Wood Planning

How many windows are open on your computer right now? Are you giving your full attention to any of them? As you read this, is you mind wandering to Facebook? If you are in your office working on a spreadsheet, do you find yourself bopping over to Twitter “just for a sec” to check in? Do you get calls from a co-worker right when you are in the middle of writing a report and open up a new window to respond to his or her question and then try to get back to your report, only to find yourself checking your email along the way? Do you believe you’ll never get everything done unless you eat lunch at your desk? We all do it. It’s called multitasking. But we have the power to overcome it.

Studies have shown that multitasking is not all it’s cracked up to be. The funny thing is that when interviewed, people believe they are more productive when they are juggling several tasks, when in fact multitasking reduces productivity by distracting us. For one reason or another, we have all become proud of our “ability” to multitask, often to the detriment of our work. Even worse, it is affecting how we relate to other people.

A new movement of sorts is beginning to spread: unitasking. It’s not really a new concept, but it’s one that might actually encourage us to better ourselves. The idea is simple: to reduce or eliminate the myriad of distractions that surround us. Of course, the number of tasks that we need to accomplish remains the same, but we approach them from a different perspective. We organize jobs and tackle them in an orderly manner.

Woodworking: the model of unitasking

Woodworking provides us with a perfect opportunity to unitask. For starters, it removes us from one of the biggest sources of distraction: the internet. For the most part, the very nature of building something with wood requires us to proceed in an ordered manner. It’s pretty hard to apply trim to a dresser before building its framework.

And yet, multitasking has become so pervasive, even expected in today’s world that I sometimes try to apply it in the woodshop. For instance, maybe I am faced with a bunch of repetitive cuts and decide to take a break from them and move over to drilling a bunch of holes into which the cut pieces need to fit. While drilling, I start to think it might be a good change of pace to begin routing out some moulding. Oh yeah, I have a TV in my shop and Norm Abram is on. I get drawn into watching “just a few minutes” even though I’ve seen it before. It doesn’t take long to see where this is heading. At the end of the day I haven’t accomplished any one task, but have many unfinished pieces that I will be faced with tomorrow.

Unitasking 101

If you are like me and are simply tired of trying to do everything at once, take action to improve not just your woodworking, but to seek fulfillment in all of your activities.

Encourage personal technology brown-outs. I’m far from a luddite; I embrace technology and believe it has the power to enhance our lives. It certainly shouldn’t complicate life. Before you get on your computer, figure out exactly what tasks you wish to accomplish. Email? Open your email program, read and respond, then close it. Facebook? Twitter? Blogs? Catch up with your stuff, one site at a time and do not go back to it. Avoid clicking on outside links until you have completed reading the site you are on. Don’t open multiple browser windows or tabs. It’s too easy to start clicking back and forth and never completely read anything.

Create an email folder for non-essential messages and drag your Aunt Polly’s email into it. In other words, that forwarded email recommending you view the latest funny viral video on YouTube. Or mark it for later reading. This will keep you from aimlessly surfing, until you have finished the stuff you really need to get done. When you have completed everything you have to do, reward yourself by catching up on those dancing hamsters.

Free your inner woodworker

In the woodshop, make a list of procedures you need to accomplish and put them in the order you wish to accomplish them. Maybe mount a whiteboard somewhere. Don’t begin a procedure until you have crossed off the previous one. Make the list for the entire project: don’t make a list of what you want to get done in a given time period.

If you encounter a problem, deal with it immediately. It’s probably tied to the task you are working on, so just think of it as part of that same procedure. Try not to put in on the back burner.

Let others know you are prioritizing. People respect honesty and directness when they understand you are engaged. If someone enters your shop with a request for you to do something, (i.e. “Honey, can you mow the lawn?”) politely tell them you will, after you complete the task you are working on. The lawn won’t become a jungle if it has to wait a little while longer. I find it very difficult to get back into a procedure if I stop midway through. I feel like I have to rebuild my momentum.

Unlearning multitasking

Of course there will always be times when we must multitask. It’s unavoidable. Obviously professional woodworkers will be faced with time-contraints and be in a more critical environment, but even they can gradually build a unitasking approach. I like to think of unitasking as a technique to strive toward to help us stay focused. It’s similar to woodworking: we know what we want and slowly gain skills that allow us to obtain it.

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andy_Duframe]Andy Duframe
Unfortunately, theres no single answer to what makes the best height for a workbench. It all depends on your particular body height and the particular kind of work you plan to do there. Later Ill cover some of the specifics on just how to find that perfect distance between the workbench top and the floor, but first lets take a look at why the height of your bench is so important to begin with.
Make it Easy on your Back
Moving around in your shop is a great way stay healthy. Lifting, stretching, and reaching around for tools keeps our bodies flexible and well toned. The bad news is that when we stand at a workbench for hours on end, our muscles tend to stay in one place. Not so much of a problem really, if we keep a relatively good posture while we work. However, if our bench top is a little low (or a little high), our good posture goes straight out the window. The consequence is almost always a case of lower back pain. Heres how to find the ideal height for your workbench - before you starting building.
Workbench Height to Body Height
As general rule, the height of a bench should be parallel with the bottom of your shirt cuff. This provides very manageable surface height for most of the jobs youll probably do there.
Adjust Height for the Job
The shirt cuff rule-of-thumb works great for jobs youll take to a bench, but if theres a particular kind of work you do more often than others - youre probably best to tweak that height one way or the other. Here are a couple of examples:
Wood Carving / Sanding
With some jobs, I like to use the weight of my upper body to help do the work. Carving and sanding wood are good examples, where Id prefer to have the height of my bench be somewhat lower than my shirt cuff. Even as little as 6 inches lower can make a big difference with this type of work.
Repairs / Assembly
With some jobs, Id prefer to have my bench top a little higher. Im thinking mostly about jobs like fixing a weed eater in the garage, or putting together a gas grill. Work like this means I need to have things at least a little closer to eye level - even if were only talking about 6 inches above my cuff line. This prevents me from unknowingly crouching over my work, and putting that little extra bit of stress on my lower back (which is bad).
What About the Workbench I Already Have?
Of course, the best time to think about workbench height is before you start building one. But what about the bench that is already sitting in the garage or basement? Here are a few solutions for making an existing workbench better fit both for both your body height and the type of work you want to do there.
For Benches that are Too Low
If it turns out my existing work bench is too low (the most common problem), sometimes Ill just piggy-back another work surface to the top - which simply brings my work a little higher on the bench. Ive used everything from wood boxes, scrap boards, and plywood to do this. Keep in mind that sometimes it only takes a few inches to bring your work to a more comfortable level. You might also think about bumping up the height by simply raising the entire bench off the floor a few inches. Youll need something fairly sturdy to shove under the legs, though - like solid wood scraps (that wont slide around), or even concrete patio blocks.
For Benches that are Too High
In the unlikely case that my bench is too high, the quickest solution is to just find something (sturdy) to stand on. You might be surprised how much difference even a simple floor mat can make in changing your stance at the bench. For a more permanent solution, I you might think about trimming a few inches off each leg, bringing the entire bench down to where you want it.
Andy Duframe discusses in more detail the benefits of setting the correct workbench height at [http://www.workbenchplans.org/workbench-design/workbench-height]www.workbenchplans.org, a website that explores the basics of building a workbench.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Workbench-Height---Whats-the-Ideal-Height-for-a-Bench?&id=6753456] Workbench Height - Whats the Ideal Height for a Bench?

I have a friend who is in the market for WOODWORKING PROJECT PLANS.You might say,hey its simple......just send him down to a local woodwork store to buy one.Well,its not that easy.There are so many to choose from and if you dont know what you are doing,you could end up buying something that really doesnt do the job.I decided to take it upon myself to do the research for him to find the best woodwork plans on the market and eventually came up with Woodworking4Home Woodworking Project Plans by John Metz.





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* Joe S. Said- The thing that really gets me is that the quality of these plans is nothing but amazing.Ive never had such a pleasant experience with an online purchase.



* Richard in Oregon,WI USA said- I have to say that this product seemed to be worth every penny to me.Its a valuable addition to my woodworking reference library and i will refer to it often.



Where Can I Buy The Woodworking4home 14,000 Woodworking Plans

You can buy this woodworking plans digital package HERE. John even offers a Limited Time 50% discount.If you invest in the package today,you will save 50% Off the regular price of $98.99 which means you can get your copy today for just $49 HERE.



Whats Included-



Heres whats included in this package:-

* 14,000 High Quality Plans.

* Free Bonuses.

* Free Updates.

* Money Back Guarantee.

* Streaming Video Tutorials.



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So you want to create a fascinating landscape garden around your home? It may sound so easy, but it’s not. Putting your dream garden into reality alchoices require proper landscaping planning so you won’t end up delaying its execution because of increased cost and other problems.

Even if you will to do the task yourself, you still need to plan everything from day one. Careful planning results to a well-designed landscape that will surely bring pleasure to your family and will increase the value of your property. Remember: it isn’t just about placing trees and plants around your home. It is rather an art involving conscious organization of your outdoor space to make it not just pleasing to the eyes but a truly enjoyable place to stay in.

Set your goals

An American like you will surely spend big bucks for their home and building landscaping. To avoid putting much of that money to waste, you should set a goal and focus on realizing that. Also, you must understand not just how but why you landscape. Among the main goals of landscaping are:

• To develop and organize the area around your home for maximum use and human satisfaction

• To create a harmonious visual relationship between your house and the yard.

• To minimize landscape maintenance to a more practical level.


Create a Landscape Design

So you goal has been set. The next thing you must do is to create the landscape design you want for your yard. This process can be choice too easy if you have landscaping software. Nevertheless, you can use a piece of paper and colored pencils to begin sketching and designing your landscape. Here’s how:

• Create a simple, scaled drawing of the site. Sketch its utilities, walks, and drivechoices and note where paved surfaces are. Then, point out the areas where flower beds, patios, vegetable garden and play areas will be situated.

• By drawing arrows, indicate sun angles as well as prevailing winds for winter and summer. Make sure to circle the place in your yard that need wind protection or shade.

• Highlight areas where landscaping height or width is restricted. Also, emphasize the place where drainage is poor and the areas with standing water. Note also the trees and shrubs already existing in your yard.

While sketching your landscape design, consider the needs and habits of your family. Make a design that best satisfies not just their needs but their hearts’ desire. Discuss with your family the things they want to incorporate and prioritize the most important aspects.

Survey available Materials

Once you’ve come up with a fascinating design, what you need to do next is to review the materials needed and find out how much the whole project will cost. List down the price of all the materials you need to complete the project. These include benches, plants, rocks, the bricks and many more. Also, include in your computation the labor cost. When you already know how much you need to spend for your home landscaping, you can now decide when to push through with the project.

Those are the basic steps involved in every landscaping planning. So if you want a home that’s beautiful in and out, give it a good interior design matched with an attractive landscape. And in every landscaping project bear in mind that proper planning is the key.

Hi Everyone,
Well, its getting down right cold here. Time for more hot soup!

Ive finished the hickory bowl and here are the final photos:



The grain in this piece of wood was really pretty and it was fun to turn this. Im going to oil it for the next several days then finish it with a beeswax polish.

On to the next bow: the salsa bowl I made a couple of weeks ago is drying and the beech bowl is still drying too so Ill be getting to those next week.

Im going to be making several tea boxes for several friends and so that will be my next project and Ill probably begin those this weekend.

VW

It is getting close to the time to spray on the polyurethane on the desk. This will be the final step on this project. Id like to do this within the next day or so, but we are currently on hour #12 of a 48 hour snow storm, so we may be held up!
At any rate, I need to protect the shop area, so I decided to build a large spray tent to help out. Ive purchase some 3/4" pvc, and the appropriate fittings to make a large U shaped frame. Then, Ive secured some thin painters plastic to it, making a nice, reusable, semi-portable spray booth! Heres the progress...

Ok - assembly day! Things are really taking shape now - check out these pictures! Ive gotten the casework completely assembled, and have added additional bracing where needed. With proper joinery, this desk will never come apart. The joinery and bracing is key, with the rest of the project being mostly cosmetic. Ill be starting on the trimwork tomorrow...

Just an update - Im making progress on the staining of the cherry. No pictures this time. I have at least another week of staining yet, and then I might be able to think about pulling onto the jobsite!

When I look at the list of posts for the last two or three weeks, it looks like not much is going on, new projects wise.... A couple repairs, some metalwork, a woodshed and railing for my own home, a new camera .... like I said, not much going on ... Thats because, for the last three or four weeks we have been working on a large project and I, as yet, have not gotten it together to post the details. The design work started around the first of the year as construction was getting underway, and the project involves a roomful of paneling, a desk, a vanity and dressing table, two mirrors, the restoration of a pair of antique doors, a bar cabinet .... I think thats it for now. The construction on the addition is coming along and weve been working on the project since the middle of May, hoping to install everything in the next couple of weeks. The paneling post will be a long one and Ill post the other entries as I can make the time to do it.
Click the pictures to enlarge them....

The project as it appeared in early January

A close up of the desk model ... a claro walnut slab with a blackened steel base

The fireplace surround and tv cabinet section of the roomful of walnut paneling.

The recycled chestnut vanity

Here are the newest pics of the arched valences going in!
With the finish done on the valences, Ive installed each one in its respective location. It really is starting to take shape now. With the valences in, I can put in the surrounding flat and fluted trim also, and this will finish it out. Its really becoming a beautiful piece now, and I just love this cherry!

We dont dont often take on work like this, but we just did a refinish on this 19th century desk for a friend ... The story was intriguing ... It was supposedly made by the owner or son of the owner of the Estey Organ Company of Brattleboro, Vermont ... An amazing 100 plus year old Veront company that made over 520,000 !! reed organs and over 3200 full size pipe organs before it went out of business in 1960. The desk appears to be from about the right mid to late 19th century time frame judging from the look of it. It had a severely distressed, insulted and alligatory shellac finish that was beyond saving which Jim removed with a little (lot) of alcohol and a white Scotchbrite pad ... After some serious sanding, we put a couple coats of dye stain and our typical gloss/gelstain/satin finish ... It now looks like its ready for another hundred years ... Out the door Friday morning ... Click the photos to enlarge them ...
This is in the sanding stage, ready for the first coat of stain ...
The completed desk with the fall front open ...
Trevor made a quick replacement arch top ... the second from the left ... It had a neat detail. The shapes are cut from 1/4 thick lumber, but the back side of the profile is relieved to 1/8" thick which gives the appearance that the wood is half as thick as it is ... clever ....

I dont know ... The big carrot and the big stone kind of go together in my head ... Unrelated, but related in a way too .... Both from the soil somehow .... We were getting ready for dinner Friday night and Kit came in from the garden kind of chuckling with a carrot in her hand ... Its November and weve still got a few left in the ground. This one was pretty good .... We cut it up and had it with our pasta and actually had some left over, if you can believe it ... It takes a village for a carrot like that one ...

And then, today, Pete and Asa, our brother-in-law and nephew came by with a stone that Pete had given to Kit as a birthday present hmmm ... 4? ... 5? years ago. We cant remember when and though we cant remember why (it must have been cause she did something special for him) though Im thinking now it might have been Kits 50th which was actually 7 years ago. We have talked about it every year since... thinking it might go here, thinking it might go there, but it wasnt until this year that we decided where, and I finally, actually, dug a hole. It was a perfect day for it today, sunny and 50, blue sky, fall air, and all went smoothly. Beer and pizza after ... Nice afternoon and the rock is a great addition to the front of the house ... Click the pictures to enlarge them ...

The site

The rock and tractor arriving .. Pete of Peter Moore Masonry supervising and Asa, his son, driving ... Its schist, from a quarry in Chester, Vermont ... We picked it a long time ago from Petes field where he has a number of them available for clients ...

Getting it into position for the tip up

One end in the hole

Upright ... We had some trouble getting it totally upright, (its a pretty heavy rock) and Sam had the bright idea to hook onto it with the pickup and a rope and tip it to vertical so we could reposition the forks and straps, relift it and dig under it where necessary ..

The smiling crew awaiting the pizza and beer

Like its always been there

Get your own ... call Pete

I’ve called this web log The Penultimate Woodshop because that’s what I feel I’m constructing. I know I’ll never be done and have the ultimate woodshop so I’m figuring that if I can achieve my penultimate shop, I’ll be in good shape (yes, even that may be an unrealistic goal). I would like to begin by sharing some of the shop projects I’ve completed and some which are still on the drawing board.

Completed (or at least in use) shop projects:
These projects are currently in use in my shop. Most are finished.

Vacuum Boom Arm: I built this quickly from some scrap 3/8” plywood and two butt hinges. It’s mounted to the wall above my workbench. I have a premium Ridgid vacuum hose and an extension cord permanently mounted to it. The hose runs behind and under the workbench. When I’m using it, I plug the hose into my Festool CT22 dust extractor which lives next to the bench. The extension cord is either plugged into the wall or the CT22, depending on whether I want tool actuated vacuuming or not. In practice this quick item has worked even better than expected. It keeps my shop dust free and all the cords out of the way like a charm.

Slide Out Storage Cabinet: This quick cabinet came together after viewing a similar item on the Grizzly website. I almost broke down and bought theirs until I realized that their side accessed slide our racks would use up the adjoining wall space and not save me any room. I built my cabinet so that all five slide out compartments pull out from the front. Currently that allows me to hang cords and hoses on the sides. Ultimately, it will let me install additional cabinets immediately next to it.

Drawer Box Stack: This is a quick frame to support four TaskForce mid-drawer units I picked up on the cheap from Lowe’s. I’m currently storing everything from planes to pencils in the drawers. As my only complaint about this unit is that it’s too small in the future I need to better organize these drawers and either buy more of the TaskForce units or make some custom ones of my own.

Rolling Drill Press Bench with Storage: This is the only cabinet that survived the move from my old house & shop. The others just didn’t fit. This cabinet has Lee Valley metal drawers on the front and two shelves on the back. It was originally designed as a stand for my drill press. While the drill press still rests on top, it now must share the space with my 12” sliding compound miter saw. Needless to say neither can be used when they share this bench. As the shop progresses, this will be replaced or cannibalized into other cabinets.

Future Shop Projects:
My future projects approach delusions of grandeur. I’m looking forward to building them and I hope they make interesting content for this web log.

Insulation and Sheathing: I plan to insulate the walls with polyisocyanurate insulation and sheath the inside faces with 3/4” T&G OSB. That will get me an R value of 40 and rock solid walls I can attach anything too.

Workbench: I’ve been converted to the workbench religion by Chris Schwarz. I’m experimenting with various materials (Timberstand, pre-made finger joint panels, LVL’s) and plan to ultimately build a cross between Megan Fitzpatrick’s Gluebo Workbench and Bob Lang’s 21st Century workbench. I also plan to incorporate many work holding elements into my miter saw bench for more options.

Miter Saw Bench: I’m a miter saw lover. I have a decade old DeWalt 12” sliding dual compound miter saw. As I need to place it against the wall in my new (yeah, 2 years on I still call it that) shop I’m contemplating replacing the DeWalt with the Festool Kapex KS 120, Makita LS1016 10-inch Dual Bevel Sliding Miter Saw or the new Bosch GCM12SD 12" Axial-Glide Miter Saw. In the end the unit which lets me place it closest to the wall will win (probably). The miter saw bench may be built of torsion boxes, but will most likely be made of solid wood like an actual workbench. I’m also planning to add work holding features (such as a crochet and some sort of face vice) so that it can do double duty as a long workbench when I swing the saw handle out of the way.

Flip Up Planer Stand: I have a DeWalt 13” lunch box planer, which I really like. In the completed shop it will either live behind my table saw or (more likely) under my miter saw bench. Regardless of which location wins out, I’ll have to make a flip stand for it so that it can rotate to be on the stand or hang within the stand. That way it’ll fit under the table saw table or miter saw bench.

Plastic Storage Case Drawer Unit: I use lots of plastic suitcase style cases for my fasteners. I like the portability of the suitcase style for projects outside the shop and the lids keep everything dust free. My problem with them is that I never have the open counter space in the woodshop to pull out a case and open it without burying something else. I plan to make a custom drawer unit which will store the suitcase style cases on drawers. When closed they’ll all sit in a nice stack and I can open a drawer and then lift the lid of the suitcase container while it rests on the open drawer. If I need it out of the woodshop, I can just lift the suitcase style case up and carry it off.

Those are some of the projects I’ve either already build or have floating around in my head. As they get built and turn into reality, I’ll share the process.

What have you built for your wood shop? What do you want to build for it?