And your weaknesses. Then, play to your strengths. (Keep working on your improving the areas where you're weak, but do that during practice -- not during game-time.)

I own two hand planes. They are not fine tuned, and I am not particularly expert at using them. However, I do know when to use them; I know when they will come in handy.

I've been edge banding plywood for a cabinet. Instead of milling the edge banding exactly, I've left it wide, with the intention of using a flush-trim route bit to get everything just right.

I could have used the router to hog off all of the excess, but that creates more dust than necessary. Enter the low-angle block plane.

I'm too novice a hand-planer to rely solely on that tool to true up the edges. But it was no trouble at all to bring the material down to 1/16". The router handled the rest. Sawdust was cut by about eighty percent, I saved some wear on my router bit, and I felt good using a hand tool.

No tear out, and lots of wins.

When the factory glue-ups on Baltic birch are met with super-tight edge banding joints, I feel like I’ve done my job well.

Hygge

Many writers instruct English-speakers to pronounce this word as "hoo-ga" but when I hear it said by Denmark natives, my ears hear the "oo" that is more common in French or Hungarian. That is, the mouth and tongue form to say "ee" while the lips form to say "oo". Either way, it is certainly not an instance where the word is spelled like it sounds.

Hygge tends to resist a hard-fast definition, so I'll list some things that I've read regarding the term. Coziness. Absence of stress. Company of friends. Happy childhood memories. Well-being. Simple pleasures. Comfort. Conviviality. Warmth.

Some physical items often related to hygge: unscented candles, sweaters, woolen socks, scarves, mulled wine, well-designed lamps.

I recently received the The Little Book of Hygge -  Danish Secrets to Happy Living, and I could not put it down. In the book, Meik Wiking offers a totally Dane-centric view of happiness, but this is not surprising. The Danish are consistently ranked as being the happiest people in the world.

All through 2016, books and blogs published hygge-related material. In a turbulent year, maybe it was just the right time to spread the hygge gospel around the globe. For me, I'm embracing the concept and finding a lot of enjoyment in the mindset it encourages. Now about that Poul Henningsen PH 5 pendant lamp... Do I need one or two?

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Classic PH 5 Pendant Lamps as shown on www.louispoulsen.com

Perfectly Toasted

A just-right piece of toast seems to be something that I can only achieve by eliminating all distractions, putting aside multitasking, and staring unceasingly at the contents of the toaster oven. It's typically an English muffin upon which I'm focused. Too little time and it results in warm, soft, somewhat yeasty bread. Too much time, and it's a hot, charred waste.

Here's the thing: the time between under-done and over-done is about seven seconds. Really. Seven seconds. And the imprecise control knob on my toaster oven mocks me as I try in vain to find the one to two rotational degrees that will put me within the window of excellence.

There are some new appliances that have separate toasting dials or even digital timers that offer a greater degree of control. But for me, I think I'll use my toasting experience as a small opportunity to practice attentiveness and patience. Finding a moment like that amidst a chaotic day is probably a good thing. Happy toasting!

Festool Systainers

The ArtBin pencil box that I used in high school might have helped me to fall in love with having purposefully designed storage containers. There's something wonderful about having a particular place for everything. I'm looking at my bookshelf, and I see Jim Tolpin's The Toolbox Book, which offers great examples of beautifully designed tool chests and cabinets -- each one having particular places for particular tools. Most of these cabinets are made of wood, and they're all superbly crafted.

Recently, I've come to appreciate the value of not just a well-designed toolbox, but a well-designed tool storage system. The German company TANOS GmbH has a patented case system based on units called systainers. Systainers often include tailored interiors specifically fitted for particular tools or supplies. The units stack together for easy transport and storage.

Festool uses systainer systems to encase most of their handheld tools. They also offer a few toolbox and general storage designs which can be configured with dividers and modular, removable interior containers. The image here is of the combination I often have coupled. It has a toolbox top which is connected to a bank of removable drawers. The cart, which has exceptionally smooth-running locking casters, helps for moving the unit around the shop or wherever I need it to travel. Since the system is modular, it can grow and adapt as my needs change. There are lots of options available on Festool's website. These systems are an investment for sure, but return is in excellent organization and efficiency. Absolutely worth it.