Weekly Editorial
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Keep on Making Sawdust
Recently, I went into my shop with the intention of turning a bowl. Now, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about how messy my shop is, but for some reason I could not find the 2-3/4″ diameter Forstner bit that I use to bore a mounting hole for my scroll chuck. Even after a significant amount of cleaning, with a good deal of muttering under my breath, I could not find the bit. Rats!
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The Voices in Our Heads!
Wow! Last eZine, I asked you to share the woodworking sayings that run through your head when you are in the shop. I knew you were into sharing, but really … I had no idea just how willing! There were nearly three hundred entries – so many, that to pick the winners (listed in our Feedback section) we just randomly pulled them out of our electronic hat. There simply were too many to pick the best. But I do want to share a few more that tickled my fancy. Enjoy!
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It’s Time For a Contest!
Random contests have long been a tradition here at the Woodworker’s Journal eZine. We’ve had the messiest shop contest – inspired at that time by my office. We’ve had a “Compliment Woodworker’s Journal” contest (I still go and look at those submissions from time to time). And two (count them, TWO) woodworking poetry contests, just to name a few. One of our more recent contests asked you to report on the worst woodworking advice that you had ever received. Which leads me to this current contest.
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Tip-Top Secret
By the time you are reading this, I will be at an undisclosed location in Northern Minnesota, stalking the wily large-mouth bass. Woodworkers are known for their generosity in sharing information about sources: “I just found some red oak selling for $0.75 a board foot! It’s over at blah, blah blah.” Fishermen, not so much. I am sure that you have heard the old saying, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish, and you’ve created a liar.”
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(Almost) Summertime, and the Woodworking Is Easy
In these next two weeks, the unofficial kickoff to the summer season occurs. While it’s no comparison to the actual kickoffs from my beloved Minnesota Vikings that will occur in a few months, summer does have its perks – one of them being that it’s possible to be in the outdoors, or at least semi-outdoors, here in the North Country without freezing your tuckus off.
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Hardware Heaven
As I type this, I am just hours away from flying to Las Vegas, Nevada to check out the National Hardware Show. I must confess that I get excited about this sort of event. There is so much activity, people moving about, vendors selling their wares and, of course, the latest and coolest hardware and tools.
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The “Yes, I’m a Professional Woodworker” CONTEST!
I think the notion of taking your woodworking efforts from a hobby to a vocation is a common daydream for many woodworkers, especially in these tough economic times. Even if you don’t think about it in terms of “quitting your day job,” many of us would like to use our time in the shop as a way to bring in extra money.
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Nothing Like an Old Fool
With our April Fool’s eZine effort behind us, I would like to say thank you to all the folks who liked our effort, and to direct you to the Feedback page, where some of your own humor is on display. To those of you who did not find my editorial funny and/or had some questions about the piece, here are my responses.
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Woodworking Is for the Birds
Thank goodness that Spring has officially arrived — although it is always more of a concept than a reality for those of us who remain suffering from cabin fever here in the frozen North. Still, that concept has us thinking of days to come when the snow will have fled and the grass will be green, and the birds will return from the warmth of the South.
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Woodworking Wood Freaks!
Last issue I asked you to tell me what your favorite hardwood might be. Great shugga-bugga, you folks really like hardwood! Nearly 250 of you sent in your selections, and what a diverse lot you are. There were 39 species identified as faves, with selections ranging from obscure (jatoba) to bland (poplar). There were, of course, the class clowns who had to raise their hands to say things like “free!” or “veneer,” but I must confess I found those answers amusing. (It takes a wise guy to appreciate a wise guy…)
