker would love to drink a glass of wine with (I’d probably order a saison). Like us, Roubo was struggling to make sense of a craft that was dying in front of his eyes. He laments the skills and techniques that are lost. He bemoans the cheap goods that are supplanting works made with a skilled hand. He questions his own capability as a woodworker and his limits.
These volumes have been inspiring in ways I can’t quite put into words – except to compare it to hearing “Can’t Stand Losing You” on the radio and then picking up my uncle’s guitar, determined to learn to play and sing that song for myself.
Tomorrow I have to leave for Atlanta for a short trip, but I’ll be back on Monday and back in the shop to whittle down my long list of projects and put the finishing touches on the last chapter of our Roubo translation. I cannot wait. Soon – very soon – you will also be able to chase Roubo’s thoughts like birds.
— Christopher Schwarz
P.S. Indeed, today is the last day to order our deluxe edition of “To Make as Perfectly as Possible” until the book is released. You can place a $100 deposit on the book here in our store. Don’t fret if you cannot afford the deluxe edition. There will be plenty of our trade editions available for everyone. Read the Roubo FAQ here.
Dude, that was beautiful!
If I had not already put down a deposit, I sure as heck would have done so after this post! Bass guitar huh, good to know.
Well, you convinced one woodworker to place a deposit (and buy a couple of more books and a t-shirt as well).
I’ve been on the fence all month, you finally pushed me over it and I made a deposit.
Though I’ve had my deposit in for some time now, your comments were well received by these eyes. They express precisely the reason I, and I think many of us, want these volumes in the first place. Ever since people like you and Roy Underhill and others have been quoting Roubo, teasing us with images of various plates and enticing us with various pre-industrial projects, I’ve been incredibly jealous in that I can’t read French and online images are never quite as good as up front and in front of you. I’ve had to content myself with Moxon and Nicholson, certainly worthwhile but when compared to Roubo…well…… I’m looking forward to having a copy of this book so that I too can explore some of the arts and mysteries on my own. Who knows what some sharp eyed woodworker out there will pick up that was previously overlooked. I think that you and the team have done a great service in bringing out these translations and that they’ll long be sought after and treasured by those of us who love the craft.
Back in the eighties, as part of my graduate mechanical engineering training, some committee thought the only way we would be able to effectively use 3D modeling programs would be to understand the math and geometry behind perspective rendering. That plate brings back nightmares of tedium. Not enough that I want to cancel my order, but that won’t be the first section I read.
So you are police fan, therefore a Sting fan, your opinion on any subject is now worthless!
Nope. Stewart Copeland. My most favorite drummer.
And an American!
If a Stewart Copeland fan, then no doubt a fan of the Rumble Fish Soundtrack?
Thank goodness for that, redeemed! Copeland the coolest member of the band, although I did here him say in an interview in the 1980s that he quite admired Margaret Thatcher.
If the publishing thing doesn’t work out, you could always go into sales. I’ll take one! Order attempted but alas, I’m in the Great White North. Have left email with John and hope to squeeze in under the order deadline.
Now to my income tax forms, hoping dearly to find enough deductions to finance my indulgence.
I have tried to buy the Roubo book on line and I have typed my email at least 6 Times and have rejected 6 times. I’m using my same email I use to receive LAP blog. Help!
I’d hope that you still find time to play. I find less and less these days, particularly as my kids (five and three, respectively) constantly yell at me to “stop being noisy” whenever I pick up an instrument and plug in. Not that this takes away from my enjoyment when i can play, though. One more item on the list of what I’d do if I had more free time…
Also, interesting that you started with bass, not that it’s a poor choice, only rare among guitar players that I’ve played with over the years. I’m curious how that influenced your perspective, given how different the roles are, musically, between the two.
Wait, though, this is woodworking blog… Umm, guitars are made of wood?
In about 1984, Red House by Jimi Hendrix did it for me. I still have a basement full of guitars, amps, drums, a Hammond organ… oh and a newly added hand tool woodworking area thanks to the inspiration of one Stewart Copeland fan.
Sigh. If I wasn’t still building my shop, I would have put down a deposit when first offered, I’d love to have the deluxe version of the Roubo text, but alas, funds are limited. It goes without saying, timing is everything.
Maudit Roubo!
So what’s the final count?
Wait I thought yesterday was the last day to order, now a day later it still says “Last day to order.” I am so confused.
It’s that whole Julian calendar thing…
The order page is shut down. We did not alter the blog entry.
I couldn’t pull the trigger, I’ll get the plain version. *hangs head in shame*