Woodworking is high on the list of industries that are experiencing a shortage of skilled employees. With unemployment rates at the lowest level in decades and wages at their highest, the lack of skilled people is becoming more and more obvious.

It’s not unusual or unreasonable for people to want something unique. We are not all the same and that’s a good thing.

I have a lot of pieces of wood that are too good to throw away but too small to really be useful. We sometimes call pieces like this scrap, but I have always maintained that there is no such thing as scrap.

When is it good enough? I am at a stage in life where most people would consider me to be a master. And you’d think, at this point, I have little left to learn.

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.

I have tried to avoid discussing anything political here. This is supposed to be about running a shop. But completely separating business and politics is like separating the cart and the horse.

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 have always tried to pay a living wage. The actual dollar amount is irrelevant because a living wage can vary dramatically depending on where your business is located.

My father in law ran a cattle ranch in Nevada. He always stressed the importance of being able to do any job on the ranch.