Editor’s Blogs
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Finalist Videos from Fresh Wood
In the current issue our eZine, I’m reporting on a really cool woodworking design competition that took place last month at the AWFS trade show in Las Vegas
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Ali Industries: From Lunar Orbit to Random-orbit
Up until recently, I’ve never really given much thought to sandpaper…where it comes from, how it’s made or what tidbits of interesting history might be behind it. Sandpaper has always been one of those “means-to-an-end” products for me. And, well, it’s associated with sanding. I try not to spend more time than I really need to thinking about sanding…
But, the nitty gritty details about grits became a lot more interesting earlier this spring when I had the opportunity to tour Ali Industries, a sandpaper manufacturing plant just a couple hours west of my home.
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Dovetail Confessions
Okay, true confession time: I’ve never cut dovetails by hand. There, I said it.
It’s probably not a big thing to admit, really … lots of us woodworkers don’t cut and chop pins and tails the “old school” way. Sure, I can steer my router through a dovetailing jig with the best of them, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But for me, a woodworking editor for gosh sakes, I feel like I’m admitting some deep, dark secret. I’m supposed to know this stuff to be a card-carrying shop writer, right?
Well, wrong.
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Tools Don’t Replace Talent or Time
One of perks of being Woodworker’s Journal’s “field” editor is that, every now and then, I actually get out into the field. Sometimes I’m headed to trade shows, but the trips I enjoy even more involve getting together with other woodworkers to see how they do things. In addition to meeting some really fine people and taking care of a photoshoot, I often learn a thing or two about myself in the process.
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Woodworking in Tough Times
These days, it feels like the “Great Recession” is never going to end, doesn’t it? Jobless rates are up, banks are on the ropes and home values are still falling through the floor. Tough times all around. But, despite some huge potholes on this road to recovery, the woodworking industry is still forging ahead.
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Pocket Screw Joints: The Outdoorsy Types
Summer is quickly slipping through our fingers, so hopefully you’re busy with outdoor projects. This season, I’ve got a garden fence that’s way overdue. In the spirit of exterior projects, I’d like to recommend pocket screw joinery.
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Three-dollar Fix Improves Fold-Down Outfeed Table
Earlier this spring we received some good feedback about the “Fold-down Outfeed Table” project that ran in the February 2009 issue (p. 50). Glad you folks like it! But, if you’re planning to build one for your table saw (or if you’ve already completed it), be sure to add a simple modification sent in by fellow reader Doug Green from Wellington, Colorado.
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No More “Name That Grit”
My Sandpaper Organizer ran in our August issue as our “Jigs & Fixtures” featured project. If you went ahead and built one, I hope you’re liking it. I sure am.
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What Is It Worth?
It has happened to all of us at one time or another. If you work wood long enough, someone; maybe a relative, possibly a friend, or even a coworker will admire your work and ask what you would charge them to make a . . . (fill in the blank)
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Who Is It Really for?
I start thinking of my Christmas gifts ahead of time. Giving shop-made gifts does require a bit more advanced planning. One of the things we woodworkers really need to decide early on is who are we making the gift for.
