Put Americans back to work for America

OK I get it. Times is tough. Money is tight. People are scared. There is no hope on the horizon. Bull!

Yes the economy is in a pit and the micro-economics of day to day life in the work-a-day world is difficult to live with at best. It's not like this hasn't happened before though. Not like we haven't dealt with economic crisis after economic crisis and come out smelling like a rose. So let's do it again, shall we.

I work in retail but I also have a small business making seemingly useless stuff to fill shelves with things to dust. I also take on small jobs in woodworking to get by but, this is not the only point of my post today. In the course of a day I see 10 or more small businessmen, contractors, cabinetmakers, woodturners, and wood workers of all like from hobbyists to professionals all with the same story. They are being run out of business by the likes of the IKEAs, Targets, Wallmarts and K-Marts filled with foreign made products that are priced to be nearly disposable. Hey I get that too, buy cheap, keep it for as long as you need it then throw it away and get another one just like it. But there are reasons for buying well made products, keeping them for a while, and contributing to the local economy.

In my recent experience with all these local businessmen I have learned one really valuable lesson. They are willing to work with you in meeting your needs for quality products while matching your budget or stretching it out over a period of time. See they have houses to pay for too. They have kids to feed too. And most importantly, they do amazing work for reasonable prices. You just have to ask!

It may seem like you are taking advantage of them by asking for cheaper alternatives but again remember houses, kids businesses to run. Now here are some points to consider before doing so.

- Buy what you need ONLY
- Shop around for the best price with above mentioned business types
- Be fair. (houses, kids, businesses)
- Put yourself in their shoes for a few minutes ask why they do what they do.
- look at the quality of their work and see if you can find something that good at the big box or discount stores (not likely)

So here is MY scenario that brought me into the blogosphere again. I set up my little table full of bowls and boxes in an ART WALK on the fourth Friday of every month. I have to pay for the space and an annual fee to participate. I have a large variety of large and small items that generally serve some purpose but are not essential to daily existence. I stand at my booth and greet everyone who approaches, whether enthusiastically or sheepishly. I am willing to answer any questions, talk about the process that goes into making these things of limited purpose, and give the potential customer to pick up and examine the work. What has happened since January 2009 though is repeated every time I set up. People approach, ooo and aaaah over the work and then compliment my skill as a craftsman. Then just as they seem to be settling on a piece that they really want, they walk away. They don't look at the price, don't try to find a bargain, don't try to even negotiate. They just boogie. OK no harm, no foul, just tryin to pay for a hobby here but if I had a nickel... you get the picture.

So here is a friend's scenario that brought me into the blogosphere again. He has a small cabinet shop in the area. He has kids, a mortgage payment to make, equipment to maintain and is freaking very skilled at his craft. He drives out to homes of people who contact him and does bids on jobs. He competes with less skilled craftsmen and is usually underbid by them because they have the same daily worries to deal with. The problem is that the lower bidders are doing shabby work and the good craftsman is later called to fix the problem of the schlock. OK that's business. I get it. But the crappier craftsman hire unskilled illegals and produce junk and take forever to produce it and install it in a crappy manner but they were cheap! Oh and the kicker is that the better craftsman is called in more often than not to fix the job he originally bid on that went to the schlock. Think people, think!

So what's better about craftsman one? He does a good job, for a reasonable price and is willing to work with the customer to meet their budget. If people want Maple cabinets but have the budget for melamine cabinets he does what he can to meet them in the middle. "How about maple lowers, melamine uppers with a maple face frame and doors." If he skins the uppers with Maple veneer they are still well built, still look like Maple and are done within the budget. HMMMMMM just took a few minutes to negotiate.

So what's your part in all of this? Stop going to the big box store! Start going to the internet and looking for local guys who build things or stop by a woodworking store (not a Home Depot) and ask who they recommend. There may be a guy working there who can fill the order or they may "know a guy". They may also have classes to teach you how to do things yourself. HMMMM there is a concept.

If you are a craftsman, work with the customer. Keep your house, feed your kids, swallow a little pride and match the economic reality of the day. Use less expensive materials and learn to make them look expensive. Do what it takes to keep working and for crap's sake quit hiring illegal aliens. Hire a kid to clean the shop, pay him or her minimum wage and teach them a craft because they are not getting it in school. You see they closed the woodshops, metal shops and art studios first and bought more computers for the kids to learn what they have no aptitude for.

But for Crap's sake stop buying Chinese made crap! Think before you buy! Save up for something that you like or need and buy it right! or Learn to do something for your self and contribute to the economy by buying quality stuff you need to do the job.

Now if you are stuck on what is quality stuff then ask your Grandfather, your Dad or Mom, look at old furniture that has stood up to the test of time and see what kept it together. Open doors and drawers, see how they were constructed. Look for seams where components of the product meet and see if there are any gaps. Pick the wood that is right for your area. Moisture makes wood Move. Expansion and contraction, stretching and warping, shrinkage etc. Again the internet will provide some info but woodworkers in your area know what stuff does in their area and make good recommendations if they are worth their weight in sawdust. Ask if the woodworker if they prefer a certain material and why. Ask to see their most recent work and do the same examination of joints and seams. Hell get involved in your own purchase.

There are hundreds of craftsmen out there. In your local area. Available over the phone. Worth seeking out. Put down the computer, turn off the TV, get in the car or on the bike and seek them out. You will be contributing to the local economy, building the tax base in your city and state, keeping someone deserving in business, getting a better long term deal and maybe just maybe being happy with what you buy for more than a year. Oh and you may just enjoy the process of working with someone skilled to get the best product for your budget!

I hate being ill

That's about it! Just hate, hate, hate it! I can't turn, I'm bored, it's my day off and I'm sick. I tried surfing the web but found myself hopping from turning site to turning site. I tried channel surfing but daytime television is worse than prime time which really sucks. So I does myself with Nyquil and crawl back into bed which lasts about 20 minutes then it's back to channel surfing and web surfing.

I need a shower, need food, need a cold compress, need a sexy female in a tight nurse suit like the old days with the buttons straining all the way up from the skirt that starts just inches from the top of sexy thighs. Instead I sit in my little RV with my notebook on my lap hoping to recover from nothing more annoying than a cold. But it's a really bad cold so I have the right to feel miserable and sorry for myself so there.

The latest from the woodworking world

I always count on November to bring new things into my life and it always happens. Sometimes good, sometimes bad but always change. This year it was a conversion from the rolls of the unemployed to the employed... times two. On 11 November I was in the local Woodcraft store "turning pens for troops" in their annual support the troops effort. I hate turning pens so it was a sacrifice. While there I was pulled from the classroom/shop and the boring pen turning thing and asked to assist customers in choosing tools for carving, wood turning and selecting the right lathe. Well I like to do all those things and the carving expert from the staff was on vacation and the turning expert (a really good turner) was just off for the day so there I went. The owner was there and saw me assisting customers and there you have it a Job offer. So I started the next day as a retail sales guy and instructor for classes there.

After leaving Woodcraft and heading to get some new T-shirts I get a call from a furniture maker/cabinet maker/wood retailer asking me to come to work there. After explaining that I had taken a job already I was still offered the job around my Woodcraft schedule. OK being somewhat greedy and wanting to make furniture I said yes to that job too. Downside. I work 6 days a week between 6 and 14.5 hours each day and there is no time to turn. Upside. Massive tool discount, Massive wood discount and access to a big ass shop!

As part of my duties at Woodcraft I am tasked with writing a weekly article for the Arizona Republic. No fixed subject, no formulas just 500 words every week to get some cheap publicity for the store. I have spoken with Jim about writing a book on woodworking over the past year so there are many outlines and chapters rattling around in my head already so type type type and as I have creative license on this I figured I would assemble the articles as I would write the book. So here goes. First samples of the articles assembled as the first section of chapter 1. Setting up shop, furniture making tools and additional furniture making tools are the articles and the first three sections of chapter one. Turning tools essentials, Carving tools essentials and cabinet making essentials are the next three sections. Drop some feedback if you get a chance. We shall see if there is any hope of getting this written before Christmas and my next potential day off.

Setting Up Shop

You want to start woodworking but don’t know where to begin. You make a trip to the local woodworking specialty store or a big box store and start looking at all the tools and then it hits you. “This stuff costs a lot of money!” “All this is too big for my little work area in the garage.” “What the heck does that thing do and when will I ever use it?” Don’t panic. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you haven’t been in a wood shop since Junior High. But there is an easy way to get through all the confusion and past the shiny new tools to get you going in the direction you want to go.

Specialty woodworking stores often offer classes or have demonstrations that can assist you in taking your first steps. Take a trip to you local store and do a little watching first. If you do not live near a woodworking store then stop by the local community college and shop the adult learning classes for woodworking classes. In either case the cost is usually pretty reasonable and you get to tour the shop, learn a little about woodworking safety and by all means use some tools. Take some time during the class to ask questions about the tools and their uses, alternative means of getting the job done and recommendations on brands of tools from your instructor.

So you took your class, you made your Heirloom box, wooden pen, wooden bowl or picture frame and you feel confident and ready to go. Make a list of those tools you have used and make notes on those you really liked to use and get yourself a few quotes before you leave the store. But, mind your wallet just yet. There may be a few more classes you want to take before you rack up the big ticket on tools.

Now that you have chosen your favorite woodworking discipline, take out your lists and your tape measure and some graph paper and get to work designing your shop. Make the determination if you ever want to park your car in the garage again or if your spouse insists on having the parking space for theirs and block out the space for that. Look at what you have in that highly organized space attached to your house and see if new storage requirements have arisen once you take into account that you are gonna be generating a lot of dust.

That done, start looking at the floor models, bench top models, midi and mini tools and see how they fit into your plan. Yep it’s true! Tools come in all sorts of sizes and shapes and functions and some with multiple functions but you will pay more for those and sometimes they are great for one thing but not for another. Again visit your woodworking store and ask questions about their tools and volunteer the alternatives you have found. The staff there may have gone through all the same decision making woes which you have. Remember to inquire about safety precautions and features, dust control, mobility and versatility.

Furinture:

You have decided that you want to make your own furniture. Great pieces have come from the garage or barn shop over the years and you may have some pretty unique ideas that you want to put into your home. There are some essentials that you will need to take those boards and build your sofa table, blanket chest or computer desk.

Some furniture makers say there are three essential tools to get you started, especially if you plan on saving some money on lumber by buying it rough cut. There are also alternative tools for each of these featured big foot print tools but they do require a bit more skill and your results may not be consistent.

The Planer: Rough cut lumber will have an irregular surface and edges. It is also sold in quarter inch increment sizes (2/4, 4/4, 8/4) and is normally slightly larger than you may need. You will want plane the boards to a uniform size and the thickness planer is the way to go. Sure you could save the expense on the tool and have the boards planed for you before leaving the lumber yard/store but the results may not be to your liking and remember the $15 - $30 you pay the store for milling services could be put toward tools. There are a variety of thickness planers available at your woodworking or big box stores to choose from and you may just find your results reflect your care and investment in the project. Take multiple passes, removing a small amount from each board before changing thickness settings and be ready for the mountain of dust and chips. Alternative tools: Large hand planes (6 – 8), belt sander, powered hand planes, routers with a shopmade jig and flat bottom bit.

The Jointer: “What’s the purpose of that tool?” Is a common question. Jointers ensure a smooth and square edge to your lumber which is essential if you plan to “joint” or glue up a number of boards to create that ultra-smooth table top or sides for the heirloom blanket chest. Though the base has a small foot print the table is fairly long which is a necessary feature to support the board as you feed it over the cutting head and support it as it comes out the other end. Make sure the jointer fits your floor plan and think about a mobile base to push it out of the way when you finish using it. Jointers are challenging to maintain and tune correctly so do not throw away the manual when you take that heave monster out of the box. Alternative tools: Hand planes, powered hand planes each with a fence or jig to keep square.

The Table Saw: It’s a big investment but your Grandfathers circular saw is just not gonna measure up to this power house standard tool. The table saw and a variety of add-ons or shopmade jigs is going to save you time, money and aggravation by providing a large level platform, square fence and a fairly powerful motor to drive that blade through a variety of thicknesses of lumber and sheet goods (plywood, MDF, Melamine etc.) The table saw is a great tool for ripping, cross cutting, joinery cuts and more advanced techniques using store bought or shopmade jigs. Alternative tools: Plunge cutting circular saws, standard circular saws, framing saws with a guide rail system and clamps.

Yep it’s a big investment so do your homework, shop around and ask lots of questions. Do not forget there are safety features on every one of these major tools and dust management is something else to consider when you get ready to purchase one or all of these tools. A dust collection system may also be a good item to work into your floor plan and budget.

Additional Furniture Making Tools:

After you get some experience with basic construction, joinery and consistent results you may want to expand your tool collection to include some more specialized tools to make your pieces a little fancier or your life a little easier. Consider these additional tools:

The Bandsaw: If you want to add a curve to you table legs, book match your boards to have a consistent appearance to the table surface or add a little flair to your furniture the band saw is a great tool to get the job done. Yep it takes up some more room in the garage but if your floor plan allows for the necessary space, you will find yourself at the band saw doing more advanced features for your pride and joy. It’s a very useful tool for cleaning up joint components, cutting long curves into boards, and just making your piece a little more unique. Alternative tools: The crosscut hand saw, dovetail or backsaw, coping saw, hand held jig saw or scrolling jig saw.

The Router: What a versatile machine. Used as a hand held tool, mounted on a table, with store bought or shopmade jigs, the router can add some real flare to your furniture designs. The routers come in a variety of sizes of motor, with fixed or plunge bases, with soft start motors and variable speeds these little beauties will get you hooked but they do take some getting used to. I know people who have 3 to 6 routers with a variety of features or set ups that they dedicate to specific jobs. The router can be used to clean up pattern made edges, cut channels, soften table or leg edges, create unique joints and many other applications. The router uses a removable bit and there are hundreds of profiles to choose from to accomplish as many or more combinations of applications. Alternative tools: Specialty hand planes, hand saws, scrapers, spoke shaves, chisels or carving tools.

The Drill press: Whether drilling holes for shelf pins, making holes into compound joints, starting a through cut for your jig saw or making repetitive holes, the drill press is a versatile tool with numerous features that can suit furniture making applications. A good drill press features a tilting table, depth scale and locking stop. These will assist you in repeating wood boring functions at the same angles and to the same depth. Alternative tools: Hand drills or augers, power drills.

The mortising machine: The mortising machine is a specialty tool with one function, cutting mortises. If you want to repeat the same cut though it is easy to configure, assists you in cutting the same mortise in the same location of different pieces of wood. The table features sliding locking components for controlling your stock and can be configured with store bought or shopmade jigs to add your own flare to this joinery standard. Alternative tools: Mortising add-on for a drill press, hand chisels.

Tenoning jig (table saw add-on) or loose tenon joinery system: What goes better with a mortise than a tenon. That’s what the mortise was made for. Tenoning jigs are a table saw add-on that assist you in making consistent square cuts into your stock for sinking into or passing through mortises for joining legs to table skirts, arms to uprights on chairs, stretchers to table or chair legs or other joints of one component to another. A loose tenon joinery system uses a separate component (the loose tenon) to join components of your furniture in a similar fashion. It is designed to cut the mortise into the joining components giving a little more flexibility and allowing for movement of the wood in changing environments. Alternative tools: Router with shopmade jig, back saw, hand drill and chisels.

Sliding or Compound Miter or Radial arm saw: Table saws can be used for making cross cuts and miter cuts but they require space for your longer board as they are fed through the table say and you will want to use a miter gauge. This can be cumbersome and difficult to control the stock in small shops or with small table saws. The miter or radial arm saws let you control the stock and bring the blade to the surface. It is easier to control longer material, easy to set up stops for repeating lengths and these smaller saws can be mounted on a bench or cabinet and rolled out for use and returned to the storage area when the job is done. Some Radial arm saws can also be configured for ripping boards or changing the depth of cut which makes them that much more versatile than compound miter saws. Alternative tools: Plunge cut circular saws, circular saws, hand cross cut saws.

Driiiiivvvvve, My Baby drove up in a brand new Cadilac

With the Clash blaring from the CD player I drove out of Stonekettle Station heading up the Glenn Highway, hoping to avoid snow on the Tok cut-off, and finally East South East along the ALCAN. I stopped quite a bit along the road this trip and still made most of my goals if not just short. I am amazed at the landscape along the way and cannot resist stopping to shoot, turning back when an image catches my eye through the side view mirror, or just slowing down long enough to give it one long look before moving on. The first shot is from the end of Day One. The moon was rising over the mountains near Haines Junction in the Yukon Territory. When you see something like this, sleep can wait another hour.

The world is exploding with color these days. New snow on the mountains, all the leaves in the northern reaches are turning bright yellow, the grass and weeds are browning and turning shades of red and orange, and the skies are pretty dramatic these days. The days are growing shorter and the nights colder and this little RV has covered over 1500 miles in these three days. The outside is covered with a million dead bugs and pounds of dirt and the inside is getting a little messy with more dirty laundry filling the bag and stuff not being put away exactly where it started the trip.

I'm sharing the road with herds of Buffalo, a few wild horses, Elk, Caribou and Mule deer but the Bears, Moose and Dall Sheep have not shown themselves this trip. Mostly there are no problems but the Buffalo are unpredictable and tend to turn into the road when you don't expect it. And they stink really badly too.


It's all boring plains and farmland from here until the border and a little more remote. More pictures will be posted in my Picassa album so stay tuned.

What's going? What's staying?

I have been struggling over the past few days as to what will actually fit in the RV and still make it comfortable to live in. Yep for the next few months I will be living in the box in the desert. I thought about trading it in for a big old Frigidaire box and finding a nice sewer grate but that is a plan for later in life. You will know me, beard down to my ankles, ragged old Carhardt jacket, clutching a paper bag with a magnum of beer inside. There are a few openings in our larger cities but the best locations are still occupied so I will keep the RV and wait it out.

But I digress, the real reason for this post was left in the first sentence. I have a 21 foot RV that was "built for two" (yeah midgets that weigh in at like 90 lbs each) and has seen two major modifications to make it more a single guy ride. First it was a nice little family rig with a galley kitchen and a dinette that just took up too much room and limited my tool hauling ability. So out it came and a long ass tool bin took it's place. I jammed in FESTOOL systainers, hundreds of pound of wood, a Shopsmith, two long FESTOOL rails to make a massive multifunction table, lathe tools, random hand tools and did I mention, a massive load of wood. Well the wood is gone, the Shopsmith has a new home here at Stonekettle Station and I can live without some of the other stuff because of where I will be working. They got nice tools there. So Mod II was undertaken.

I built a small floor to ceiling cabinet to hold systainers, food and small power tools, but in a small bench to give me a place to relax and boxed in the furnace with more logical locations for the vents and cold air returns. Hey now it's a box but it will someday be a place to plant my ass. Ok the modification is made of pine, unfinished, a little rough around the edges but hey that's a two day mod and it holds my stuff.

OK there is still stuff on the floor, the passenger seat and jammed into every nook and cranny but it's life on the move. I will be arriving in Arizona some time in late September and start work as soon as I find a place to park. Funny how the RV parks in the Phoenix area have a 55+ age restriction. Desert Blue Hair RV park, OOO my joints hurt Vista RV Park, Casa Raisin RV Park. The choices are just so huge. Well if all else fails I can park at the Ranch where the job used to be and commute to the new location (probably hauling tools and wood in a trailer behind the RV) until I find a less wrinkley RV Park. Why doesn't some one open a LOOK AT ALL THE BABES RV Park?

So for those coming back to Beast Across America, the Beastly Blog, welcome back, sorry I was gone for so long and hey check out the new slide show feature and yes I will be populating it with more Bowl shots in the next couple days.

The anchor will be weighed Thursday or Friday or Monday if Jim wants me to help him out with stuff. Well it is part of pulling your weight when you come to Stonekettle Station.

ALL THAT CRAP CAME OUT OF THAT LITTLE RV?

As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter I am forced (because I am a "Big Baby" according to a very good friend) to prepare to leave Stonekettle Station. I have enjoyed myself hugely. Made lots of sawdust out of perfectly good wood. Met some nice people and hung out with my favorite folks. Even if one of them (Jim, no question it's Jim) is everyone's favorite Asshole.

As I look around the woodshop I have to pick and choose what goes and what stays. I am amazed that I got all this crap in there for the trip up here. But alas as I see that I will be spending the next few months living in the RV, I will be forced to leave somethings behind. The best little multifunction table in AK, my Shopsmith, a nearly new TS-75, a Biscuit Joiner, tons of exotic woods, a few turning tools, a grinder with a Wolverine sharpening system, a full sized router table, and all the other bits and pieces that make woodworking easier. But I leave them in good hands and will one day return to use them all again.

In the months to come, I will be working in a furniture shop in AZ if all goes well. I have called ahead and got the nod to bring nuthin but my skills and desire to have some fun and start as soon as I get there. YAY!

Well we shall see how it all goes from here.

Preemptive Strike

Ok it's been a while since I posted anything but today I just had to get this out there before Jim takes the opportunity. Today I turned 48. Yeah big deal, just another Birthday. No spectre of black balloons, no hill to be over, no mid life crisis gnawing at me. Overall just another day. I usually don't think about them until dinner time when it's off to my local favorite place for a big fat steak, a pint or two of my current favorite beer and a big piece of carrot cake with coffee.

This year I am at my friend's home. Jim and Becky and young Jim are friends that I have walked on fire and ice with OK it was a Kilueau and a couple of glaciers but we have been friends for a while. So this year as I was working in Jim's shop drinking my last Diet Pepsi I decided to head to the supermarket and get a case of refills. I hoped in the RV and off I went. And then it hit me, "I want carrot cake!" So there I am with my case of Diet Pepsi and Carrot Cake and a big stupid grin on my face.

Then it happened. As I put the cake and soda in the fridge Jim came out to the garage and asked the very innocent "What's in the bag?" Proud of my achievement I announced "We are having cake!" A huge gahfaw follows with comments about being a pitiful so and so, jokes about sitting in my crappy little apartment in my underwear with one slice of cake and a birthday candle softly sobbing happy (sniff) birthday to (sniff) me until there is nothing left but crumbs and a cream cheese mustache. Well it's not true I was wearing clothes, I was not in my crappy apartment and I was hitting on a cute bartender girl. So there!

Yep life as a single guy is sure a lot of fun. BTW Becky had bought me a carrot cake yesterday so it just fueled the laughter and never ending jokes. Well I asked for it I guess.