All of the instruction manuals for your power tools tell you to give your complete, undivided attention to operating the tools.  However, if you look into most shops, you will find that woodworkers are splitting their attention – slightly – by listening to music or talk radio while doing their work.

Wood Magazine's Bob Wilson hanging a speaker in his shop (photo courtesy Wood Magazine)

Since it’s very unlikely that you will be continuously running your table saw or router for hours on end, most woodworkers are easily able to focus on those particular cuts for the necessary time and then listen to something else between operations.  And, when it comes to a tedious task like sanding, well, a radio is very much appreciated.

This week, we want to know what you listen to while in the shop.  Sure, you may listen to several different things, but which is the primary thing you will listen to?

While they may have lost some of their luster due to the Internet and the current economic situation, woodworking shows and expos are some very interesting places to visit.  You get to meet and talk with – in many cases – the same people who created the tools they are selling, to hold the tools in your hands and see them in operation.

Yesterday, while I was at the Woodworking Show in Tampa, I saw some folks hugging the wall just taking some mental notes on what they wanted to buy, while others were staggering out the doors of the convention hall, struggling to carry home all of their goodies.

This week, we want to know how you feel about purchasing something – anything – at a woodworking show or expo.

Having enough wood in your shop to complete a project – and maybe a little extra just in case there’s a special project you want to tackle – is an essential in any well-stocked woodworking shop.

Of course, GETTING that wood to your shop can pose a challenge. I’m discovering that with gas prices very high these days, my smaller, more economical car makes sense for the daily commute, but it totally stinks at carrying wood home from the hardwood dealer.

Today, let us know how you get wood to your shop.

When it comes to looking for woodworking information, there are few sources as good as woodworking magazines. Articles about techniques, wood choice and tool reviews. And then there are the plans!  Tables, chairs, toys, beds… the works.

The only problem? Well, it’s kinda like that episode of Star Trek where the crew of the Enterprise had to deal with these cute little creatures called tribbles. They just kept reproducing by the minute, eventually overwhelming the ship, the space station they were docked to and – ultimately – the Klingon vessel they were beamed to.

This week, tell us what you do with your woodworking magazines once you are done reading them. Do you get rid of them as soon as you are done reading them, or do you hoard them in the nooks and crannies of your house?

When you buy a tool, you know how it comes in one of those fancy blow-molded plastic cases, right?  It gives the tool manufacturer someplace to slap their logo, the product’s specs and the standard warnings about tool safety.

Inside, you’ll find each of the accessories for the tools placed into its own little custom-formed recess, almost like a modern version of a Studley Tool Chest. Sometimes, it seems as if art of origami came into play, as the pieces can sometimes be nested inside others.. it could have taken the factory workers a lot of time to learn how it all went in in the first place!

After you unpack the tool and – ahem – read the directions, what do you do with the fancy blow-molded plastic case?

There’s nothing like getting a brand new shiny tool. Or, maybe a sweet new jig to make your router do more. Or… well, you get the idea.

Anyway, you open the box, take out the three thousand screws, parts and and other things and – most importantly – the user’s manual. You may look at it during the assembly… or not. And, you may refer to it during the first use. Then, you are left with that darned manual..

Today, tell us what happens to your users manuals. Do you keep them handy, or do they just go away?

When you go to a lumber store, there are some pretty looking boards there, begging to be turned into gorgeous furniture. Maple. Walnut. Cherry. And, many of these boards come with some pretty steep prices – six, seven, eight or even more dollars a board foot. Often times, though, there’s another pile somewhere in the back of softwood boards.

Domestic conifer. You know… pine.

Many times, woodworkers start out with white or yellow pine while building their first projects, but ‘graduate’ to working with hardwoods as their skills improve. But, there’s little doubt that there have been many pine furniture masterpieces built by skilled woodorkers.

Today, tell us what you think about pine as a wood for building furniture.