Columns/Blogs

Avoid the growing pains.

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

There was a long period when I had employees, but I started out as a one-man shop and ended up as a one-man shop.

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.

There are many times when we have the pressure of a deadline. The need to hit a payment schedule, contract requirements, customer demands and a myriad of other factors can put us in a time bind.

British to English.

Choosing a printer.

The value of a business plan.

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

Most of us have chosen woodworking as a profession for the same reason: we like working with wood.

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.

The recent disastrous fire that consumed most of the roof structure of the Notre Dame cathedral got me thinking once again about the fragile nature of our wood supply.

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

I’m laughing out loud at the current proposal to send immigrants to sanctuary cities. I happen to live in one and the biggest problem local businesses have is finding good help.

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 have been asked about my work many times. Not any nuts and bolts stuff that I’m pretty comfortable talking about but things like how I feel about what I do or how I must love my work.

These days, a prospective employee is more likely to be asked about his knowledge of computers than about how well he can produce a smooth surface with a hand plane.