Over The Workbench

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.