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 Gail O’Rourke.

In many ways, Tom’s Workbench wouldn’t have even been a thought if it wasn’t for Gail. Many years ago, I was posting regularly to the Woodworker’s Website Association. Great group of folks there, and we would banter back and forth about woodworking, life, the works…

Gail had attended the American Sycamore Woodworkers Retreat in Indiana. A nice woodworking school that had quite a great group of students attending it. Each year, many of the more ‘entertaining’ students were invited back for a charity build-a-thon to build some projects, have a few laughs and see just how late we could stay up each night and still function in the shop.  It was a challenge.

As plans were being made for the 2005 gathering, one of the people who was invited to the big build-along was noted woodworking author Danny Proulx.  Tragically, Danny passed away in November of 2004, a few months before the event.

The owners of the school gave Gail the opportunity to invite someone else to take his place for the late-spring build, and she suggested that I be invited. At first, I was sure I was going to answer, “no.”  I mean, it was a flight and lodging costs, and I was asked to raise $100 as a donation to the American Cancer Society for the build. But, after a long discussion with Rhonda, I decided that the situation was right, and off I went.

Needless to say, the weekend build-a-thon was a blast, and I had the chance to meet many talented woodworkers who helped me get started along the way. In fact, it was shortly after this event that I was invited to come up for a week-long class with this young guy named Marc Spagnuolo…

Later, when I told Gail I was interested in breaking into the woodworking writing field, Gail was instrumental in opening the door to get an article in the  the now-defunct Women in Woodworking magazine – an article on Gail herself.

Through the years, Gail has checked in with me to see how the blog is doing, to compare parenting notes (she has three, I have two) and to run crazy ideas by.

All of this because we randomly met on a woodworking board, and she thought she’d take a chance to invite me up to a woodworking event.

 

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 he late Danny Proulx.

Danny, the author of several woodworking books, was a regular poster over at the Woodworkers Website Association.  This was my first real brush with a woodworking celebrity. At first, I was an addle-brained starstruck beginning woodworker.  I mean, heck, I was posting messages that a real live woodworking expert was responding to.

It was about that time that I experienced a sea-change in my attitude. You see, Danny was the most down-to-earth guy you could have ever wanted to meet.  Of course, he was well versed in woodworking wisdom, but there was so much more at work than that. He would ask me how the kids were doing. He would ask me what was going on in my shop. He would comment on my posts.

For me, that was a major boost of confidence that I really needed.  It also showed me that most people in the woodworking arena are open, honest folks who want nothing more than to see the success of others in the craft.

It was about that moment that I realized hey, I belonged.

And, I hope I haven’t yet worn out my welcome.

Danny passed in November of 2004, suffering a heart attack as he  headed in to a woodworking show where he was slated to do some woodworking demonstrations for attendees. It seems only fitting that the last act he did on this earth was prepare to teach others about the craft.

I still miss him.

 

Got off the phone last night with Dave Campbell of Wood Magazine. While he was very excited about me reaching the thousand post milestone, he was considerably more concerned about how the pressure of stardom was going to affect Iggy. I mean, now the poor monkey is going to have to write MORE articles to help get us to that important number.

To show his support for Iggy, Dave has offered a great prize: A DVD with the complete Wood Magazine collection with issues from number one through 209.  Folks, that’s more than 25 years of content!

 

OK, folks, I’m pleased to announce that Shannon Rogers, the Renaissance Woodworker, has stepped in to offer up some additional items for the big thousand post give away… Thanks, man!

A semester one Hand Tool School registration courtesy of Shannon.

A $50 gift card at Hardwood to Go, the company he works for.

And, we can’t forget that Chris Wong of Time Warp Tools is throwing in a set of his bench dogs as another prize. The winner gets their choice of a four pack of either three or five inch long dogs. Thanks, man!

 

(No, there wasn’t a quick poll on my site yesterday. My family and I were returning from our family vacation, and had to drive nearly 1,000 miles in one day to get home. Interstate 95 is a cruel mistress for bloggers, so please accept my apologies. I hope today’s post makes up for things… I have a feeling it just might. )

The signing of the Magna Carta. The invention of the wheel. Dinosaurs walking the Earth.  Tom’s Workbench.

Maybe my humble site isn’t something on a historian’s radar screen, but I have been doing this for a while now. Ever since that fateful day back in August of 2007, I have been trying to put four posts out a week on the blog. Articles on Monday and Wednesday. The Link of the Week on Friday. Oh, and quick poll out on Sunday.

Once you add that up, you’ll discover that there are a lot of posts on the site. In fact, I have recently crossed the 950 post threshold. And – lemme see – four times four… carry the one… I think sometime in September or October of this year, I’ll be cruising up past the thousand post milestone.

Just pinch me!

With that in my future, Rhonda and I have been spending a lot of time talking about how we can make that memorable for us and for you.

I’ll tell ya what I’m thinking about. For the past five years, I have been doing feature articles about different aspects of woodworking. And, over those years, I have met some of the kindest, most generous folks who run websites, make tools and sell the supplies each of you uses in your shop.

What I have done is approached the folks I have spoken with in the past, and we’re going to be holding a little bit of a giveaway to commemorate the thousandth post. And, when I mean ‘little’ – it’s just a figure of speech. I have approached folks about seeking prizes as give aways for the past few weeks, and the stuff that folks have been offering has been impressive. How so? Check this out:

A 10 bf bird’s-eye maple project pack courtesy of Bell Forest Products

 A one-year membership for the Wood Whisperer Guild courtesy of Marc Spagnuolo

A PM2650 portable tool stand courtesy of Bora Tools

A Five woodworking plan combination pack courtesy of Ralph Bagnall

 A set of four Revo clamps and clamping blocks (Set KRK2440) courtesy of Bessey Tools

 A complete set of  Pocket chisels courtesy of FastCap Tools

A scratch stock kit courtesy of Hock Tools

 The winner’s choice of a K8 or K12 jig courtesy of Kehoe Jigs

A Zero Play guide bar and MJ Splitter Pro courtesy of MicroJig

There are a few prize packs for turners and flat builders being collected by the folks over at Wood Barter

A Veneering Essentials Combo courtesy of Veneer Supplies.com

Shannon Rogers, the Renaissance Woodworker, has stepped in to offer up some additional items for the big thousand post give away… Thanks, man!

A semester one Hand Tool School registration courtesy of Shannon.

A $50 gift card at Hardwood to Go, the company he works for.

And, we can’t forget that Chris Wong of Time Warp Tools is throwing in a set of his bench dogs as another prize. The winner gets their choice of a four pack of either three or five inch long dogs. Thanks, man!

Wood Magazine has offered a great prize: A DVD with the complete Wood Magazine collection with issues from number one through 209.  Folks, that’s more than 25 years of content!

And, I got word from the folks over at Funktionhouse Urban Lumber and Furnishings that they are going to throw in a large flat rate shipping box of blue mahoe. Just what is blue mahoe? Well, it’s pretty darned impressive looking wood from the Caribbean with a very striking color.

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.

All of these items – and more – will be up for the drawing. And, no, they aren’t all going to one person, so there are plenty of chances for everyone to enter and win a sweet prize! As we get closer, I’ll be posting the complete list of items available.

Now, just how can you get your name into the hat for this?  Easy. Simply send me an e-mail at tom@tomsworkbench.com with the subject “Tom’s Thousand Post Entry.” In this e-mail, let me know what your favorite Tom’s Workbench moment was.  It could be an article that inspired an idea or made you stop and think about how you work in your shop. It could be a shop tip that you used… and actually worked!  It could be something that touched you emotionally or tickled your funny bone. I don’t care.

When we get those in (I’ll let you know the deadline once I figure out when the thousandth post is going to be placed), Rhonda and I will sort through the entries. Eventually, we will pass them along to Iggy the Trained Shop Monkey. Somewhere in his lair, he will throw banana peels at them to select the winners.

It will be a purely scientific endeavor. You can count on that.

Now, I must take my leave. After all, the faster I get to the thousandth post, the sooner you get your goodies!

(If you are reading and would like to throw something in to the prize kitty, be sure to drop me a line, and I’ll get you up on the site!)

 

Docked along the shores of Camden, New Jersey is a piece of American history. Her keel was laid down in 1940 just across the Delaware River at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.  She is the most decorated battleship in naval history, and she’s named after the Garden State, The USS New Jersey.

With a length of 887 feet from bow to stern, the Big J supported naval operations from World War II through the Gulf War in the early 1990s – an astonishing career that spanned half a century.

While I was obviously interested in seeing the massive ship up close and in person, one thing I needed to see was her legendary teak decks. On all of the nation’s battleships, the steel bomb decks were covered with teak. I do know why teak was chosen – its legendary resistance to decay and hardness were definite assets. But, I’m not sure why teak over just plain steel decks. Perhaps it was to show how much power the United States wielded, and since these battle wagons were routinely used as flag ships for admirals and presidents, additional enhancements were called for.

What stunned me, though, were the condition of her teak decks. You see, the USS New Jersey was recommissioned as a warship back in 1982. At that time, she was outfitted with the latest weapons systems, and her teak deck was brought back to beautiful shape. While she sailed, part of the daily maintenance routine was a process called Holystoning. This included meticulously scrubbing down the teak decks with pieces of sandstone to bring the wood back to a splendid brilliance. It was backbreaking work done originally on one’s knees, and since the stones were about the size of a shipboard bible, you can understand how the process got its name.

After the Gulf War, she was decommissioned again and spent nearly a decade as part of the mothball fleet at the yards in Bremerton, Washington. While there, her gorgeous teak decks began to weather badly. The routine  maintenance that kept them ship shape was not done, and the rough planks I was walking on was proof of what the ravages of time and deferred maintenance could do.

Fortunately, the non-profit organization that runs the Battleship New Jersey museum is undertaking an aggressive campaign to raise money to restore the decks to their pristine condition. A big part of the effort was reanalyzing how the decks were attached in the first place. That was a fascinating process, which involved bolts attached through the ship’s top armor and some massive plugs to hide the hardware. Each gap then had to be caulked to ensure it would remain watertight.  The biggest challenge was that places where the old wood was removed, there was tremendous rust damage. All of this badly eroded steel had to be cut free and replaced or repaired before the teak could be reattached.

But, where those repairs had been done… wow.  The craftsmanship was just awesome, and the teak just glowed. The ship will be quite a sight when its wooden decks are restored to the way they once were.

Now, with today being Independence Day – and the debt of gratitude that we owe each of the sailors and other service personnel who help keep our freedoms secure – it’s only appropriate that we celebrate the day with some fireworks. None were bigger than came out of the 16 inch barrels of Big J and her sister ships, the Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Happy Independence Day, everyone.

 

When woodworkers talk about places they HAVE to visit, some constantly come up in discussion. The Gamble House. The Hancock Shaker Village.  The USS Constitution.

And, then there is the cabinet shop at Williamsburg, Virginia.  Yes, the cabinet shop that Roy Underhill helped restore back in the 1970s. The one that was originally established in the early 1700s that uses period authentic tools to build period authentic furniture. That one comes up time and again as a place where woodworkers would love to go and spend some time completely immersed in the aura of the place.

Yes, it totally lives up to the expectations.

While walking in to the historic park, you have the opportunity to look at some very rough house-building carpentry. A group of three reenactors are out working on different aspects of creating shingles and clapboards for homes, barns and other outbuildings.

Once past this fascinating demonstration, and much deeper into the historical park, is the little white house down a hill a ways that you just might pass by if you weren’t carefully looking for it. There lies the cabinet shop itself in all of its modest glory.

Once inside, you are indeed transported back in time to the 1780s. It’s a small, crowded shop that is well appointed with several workbenches, plenty of tools and several projects underway.

Was it worth the trip? You had BETTER believe it. Just try not to plan your trip when the temperature is a steamy 104 degrees Fahrenheit…  That will make your trip just a little more enjoyable.

But, even if you do, they do have the cabinet shop totally air conditioned.  Not a bad reason to stay there the whole day.