A couple months back I was fortunate to be able to participate in a solid surface certification program put on by a local hardwood supplier.   As with any trade seminar many of my fellow cabinet and furniture makers turned out for a great day of networking and education.  Being a small one man shop I felt somewhat out of place in an arena of companies that have multiple teams to do what I do myself.   As the day progressed I soon realized, amongst many other reasons, why I am a one man shop and don’t have a sales team, fabrication team and installation team.  Why you might ask? 

There seems to be a certain satisfaction I get from working with a client from the beginning to the end.  A certain lack of communication that tends to happen when layers of management is part of the process.  Something that not only gets lost though the various plethora of people you deal with at a larger company but the problems associated as well.   Maybe a detail the salesmen didn’t tell the craftsmen, something the craftsmen didn’t tell the installer, a process the installer didn’t tell the client.    Probably one of the best experiences I have been fortunate to have is commissioning a small local company to build an offroad car.  While most likley more expensive the most, the end result was pure satisfaction and a grin from ear to ear!  Proof that less can really be more:)

Congratulations to all the winners and participants of the Lumberjocks Winter Woodworking Challenge.   Yet another awesome contest with amazing entries.  I will agree with others when I say this had to have been one of the hardest contests to pick a winner.  It seems as the LJ community grows so does the talent and this contest was yet another testament to such talent!

For more information and to check out the winning entries head on over to Lumberjocks.com

Phoenix area woodworkers mark your calendar!  On February 21st 22nd The Arizona Association of Fine Woodworkers will be holding their 5th annual Excellence in Woodworking show at the Mesa Convention Center.  The show is open to woodworkers of all abilities and is a relatively cheap way to exhibit your work.

For more information click here http://www.azfinewoodworkers.org/

RJ

Thank god for lumberjocks.com and yet another woodworking contest!  It seems, that nowadays, this is about the only thing that get’s to contribute to my blog.  Unfortunately, with so many projects in the works and the holidays upon us it’s been difficult to find time to write:(  Of course that’s about to change with yet anouther Lumberjocks.com woodworking contest.

Not to be out done by the last contest, Martin over at LJ has again come up with two awesome catagories and a host of great sponsers and prizes for the winners.

The first catagory requires you incorporate a knot into your project and the second project requires a secret compartment.  For more details on this awesome contest head on over to Lumberjocks.com!

Hurry, entry deadline is January 31.

In today’s economy, charities throughout the country are seeing an enormous decline in charitable donations.  It goes without saying we all just don’t have too much, if anything, to give.  Sure we can all give our time but most often that isn’t too practical.  So what’s left you say?  

Over conversation with a neighbor the other day I got to thinking it may be nice if maybe once a year I was able to work with a charity to design and build a custom piece of furniture that might be auctioned or raffled off with the entire proceeds being contributed directly to that one lucky charity.   By spreading one project out over a longer period, having the ability to fit various portions into my busy schedule and incorporating existing or left over materials from other project into a charity project it really seems like a win win situation. 

In the coming weeks and months I will hopefully be outlining my plan on how I will solicit interested charities and set up project guidelines.  As always comments are welcome.

RJ

Ok, well maybe not in the earthy sense of the word but the shop has gone green literally.   With the proposed kitchen remodel looming in the near future larger and upgraded equipment has become a must!!  So with having purchased a 17″ Grizzly band saw I thought I would continue on with the green theme, stick with Grizzly and purchase a 15″ Planer with shelix head, 8″ jointer with shelix head and 10″ cabinet saw with router table extension and out feed roller system. In the next month or so, after I have had a little time on each of them, I will be posting reviews.  So far my opinion is mixed but overall a very positive one.       

Ron

Uh??? What???  As I am sure you are thinking I must have lost my mind with such a statement I would like to take this opportunity to explain my madness.

“The human hand has a particularly refined sense of touch. According to Smithsonian magazine, researchers found that our hand can detect a dot just three microns high. (A human hair has a diameter of 50 to 100 microns.) However, by “using a texture rather than a dot, the researchers found the hand can detect roughness just 75 nanometers high”—a nanometer being one thousandth of a micron! Such remarkable sensitivity is attributed to about 2,000 touch receptors in each fingertip.”  So what you say???  

Well first off those numbers are some extremely tight tolerances and sure your joinery needs to fit tight but I think many of us overlook are sense of touch as a quality control tool.  Often times a defect or blemish can be extremely apparent to the touch when only just visible to the eye.  Taking this approach to the finer details of your woodworking will, without a doubt, make your projects standout from the rest and no where is this more apparent than at the finishing stages. 

Try this on your next project.  At each stage in your project close your eyes and run your hands over your entire project.  Does it flow?  What do you feel?  To be honest you shouldn’t feel much of anything and if you do then it’s a great time to fix the flaw.  No, changes in joinery, milling marks, tear out, end grain, saw marks, fasteners, dust nibs, runs in the finish…. the list goes on.

Look at your best work.  Now feel it.  Look at your worst work.  Now feel it.  Now tell me there’s not a  difference! 

RJ 

Quote found here 

Although I haven’t been posting much that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy!! In fact things have been a little crazy both in the shop and on the drawing board. 

Since my last post I wrapped up a couple small projects, started design on a kitchen, upgraded my jointer, planer and tablesaw (Stay tuned for the reviews), and trying hard to finish my wife’s corner curio, sold some trucks, bought some cars, went on vacation… yeah the list goes on but things are slowly getting under control.  With any luck I will be able to at least provide something constructive on a more frequent basis.  A couple articles I am currently working on include: Kitchen design, tips on spotting quality furniture, tool reviews and a little something on Shaker furniture and my trip to Hancock Shaker Village.  So till then be safe!!

RJ

Unfortunately, well if you want to call it that, I have been so busy in the shop I almost forgot the summer Lumberjocks.com contest had come to an end:(  I think wow about sums it up!! So if you are looking for a little inspiration head over to LumberJocks and check out all the winners and all the entries.  Some truly amazing work there! Congrats to all the winners!  Just how will Martin top this when the Winter Awards come around?  I guess we’ll have to wait and see:)

Yes, the time has come for yet another great Lumberjocks.com challenge! For those who aren’t in the know Lumberjocks.com is probably one of the most frequented woodworking websites on the net.  Each year Lumberjocks.com host various challenges throughout the year with various themes.  One theme was based on what a woodworker could build with a 2×4.  Another involved building anything without glue or fasteners and with awesome sponsors and prizes awarded to the winners the entries are just amazing.  This summer’s challenge is no different.

In my honest opinion there are three things that make or break a project, the finish, material and the proportions.  Often we just copy what we see in the store with regard to materials and dimensions so that leaves the finish up to us.  It hasn’t been until recently, in the last couple of years, that I have been able to actually create a professional finish.  But why???  Probably because often times I knew what to do just not why I was doing it.  This all changed after 38 minutes with  The Wood Whisperer’s ” A Simple Varnish”. 

In fine Wood Whisperer fashion Marc does an exceptional job of getting behind the scenes of “why” we do what we do!  What I thought I knew I now know and understand much better! 

Clear and concise, Marc takes us from beginning to end with a basic finish.  Starting with surface preparation, application, the final coat as well as variations on different woods and various tips and tricks along the way.   Probably the only thing I would to have liked to have seen more of is rubbing out a finish.  I do understand though the time constraints and what he was trying to package but maybe next time?  Below is a clip from the DVD.

The bottom line?  Probably not for the seasoned craftsmen with lots of experience.  Not a bad idea for those of us in between.  If you are just starting out, then what are you waiting for?  I would have killed for this information when I was starting out!   For $14.95 the information is a steal.  The worst part is that this is the only one and now I have to wait for another:(

Just a quick update on my old Awlfreeplans site.  Just prior to it’s demise I was approached by a gentlemen who needed another project.  With that in mind I transferred the domain and the site is back up and running better than ever.  

Awlfreeplans

From time to time you will see various suppliers reviewed as well as equipment and various other woodworking paraphernalia.  Some good, some not so good.  Regardless, I expect the same service and quality from my suppliers as my clients should expect from me.  With that in mind, below is my latest experience with Spray Gun World, an online spray gun equipment and accessories supplier.

About a month ago I was in the market for a 2.2mm tip set for my Asturo ECO1 conversion gun. Having purchased this gun from them in the past and hoping I was in for a better experience I decided to, once again, go with the low bidder.  (<on=”smack upside the head”>off)  The spray gun purchase came with mixed emotions.  The price was unbeatable but the service was less than desirable.  Hoping this wasn’t the standard I tried a second time. 

I placed my order on the internet and within a couple hours I received an order confirmation by email.  The next day I received an email stating the order was being processed.  Shortly thereafter, maybe a couple of hours, I received another email stating that they had made an error and would need to charge me shipping.  I guess this wasn’t a part of the deal so I agreed, no sweat, and authorized the $8. 

One week, two weeks then pushing 3 weeks and still no tip set???  Feeling the blood starting to boil I placed multiple calls and left multiple voice mails over the next day (it seems they are only open 4 hours a day?)  and still no response!  Finally, I get a real person on the phone only to spend a total of probably 15 mins on hold in order to get a tracking number only to find out it will be here the next day.  Why was this so hard?  Are they working out of someone’s apartment?  Three days later I receive an email stating that they have no information on my order???

The bottom line is I received what I ordered in good condition and paid an unbeatable price.  However, the severe lack of customer service won’t bring me back in fact it’s lead me to writing this review.  If you are in it for the price then sure Spray Gun World is your place but I hate to think what will happen if I actually had a problem!  With that in mind they won’t get my business again!

As some of you know about a year ago I started a free plan site called AWLfreeplans.  While the process seemed quick at first it soon became much more work than I originally anticapted.  Therefore, after just a couple of months I was unable to continue.  Although the AWLfree plans site will now be gone I will continue to offer the few projects I did complete plans for and have provided links and photos below.

Any questions please feel free to email me ron@rjoneswoodworks.com

Ultimate Workstation

Ultimate Workstation PDF

Keep Sake Box (LJ Summer Challange 07) 

Keep Sake Box PDF

Sofa Table

Sofa Table PDF

 Toy Chest

Toy Chest PDF

 Dogbone Dog Dish Holder

Dog Dish Holder PDF

OSHA’s E Tool 

Most Cited Violations