Every craftsman or "maker" of products knows that customers often help define how we look at, modify and sometimes even conceive of the things we make. We come up with an idea or conform to traditional concepts in the quest for what the buyer will like and then watch and listen Here's an example. A good friend suggested we include pen blocks in our product line over a year ago. Since this particular friend is an avid pen lover and enjoys attending Pen shows, she enlightened us about the market for a way to display favorite writing instruments for pen lovers such as herself. Over time we added a number of original design pen blocks to our...
Once I began to hone my craft from hobbyist to woodworker, my friends began to take notice of the quality and creativity of my craftsmanship. With that came plenty of suggestions: "have you considered making.....?" Although flattered I have also become a realist who recognizes very quickly the limits of my skills or the time and effort that would be involved in trying certain things. As every woodworker advances we also become more aware of our own idiosyncrasies that we factor into any project. I am one who gets distracted easily so simply making the same thing over and over again, no matter how good I've become at it, becomes less interesting let alone challenging. Enter new challenges worth tackling. One of...
By now, if you've been following our blog or other social media, you know that we have transitioned from the interior marketplace we occupied and are taking a different approach. We continue to market our creations here on our online store, however we're now taking a different approach to "brick and mortar" venues. In our ongoing "learning" process, we realized that our "niche" products (end grain cutting boards, cheese boards, pepper mills and sets, and other culinary tools) reach our target customers best when placed in venues where compatible products are found. Hence, we recently were welcomed to show our wares in a local olive oil and balsamic vinegar store here in our hometown. ( Olive Tree and Vine........
After making dozens of end grain cutting boards over the past couple years I wanted to share a bit about which woods I consider the best (and most available) for constructing boards. We’ve said, time and again, that end grain is the premium construction method for cutting boards because of it’s antibacterial properties and kindness to our knife edges. A crucial basis for determining the wood we use is in it’s hardness. I’ve found the best online source for wood characteristics, including hardness is: http://www.wood-database.com/ When looking through the database, try to select wood in the hardness range of 850 - 1700; You also want to look for a hardwood with a relatively tight grain pattern, free of knots and other blemishes. The most common...
I recently finished a 'special" project.........while undertaking a new cutting board design inspired by another woodworker's online video, I finally got around to making a special cheese board for my wife. I've made numerous ones, some in the beautiful "tumbling squares" pattern as well as several others. She has helped with the design details, sourcing and choosing the complementary hardware for each, but every completed project found its way out the door as either a gift to someone special or to our retail marketplace. So as I took on this new design I decided it was time to rectify that situation. Here is a link to the "Slovenian Woodworker" who inspired my new board... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cniYoTxiEek&t=48s After considering his...
