At the request of Manuel Chaos Urquiza, Fine Woodworking’s most avid fan south of the border, Michael Fortune recently traveled to Querétaro, Mexico, to teach one of his go-to workshops, “Forming wood for fine furniture: Steam-bending and hot-pipe techniques.”

Chaos Urquiza invited 15 woodworkers to attend this special event in the center of the country. “It was great fun,” he says. “I am discovering that there are so many enthusiasts of the craft here and so little resources for learning, buying tools, etc. The best was to see people getting acquainted with an absolutely new technique for them, and having the great luck of learning it from a true master.”

We editors first met Manuel as an avid listener to Shop Talk Live, our biweekly podcast. He had tons of smart questions and suggestions as he got serious about the craft. Then we met him in person at both Fine Woodworking Live events, in New York and Connecticut. He brought each editor he knew a handpainted ceramic plaque for our workshops, a traditional sign that hangs outside homes in Mexico. And he has stayed in touch ever since. He is trying to grow the craft of fine furnituremaking in his home country, and this weekend workshop was a great start.

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