Columns/Blogs

The biggest conversation going right now is related to how we treat others. The current focus is on how men in positions of power treat women.

Even when you do it right the very first time, it’s amazing how much you learn about everything that can be wrong.

I have always tried to maintain a positive outlook. Even when things get difficult, it’s not impossible to envision things improving. But these days, I’m finding that it is taking a lot more mental energy to combat the negative energy that seems to be pervading everything.

I have a bad habit that I know a lot of other woodworkers share: Endlessly obsessing over flaws and errors in perfectly good work.

There’s an old expression: Out of sight, out of mind. People will not do business with you if they do not know you are there. Even people who have done business with you in the past tend to forget about you once the current transaction is completed. Staying in sight is important.

I’m finally at the point of my shop build where I’m tackling the secondary stuff. That’s a Good Thing in general, but it also means I’m getting rid of stacks.

Current stats show a very low unemployment level across the country. This is a good thing. People have jobs.

Some finish manufacturers provide lots of information about their products that make it easier for you to choose among brands or within a brand to get the qualities you want.

A 3-axis CNC router can do more than just machine sheet stock for cabinets. Given the right software and tooling, other than a spiral cutting end mill, a 3-axis CNC router can generate more artistic items than cabinets.

We all know about spring cleaning, the once-a-year, take-everything-out cleaning binge that is usually accompanied by a dozen other tasks that have been put off for one reason or another.

I’ve talked before about how much I hate changing band saw blades. Guess what? I’m talking about it again.

I saw an article the other day about home prices. This particular home was in Sunnyvale, Calif., and sold for over $2,000 a square foot. Yes, this was a record.

When’s the last time you crawled around on the shop floor? Never, you say?

In the normal course of our day work, we often encounter what are known as design opportunities.

While a pain to do I’ve generally not really minded figuring out my taxes most years. This isn’t going to be one of those years.

I’ve always been a rebel. When my grandfather told me I’d never be successful with long hair, I grew it longer

I doubt there’s any problem in finishing more frustrating than fish eye. The problem usually appears as moonlike craters in the first coat of finish seconds after application, but it can also appear as ridges (sometimes called “crawling”), and it can hold off showing itself until the second or third coat.

When you stand back and think about it, a CNC machine of whatever variety is nothing more than another power tool that depends on a single or multiple electrical motors to operate, and electrical motors have parts that fail, usually at most inopportune time.

Are you ready for tax reform? Thanks to the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the tax rate for incorporated shops will be reduced from 35 to 21 percent for the 2018 tax year and beyond. The news isn’t as good for pass-through businesses.