Like most woodworkers trying to market our passion we often get frustrated trying to sell a product and/or service.  Other than by word of mouth, we try venues like the internet, Ebay, Craigslist and craft shows but rarely to a great degree of success.  Why?  To be honest my only thought is that we are not targeting the correct demographic.  It’s like trying to sell a car at a truck store, people will buy it but at a ridicules price and at the end of the day it ends up costing us money:(  

Just the other day I came across Etsy.com.  It appears that the site has been around for awhile but what makes Etsy different is that they cater to those of us looking to buy and sell handmade, unique items.  A quick look around confirms that the prices are more in line with actual costs and the audience are those who aren’t looking for a bargain but quality and something unique. 

Setting up shop couldn’t be easier.  Registration is pretty typical, contact info, log-in, password, etc and the only additional item needed to sell is a valid credit card.  A paypal account is suggested as well.  Fees don’t seem too high with a 20 cent insertion fee per item and 3.5% of the sale.  Once you are signed up you are provided a store front with your user name keep this in mind when you set up your account. 

 With this in mind I decided to give it a try myself.  Check me out at rjoneswoodworks.etsy.com

We’ll see how it goes and I will keep you all posted.

I really didn’t think I would get a chance to get some photos up prior to the final finishing but…

Just a couple more domino’s and little more sanding and it will be ready for finish:)

 Nope you never can have too many clamps!

Slowly but surely the bookcase is coming along but not without a lot of thinking along the way!  As usual you think you have it all figured out until the sawdust starts flying and then you realize it’s not as it first seemed.  Easy is not always fun so… how do you get one board to grow out of another? 

To start I needed a jig to keep everything square and level and centered.  Keeping the project centered was really key to making the whole process a success.  Essentially, I built a platform from 3/4″ mdf with two rails on each side and a couple of scraps on each end to keep it centered.  There really is a little more to the whole process but you should get the jist.

 Once I had the jig constructed I started with a 5/4″ x12″+ board and ripped an equal amount from each side.  Yes, this is yet another project the Festool Domino performed outstanding!  The use of domino’s for mock up was with out a doubt a great part of the success!

With the jig in place and the rails cut I was able to mark the sides and inset the rails.   While most of the material was removed with a router the final work was completed with a hand chisel and marking knife.

At this point the three middle pieces were cut to fit, the 45 degree angle cut on the ends and the project assembled. 

This should be it for progress pics due to time constraints and well the rest is pretty straight forward.  With any luck I should have completed photos within the next couple of weeks:)  However, if anyone has any questions please feel free to email me and I will do my best to answer them.

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

Yet another week has gone by and progress is slow but good.  Over the weekend, with lots of help, I was able to do a test run with Poplar for the base.  For the most part it was a success and I was happy with the end result.

In addition to the base we were also able to press the top as well.  The curly maple top will definitely give this project that WOW factor

Next weekend, with any luck, I will be able to move forward on completing the top and press the base lamination.

In this corner we have IKEA coming in with butts joints at 79.99 and in the other corner we have Ron coming in with dovtails and $404.00??  Huh?? 

I am often approached by friends and clients who mention “you can build that blah blah cheaper than that can’t you?”  It’s now been 3 years and to date I have yet to be able to build anything cheaper than I can find at a local furniture store, Lowes, Home Depot, IKEA…. I have been close in some cases but never cheaper.   With that in mind I thought it might be fun to break down typical costs on a selected item between myself and IKEA .

Below is an average two drawer unit from IKEA with a price of 79.99.  The product information is listed below and was taking from the IKEA USA website.

 Product information

 79.99???  WOW! Ok now that I have a list of specs and details let me try and match that price. First up Materials.

Materials

 $184???  Are you kidding!! We are just getting started!

 Labor at $40/hr

Isn’t it amazing how quickly this stuff adds up?  Now for the comparison! 

What you get for 79.99 is a piece of functional furniture that would be great for that first apartment or dorm room. Measurements as shown and no option to go bigger, wider or deeper.  You get a piece of furniture that will be around for a couple of years until it makes sense to have what you really needed custom built:)

What you don’t get is an assembled piece of quality furniture constructed with quality materials and joinery designed to stand years of use.  So what really makes this a quality piece of furniture?  Well that’s another topic in and of itself which I will gladly get to in the near future! 

So who wins?  I guess that depends on the who you are and what you are doing but unfortunately most often IKEA:(

Veterans get Help

I am fortunate enough to receive a copy of the Phoenix Business Journal each week via my day job.  Now I don’t read the journal front to back but there is most always an article or topic I find helpful and/or interesting.  This week is no exception.

Being a veteran myself, I found a short article on the Patriot Loan Initiative interesting to say the least.  The initiative was introduced about 8 months ago by the US Small Business Association in efforts to aid veteran business owners with resources and capital to either start a new business or help grow an existing business.  For more information I have add a link below.

Patriot Loan Initiative  

The bookcase is coming along slowly but surely.  Most all the material has been purchased and is now acclimated to the shop.  Last weekend I was able to rough cut most of the material and re-saw the base into approximately 1/8″ pieces.  Re-sawing an 11 1/2″ board into eight 1/8″ slices was a daunting task to say the least but the new Grizzly Bandsaw worked like a champ!  Below is a snap shot of the re-sawing process.

Once this step was complete all the pieces were run through the drum sander to ensure a consistent thickness.

 Once this process was complete, we were able to construct the form I will use for the glue up.  All in all the re-sawing, sanding and form building process took us the better part of five to six hours but gave off without a hitch.  Next up gluing the arch up in the vac press:)

Sorry for the delay in posts but the site has been under going some changes both in the blog and on the general site over the last couple weeks.  The blog is looking pretty good and with that in mind I should be able to start posting updates on the bookcase and other developments on the business front on a more regular basis:) 

Finally, I project I can sink my carbide teeth into! Commissioned as a wedding gift, this project was designed to compliment the existing furniture in the home while adding a little more of a modern feel. This should be an exciting project with a beautiful curved lamination to serve as a base, a little walnut inlay to frame out a curly maple top. Here’s a quick sketch (very quick) of what’s to come. Stay tuned and in the coming weeks I will hopefully be able to outline the techniques and process from start to finish. I have estimated 40 hours over the next 4-6 weeks so we will see how it goes

Having started with a 14″ Rigid my guess is that anything would be awesome but based on my budget and the projects I wanted to tackle I thought the Grizzly 17″ G0513×2 Bandsaw would be a good fit.

My typical new machine quest took me to all the online reviews and to a bunch of the forums to get some actual real world feedback. Starting at $750 I hoenestly didn’t think the saw had a chance but the more I dug around the more I was seeing an awesome saw it could be for the money. I guess the great thing about getting cheap tools from the beginning is knowing what I didn’t want again!! Now Grizzly has a couple different models to chose from the G0513 is really just the basic 17″ model while another $200 gets you cast iron wheels, a larger 24″x16 Table, a large resaw fence, cast iron trunnons, double ball bearing blade guides.

Shipping:
I think shipping run me about $100 with an additional $35 or so for the drop gate service. This service allowed UPS to almost drop it off in my shop which was sort of nice when the shipping wieght came in at about 400lbs and well I don’t have a forklift handy so… The saw arrived in undamaged with no missing pieces.

Assembly:
This was actually pretty easy and went pretty quick with the exception of doing the wiring. This model comes prewired to 220 but can be prewired to 110v. If you are going to run it on 110 you will need a dedicated 30 amp service. All the plugs and accessories to get it to 110 will probably run you about an additional $75. The instructions were ok. I think the only thing I wished I would have done prior to assembly would have been to check the wheels to make sure they were coplaner. I figured it was assembled and running so as long as it performed well I wouldn’t bother at this point. For a great bandsaw set up video check out The Wood Whisperer’s video on bandsaw set up. Bandsaw Set Up

Operation:
While reading on another forum someone had mentioned the penny test where you place a penny on it’s edge start the machine up and see if it will fall over. WOW it stayed right there. For kicks I tried resawing some 6″ Koa to an 1/8″, with a 1″ 3hook blade I don’t think it was off 1/64. So far so good!

Blade changing

Now I have heard this to be a nightmare on the Grizzly but really it’s not the blade changing that’s tough it’s setting all your clearances that’s time consuming to be honest though nothing is really tough on the this machine. The quick tension release makes this process easy as well as the view windows for blade tracking and blade tension.

The Fence

The 6″ fence is actually a stock feature on the x2 which is pretty nice. Having read many of the reviews I was really expecting to find the fence perform like crap but honestly I can’t see what people have mentioned about it.

The ability to swap from a 6″ high fence to something about 1/2 quickly is nice. The only drawback however maybe if you are trying to resaw something less than 6″ high. As you can see you really can’t get closer than about an inch or so to the blade

Dust Collection:
With two 4″ dust ports the dust collection is very effective and does a great job!

Overall thoughts:

All in all I am happy with my purchase and would by this machine again without question. The overall fit and finish is better than I expected for the price. The Shop Fox base on the other hand I could probably live without but live and learn.