While the holiday season so far has been great, the one thing that could have definitely been improved for this time off is if I could get rid of this totally awful sinus infection. I’m on my second course of antibiotics, heavy duty steroids to reduce the inflammation and a whole bunch of Advil. Bleh….

Even though I have been feeling crappy, I have been able to spend a little time in the shop doing some maintenance and playing with a few toys that Santa brought.

For today’s quick poll – have you ever done any woodworking when you were sick?

There are lots of Christmas songs out there. Many are the oldies, such as Bing Crosby singing Silent Night. Or, maybe Eartha Kitt singing Santa Baby. Or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing O Holy Night. 

But, because I’m originally from New Jersey, my mind keeps coming back to Bruce Springsteen, and his timeless rendition of Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

And, whenever I get to the point where Bruce asks Clarence Clemons if he has been practicing hard, so Santa will bring him a new saxophone, I always stop and think to myself, “Have I been practicing hard at woodworking, so Santa will bring me some new tools?”  That’s when I run back to the shop to get more practice. I mean, I’m not going to take any chances.

What about you?  Have you all been good this year, so Santa will bring you a new router or set of chisels?  Answer honestly, because he knows if you’ve been bad or good (So, be good for goodness sake!)


 

Sure, there’s the wood selection. And the preparation. And the carefully cut joinery. Maybe some embellishment.

Yeah, that’s all well and good. But, whether you like it or not, the first part of your woodworking project that people encounter is the finish.

Since (hopefully) your holiday projects are getting close to the finish, this is an appropriate question. What is your go-to finish?  Is it a hand-rubbed oil? A lacquer you shoot on the project? Maybe a varnish you brush on?

November is more than half over?  Hanukkah starts on Thanksgiving Day? Is it me, or does it seem as if this year is whizzing by?

Which, of course, means that we are pressing up against some tight deadlines when it comes to the holiday gift building.

For some of you, well, you were out there in July, putting the final coat of finish on your holiday gifts. For others? Well, I’m guessing you are waiting for inspiration from the Last Minute Elf week coming up the first full week of December.

But first, you have to let us know… are you in for gift building this year?

I have finished the tool chest.  I’ll be showing a lot more pictures of the completed chest tomorrow, I promise.

However, as I load my hand tools into the chest, it struck me that I didn’t really have all of my tools very well organized. Yeah, they were in drawers, but they were all jumbled together, making it kind of a mess.

So, for today’s post.. how organized are your tools?  Are you the kind of woodworker who draws outlines around your tools on the pegboard, or do you have a less organized system that you turn to?

There’s a joint out there that I have never cut, and I often wonder why anyone would.

Sure, it’s strong, and it requires a tremendous amount of skill to cut, but who will ever notice it?

It’s called the blind mitered dovetail, and it creates an incredibly strong miter joint. But, so do splines, which can be cut in a fraction of the time.

Today’s question is simple – for a joint like this one, would you ever cut a joint like this – very complex, very strong, very hidden – if there were other easier to cut joints available to you?

As woodworkers, our shops are our sanctuaries. Places we can go to kick back, relax and crank up the creative process. Sometimes, we flip a switch, and our tools spring to life, while other tools wait for the touch of a skilled hand to be powered.

And, sometimes our shops are also our laundry rooms, recreation areas or garages for our cars. Yeah, that’s right, we have to share our space.

Today, tell us about your shop situation… is it a dedicated space, do you share it with other household functions or is your shop wherever you can find the space at the time it’s ready to work?