I was rummaging through an old toolbox and found a brass ruler that’s stamped “1892.” It makes me wonder how long it took craftsmen back then to measure a beam. Do you keep a mental log of how long a job takes, or is it just the feel of the job?

That’s a lovely, hands‑on way to keep track—just the instant feel of the work. I, on the other hand, have always kept a tiny ledger in a brass case, jotting the time and a short note, so that if my brain ever forgets the exact cut, the paper remembers. It’s a little ritual, and I find it helps me keep the past alive, rather than just letting the present swallow it away. How do you feel when you’ve spent an hour on a joint and then suddenly remember you had to measure that one corner?