‘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.

[poll id=”102″]

This past Friday was known as as Black Friday… they day when retailers traditionally have sold enough items to get out of the red (debt) and into the black (profitability) for the year.

Tomorrow, however, is known as Cyber Monday, when workers with computers return to their offices to begin online shopping… on company time!

Since online commerce is a relatively new phenomena, this week’s question has to do with buying woodworking tools online.  Sure, there’s nothing like holding a tool in your hands to get the feel and balance of a tool.  However, there are other times when the only time to get the exact tool you need is to go online.

From classic hand tools to the latest cutting edge power offerings, woodworkers can find a dazzling array of tools to drool over.

So, this week’s question – what’s the largest woodworking tool you have ever purchased online?  Was it a simple package delivery, or did it involve a forklift and a large tractor trailer?

[poll id=”101″]

They are some of the most useful power tools in the shop.  Table saws can rip, crosscut and cut scads of different kinds of joints.

They can also represent a significant investment for the typical woodworker.  Many woodworkers have had to buy smaller, less capable saws and step up to beefier models.  Others may have inherited the well-used saws from friends or relatives.  Still other may own a larger saw for their shop and a smaller, more portable model for their field work.

However, it adds up, this week, we want to know how many table saws you have ever owned in your life. Be sure to count them all!

[poll id=”100″]

Today is November 15…

That means the holidays are very close.  Maybe not as close as the kids (or the young at heart) would like, but we getting close to the ever dreaded shipping deadlines.  If your holiday gift giving list is as long as mine, well, you are going to have to plan in some time to get them all built!

So, in this week’s poll, what’s the current status of building your holiday gifts?  Are you done, or have you even started?

[poll id=”99″]

“Don’t touch that!  You don’t know where it’s been!”

If I had a dollar for every time my mom told me that… well, let’s just say I would have a really awesome cabinet saw in my shop!

Instead, I have a more modest model in my shop, and I’m still always looking for a good, budget conscious (read: Cheap)  source of wood.  So, imagine my surprise  when one of my friends told me he goes out on weekends to check the ‘pickin’s’ in the neighborhood dumpsters.

It seems that a lot of folks who don’t want furniture tend to throw it right out into the trash. From cheap particleboard and knotty pine to the occasional piece made of mahogany, oak or even TEAK(!), he’s found some pretty choice timbers nestled in the refuse.

This week’s question – have you ever gone trash picking wood out of the refuse stream.  And, yes, this includes everything… pallets, old furniture, etc.

[poll id=”98″]

They are a relatively new joinery method, invented in the 1950’s and used extensively in post-war European cabinet shops.  It crossed The Pond in the 1970’s and was adopted in North American production shops shortly after.

And, once Norm Abram started using one in the New Yankee Workshop, well, everyone wanted to get their hands on one.

The biscuit – or plate – jointer did speed the process of joining two boards together.  Whether connecting two pieces of plywood, solid wood, MDF… or whatever other material you may be working with… the biscuit joint has proven to be a versatile way of connecting boards.

However, joint test data suggests that for nearly all joints, the biscuit is probably one of the weakest joinery methods available.

So, this week, how do you feel about the biscuit joint?  Super strong and versatile shop hero, or gimmicky joint with little more strength than a butt joint?

[poll id=”96″]

While you may not think it’s true, just about everyone is an avid reader.  Sure, maybe you aren’t leafing through Faulkner, Shakespeare or Poe… but woodworkers have collections of woodworking magazines and books, wannabe chefs have their cookbooks, gear heads have their auto repair manuals…

So, needless to day, one of the most important pieces of furniture in any house is a bookcase – somewhere to stash all those books!  Book cases can run the gamut from fancy to plain, difficult to build or easy afternoon projects… take your pick.

At least one of these shelves – the bottom one – is typically fixed in place. After all, a bookcase is typically a large box that needs all four sides and a back.  The other shelves are usually adjustable to allow different sizes of books – tall photo albums vs. paperback novels.

This week’s question – when you build a bookcase, what kind of system do you use for making the adjustable support system for these movable shelves?

[poll id=”95″]