A.J. Hamler

Sadness, remembrance, appreciation, connection – just some of the things you feel when a gift project comes back into your life.

A recent experience with contractors taught me something about the importance of working as a team.

Ever have a one-off project unexpectedly become a series? It’s usually a surprise and, for me, a pleasant one.

What drives a woodworker or DIYer nuts? It’s listening to other people working, but not being able to join them.

It’s amazing how, after considering a woodshop problem for a long time, you find the solution was right in front of you all along.

I’ve stated categorically before that there’s no such thing as scrap. Here’s proof.

I love talking to kids about what I do, and even more so when some of them turn out to already be working with wood.

I’m technically capable of doing a lot of things, but sometimes I just don’t want to.

Taking care of pest infestations threatening forests is a state job, right? Yeah, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things the little guy can do.

I don’t always like it when tool companies “improve” their offerings, but I find a recent trend to be both welcome and useful.

Cordless tools? I absolutely love them! Batteries and chargers? Not so much.

Woodworkers know only too well how addictive it is to lust after new tools. I think my wife is finally beginning to understand.

I don’t often ask for a favor – in fact, I don’t think I ever have – but I have a favor to ask.

I talked last year about how little attention the checkouts at Big Box stores pay to what they’re actually ringing up. In the earlier case, the guy paid no attention to the fact that I had two cabinets on a dolly, not one long one, and only charged me for one. I noted at the time that even though this was a small thing, it’s still indicative of issues affecting the economy. How can you possibly succeed when you’re letting free stuff go out the door?

In spite of the fact that I think I know everything, clearly, there’s a lot out there I’m clueless about.

Just when it looks like we’re catching a break with tree-killing predators, another comes along that’s even worse.

I’ve never stated before that there’s not a species of wood I won’t work with. Well, I take it back.

Just how little wood can there be in a project, and still consider it woodworking?

Sometimes – too often, it seems – woodworking gives you two choices that force you to make a tough decision.

Two things happened this week that helped me regain a sense of balance in the way I look at things.

I talked last time about hidden things I know about. Earlier this week I came across something hidden that I’d forgotten even existed.

The coolest (and most fun) part of my miter saw station is something nobody ever sees. In fact, they don’t even know it’s there.

No matter how efficient your dust collection is, it can’t get everything.

There are some things I hate to do. But if I rationalize the task hard enough, I’m fine with it. Sometimes, the rationalization even makes sense.

We’ve all stripped old furniture finish. But sometimes “furniture stripper” means something else entirely.

It’s amazing how you can go decades without doing something, and then suddenly find yourself doing it all the time.

Always measure twice before cutting. But then, cut as many times as you need to till you get it right.

I love routers, but I’m no fan of the way most of them turn on and off.

There’s an old saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.” That goes double when giving safety advice that you don’t follow yourself.

I’ve always thought of my woodshop as my personal play space, but it never occurred to me that it might be the same thing to someone else.

Discipline in the woodshop is important, whether you have employees sharing that shop or not.

I’m always annoyed by online posts that relate some event, but then never follow up to tell me what eventually happened. Here, then, a few follow-ups.

No matter how careful you are in the woodshop, cuts happen. However, there are some shop tasks where they happen more often than others.

Apparently, a lot of small business people are doing great. They must be, since they don’t seem to want to work.

I found an interesting relic in my shop yesterday. Nicely made, but I have no idea why I made it.

Do you have shop clothes and wear-outside-the-house clothes? Sure you do.

What’s the difference between repeat business and never being hired again? The answer’s easy: A single phone call.

Having enough time to work is one thing, but having uninterrupted time is far more important.

I’ve had a heavy workbench for at least 35 years, but I don’t use it much anymore. Time to let it enjoy a well-earned retirement?

Completing a tricky project, getting a check or landing a new commission all make you feel great. But there’s still a lot of joy from lesser things.

I’m always taken aback when someone online offers a safety suggestion that is anything but safe.

I’d like to blame the Big Box store, and part of me still does, but it’s really my own fault I went home bleeding after buying lumber.

To turn “quick-and-dirty” into “presentable” you should redo it to better standards. Or, you could just hide the dirty part.

I bumped into a woodworker last week. How did I know? Well, he was making something out of wood, and for me that’s the only proof I needed.

What do you constantly make in the shop that piles up over the years, but you won’t get rid of it? Did you say scrap? Nope.

No matter how old the dog, despite what conventional wisdom says, he can still learn a new trick.

What do you do after wrapping up a major project, commission or assignment? I have a ritual that serves me well.

It occurred to me this morning that I haven’t used my lathe in nearly two years. So, for no reason other than the sheer pleasure of it, I did.