Yes. It’s Friday.  No, we haven’t had some kind of time-warp…

With this Sunday being Christmas, I can guarantee you I will not have the time or the inclination to put up a post. That being said, I’m sure that many of you are making holiday preparations for visitors, planning on traveling to visit with friends or relatives, racing to get those last-minute finishing touches on your holiday gifts or *GASP* maybe even realizing that today is December 23 and you have yet to get STARTED on your shopping!

To help you get into the mood, I’m going to first link you to one of my favorite holiday posts…‘Twas some time before Christmas…

Also, I have to post the other traditional holiday poll question. Of course, it’s to your benefit if you answer truthfully, no matter how much it hurts!  😉

And, from everyone here on the Tom’s Workbench team, we want to wish each of you a very happy, relaxing and peaceful holiday with friends and family.

The plans have been drawn up. The tools have been sharpened. The shop has been prepped.

The only thing you need to do is buy wood to build that special project.

Now, where will you get the wood from?

In years past, there was little choice – all lumber was bought locally at a hardwood supplier, construction yard or at a local sawmill.

Today, the Internet offers a tremendous variety of sources to choose from. Whether you look at an online auction such as eBay or find an online provider, your purchasing options are seemingly limitless.

So, this week, let us know if you have ever taken the plunge and bought your lumber online.

‘Tis the season…

When we build projects for relatives on our gift list.

Sure, there have been years when Aunt Mable wants a cutting board, mom wants a picture frame and your cousin Vinny wants a cigar humidor… and you’ve built individual projects for each.

But, it’s so much more efficient to build one kind of project for everyone.  This way, everyone on the list gets the same item built in steps. You can cut all the pieces with the table saw fence set to the right width, cut mortises with the router bits set to the right depth…  It becomes production work.

So, this week, tell us if you have built multiple copies of a particular project and what the largest number of these projects you built at one given time.

OK, it’s 1 p.m. here on a great Sunday in Florida…

I have gorgeous weather. I have a list of things I need to get done…

And, I’m still inside, puttering around the house.

This week, tell us if you ever have trouble getting a shop session started.  Are you always full of energy, ready to pop out into the shop for a great session, or do you have issues getting started?

Did you guys miss me?  Huh?

After a Wednesday night of prep work for Turkey day, and a big day of cooking and entertaining, AND a big few days of working in the shop and shopping… I decided – quite unexpectedly – to take a few days off from the blog.

I think I deserved it.

But, now I’m back. And, it’s time for another annual tradition on the blog. Are you building holiday projects this season?

Some are tiny. Itty bitty places where you have to step outside to change your mind. Other places are cavernous. Enormous, roomy places with areas subdivided to accommodate different shop operations.

But, whatever the size, they are OUR shops, and we are productive in them.

This week, let’s take a look at the size of your shop. Just how big is where you do your woodworking?

Some of us began woodworking when we were in a school shop class. Others picked it up instead of another hobby like golf, tennis or stamp collecting. I even bet there are others who go into the craft after they retired and were looking for a rewarding past time.

The one thing that is consistent is that we did get started. This week, let us know the age range when you first started woodworking.