Being a small shop owner I realized one of the last things I considered when setting up my shop was how I was going to clear the air with all the sawdust and fumes I was creating. I do have the luxury of a covered deck outside my shop so much of my staining, sealing and sanding takes place outside, weather permitting. I also use a mask when working with chemicals, turning on my lathe, etc., but that still doesn't alleviate the inside problem where my most active power tools are: the table saw, miter saw and router to name a few. Like many others, my shop started small and slowly grew; and one of my first purchases...
For many of us, something we love doing gradually evolves to the point that one day we say to ourselves.."maybe this has the makings of a business?" As we contemplate the idea we're energized by the possibilities and eventually decide to "take the plunge". This initial excitement and the adrenaline of a "new" venture carry us for a while..... and then the realities of running even a 'small" business begin to set in.......we're going to have to tackle things that have nothing to do with our creative process, our much loved hobby or our product. No matter how "small" the business, certain things are necessary to engage. When we determined to begin to sell our woodworking creations, we quickly...
It’s pretty clear that we woodworkers love our wood and for me in particular I get the most satisfaction out of making end grain cutting boards. They are beautiful, functional, durable, forgiving to your knife edges and, perhaps more importantly, they are far more bacteria resistant than the more common (and less expensive) plastic cutting boards. Of course there are other surfaces that you can use to cut on, however materials like glass or stainless steel are completely unforgiving to your knife edges. If you value your knives, you will choose wood; if you value your health, you will certainly choose wood! **We’ve attached some research articles to back up our claims so don’t just go off my opinion, however...
I’m not the greatest at keeping my shop immaculate as my workday progresses but I do take the time to clean up at the end of the day so I get a fresh start the next day. One area that I’m pretty faithful in, however, is in keeping my tool blades clean. Even without having the blades sharpened (professionally or DIY) you can improve the quality of your cuts by keeping your sharp edges free of residue buildup. If you read my previous blogs you know I don’t have the biggest shop so a lot of my equipment is either smaller or of the “benchtop” variety. That said, I still produce fine quality products using a variety of hardwoods by investing a little...
Before continuing with the other tools in my shop I wanted to add a few comments in regards to my table saw; specifically sleds and jigs. A great way to practice and hone your table saw skills is to create sleds & jigs that will save you time and help you with more precise cuts. Since my table saw is relatively small it came with a rather inferior miter gauge which I improved by simply adding a longer piece of MDF to the gauge. I’ve also built a sacrificial fence and a couple of jointer sleds that have saved me time and money in “squaring up” my rough wood. Although all sleds will get their use and help...
