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Important People: Eric Poirier

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There have been a bunch of folks who have had a major influence on Tom’s Workbench over the past five years. I wanted to take the time to recognize a few of the folks with which the blog would have never happened.

Today, I send a shout-out to Eric Poirier of Bell Forest Products, who has been keeping me in the know when it comes to wood!

Our business relationship began when I was looking for some help with an article about how to buy wood online. Eric couldn’t go out of his way enough for me, describing the harvesting, ordering and shipping process for something that I found totally intriguing. I mean, buying wood, sight unseen….

A few months later, I got a package addressed to me from Bell Forest Products. My wife eyed me suspiciously as I unwrapped the bundle, and it turned out to be a box of sample woods that Bell offered for sale. It was at that point that I approached Eric to see if he would be interested in coming on board as a sponsor.

That turned out to be the beginning of a great relationship that still goes on today. Eric and the folks at Bell are really great people. About every month, Eric recommends some exotic wood for me to spotlight on the blog. Flame birch. Snakewood. Mayan Walnut. This process has opened my eyes to the world of wood that goes far beyond what’s available at the local home center.

The other thing I have noticed about Eric is that when I find myself in a particular situation, he’s more than eager to do a little searching in the kiln for me. When I built my Nakashima-Inspired bench, I was looking for a piece of wood – two live edges, striking figure.. something to really stand out. “Give me a week or so, I think we have something in the kiln that might catch your interest.”

What he sent was something that epic songs are written about – a piece of live-edge, curly and bird’s-eye maple that just jumped to life once it was sanded and finished.

Thank you, Eric, and the folks over at Bell Forest Products for standing by me – and the rest of the woodworking community – for so long.

BTW – today is post number 991

Quick Polls

Quick Poll

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I can remember is clearly. The day I bought my rolling tool chest to store my woodworking tools, this one guy came over to me in the store. He told me, “there is no way I would ever put woodworking tools into something like that. I would spend more time looking for the darned things instead of using them.  I keep them out on shelves so I know what I have.”

Free advice from a stranger in a home improvement store is often worth the price you pay for it. But, this guy’s rant did come back to me recently as I was putting my tools away in my tool chest.  For me, I would much rather have my tools stored away out of sight. The reason? When I am done with a certain part of a project (say, using a caliper to measure the thickness of wood as it comes off the planer), I want to put that tool away and not see it. Too much visual clutter if things are out and messy. Puts me off my game.

So, this week’s poll – how do you like to store your tools?  Do you keep them where you can see them easily, or do you store them in enclosed storage to keep them out of the line of sight? Does it even matter?

BTW – today is post number 990!  I’ll keep the countdown clock running as we close in on post 1,000.

Link of the week

Link of the week

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This Old House’s Composting bin plans

Tomorrow is September 1. And, in many places (not quite in Florida), the green summer leaves will turn to the fiery reds, oranges and yellows, and then fall out of the trees, ready to be raked.

While most folks will put them out with the trash or burn them, leaves will break down in a compost bin, creating a nutrition-packed soil amendment for your plants. But, those commercial composting bins are butt ugly, and bins built from stacked concrete blocks and chicken wire just look too darned trashy. What you need is a high quality, good looking bin that compliments your yard, looks sweet and shows off your handiwork.

This week’s link, brought to you by the folks at This Old House, shows how to build an attractive bin out of cypress, thermally-treated wood or some other rot-resistant species. Using simple screwed joints, the unit goes together quickly and provides a way to corral all of those pesky leaves.

Better get to it.. those leaves aren’t going to throw themselves out!

Experiences

Here comes the stampede!

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So, what have I been up to?

I know you really hate when I start my posts with that, especially when it’s not followed by details on a trip to a hardwood store, a woodworking school or my shop. And, you are about to hate this one as well.

Again, my day job is trumping the woodworking thing. Because I work in the realm of emergency management, I have been hard at work on two major events.

First, the Republican National Convention is coming to town. OK, maybe not our town, but the town just a little bit down the road in Tampa. Just a short eighteen months ago, the Republican party awarded the big party to Tampa, and since then, we have been working hard on planning for the big event. Training classes. Meetings. Functional exercises. I have met people from all types of government organizations. And, I’m working long nights to help ensure that if anything happens, we’ll be ready to respond.

One of the things we were concerned about during the planning was the possibility of tropical weather. As if on cue, Tropical Storm Isaac has been threatening Florida and the Tampa Bay area. So, we shifted from the RNC planning to the important business of life safety, sitting in on conference calls with the National Weather Service and local emergency managers. Fortunately for us, it seems as if the storm has passed. Unfortunately for our friends in the northern Gulf of Mexico, it’s coming your way. Batten down the hatches.

Yeah, it’s been busy.

So, when things get stressful, what do I think about? My family, of course.

My bathroom project, which I did manage to finish grouting and caulking during my down time. Maybe I can get some work in on the walls while waiting for my next shift…

And my shop.

Yes, my little oasis of enjoyment, where, right now I have a pair of projects underway. One just needs to be finished, while the other one is in need of some joinery and the preparation of a few decorative panels. Pieces have been left as they were before I went of to instruct at the Emergency Management Institute, waiting for me to get back to them.

Since I am working nights, I may try to squeeze in a little time during the days. Heck, even if I just clean up the , that would be a step in the right direction! And, when I sit in long meetings about what’s happening, it doesn’t hurt to doodle out a few ideas… maybe for upcoming holiday gifts.

There is nothing like multitasking.

 

Quick Polls

Quick Poll

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Getting started in woodworking is a tricky business.  One typical route people enter woodworking is through home improvement… and many prospective woodworkers come to the table with your basic tools – a circular saw, a drill, screwdrivers – you know, those homeowner essentials.

From there, wisely adding to the tool collection is the best way to get your feet under you.

In many cases, budding woodworkers will turn to a more experienced woodworker for that advice, and the most commonly asked questions is, “What should I buy first?”

So, this week, what would you tell that new woodworker? What should be the first tool they set their shops up around?

Link of the week

Link of the week

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Bob and Dave’s Good, Fast and Cheap Bench

A workbench is an essential in a well-appointed shop. It makes both hand and power tool woodworking much easier. The only challenge? How do you build a substantial one with minimal investment in cash?

Simple. You want to check out Bob and Dave’s Good, Fast and Cheap bench. This PDF document was created a number of years ago, but features the simple steps to build a cheap yet functional workbench with simple, easily sourced materials. The building techniques couldn’t be easier, either. In fact, many of the tenons have their shoulders cut with a hand saw, with the waste split off with a mallet and chisel. Easy peasey lemon sqeezy.

Sure, it’s an older plan, and not a heavy-duty Roubo bench made out of choice hardwoods, but it will certainly give you a serviceable bench that can work in your shop for years.

 

Experiences

Another friend joins the party

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Wow.

I am just floored. When I put up my first post about my upcoming thousandth post, I had no idea about just how generous the woodworking community was going to be.

Yes, we have a new friend who has come on board to add to the cornucopia of gifts for the thousandth post entry. It’s a good thing we are at post #984 today… only 16 to go!

Legendary hand tool builder Scott Meek is offering up one of his hand-crafted plane adjustment mallets together with a $50 gift card for use on his site.

If you haven’t stopped by his site, you owe it to yourself to check out his work. I mean, wow, his wooden hand planes are pieces of art, and would be at home in any shop (yes, even someone who primarily uses power tools!).