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...
For the last week or so the Carpenter has been busy “spring cleaning” and reorganizing his shop. Seems anytime we’re really busy ,even our best efforts fall short in keeping things neat and organized…….lots of sawing, planing, sanding, turning, and gluing has taken place and the evidence was all over the place:) Micah had little interest in helping.... he preferred to lay in the accumulated sawdust outside the shop. The good news is that the “mess” was a result of a number of new products added to our line………. So we thought we’d share them with you here. We added Penblocks at the recommendation of a friend who is a pen lover. She clued us in on how true...
During my recent Bible study, in the midst of the Old Testament book of Judges, I was reminded of a central aspect of how God created us all. Whether believers or not, all of us were made to worship. While most relate worship to a religious practice, the reality goes far beyond that. As a matter of fact one of the definitions Webster offers is this: extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem. In my past, my worship was given to any number of self-serving pursuits that ultimately left me unfulfilled. Here’s an example: several years ago I was fortunate enough to share in season tickets for my favorite hockey team. Looking back, this was just one...
We finish our cutting boards in one of two ways; using food grade mineral oil is our most common finish however on occasion we will finish a board with Salad Bowl Finish (aka SBF). Before explaining the differences in the finish we’d first like to identify the similarities: Both finishes are food safe Both finishes will protect the wood surface without detracting from the natural healing and anti-bacterial properties of end grain boards. Both finishes are applied over several days with multiple coats Both surfaces will in fact require periodic maintenance Now the differences. Mineral oil is applied to saturate the wood from one side through the board to the other whereas SBF provides a harder layer of finish that doesn't penetrate...
