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.

You see the middle part in this joint, right?

Not the two elements with mortises in them.. the thing in between them? That joins them together once you glue and clamp it?

It’s an interesting way to join two boards without creating an integral tenon on one of them.

But, what do you call it? I’ve seen woodworkers get worked up about different terms for it. They will argue their point all day long that a certain term applies, and none of the other make sense.

So, what do you call it in your shop?