While doing the recent Finding Those Roots articles, a number of the responses were quite interesting.  Some who participated can remember their first days back at a very young person working side-by-side with their dad in a workshop. Others could vividly recall their high school shop class instructor lighting their woodworking fire many years ago.

Whether you were a little one or considerably older, there was that moment in your life when you chose to become a woodworker. That’s usually considered the time you started laying money down for tools, establishing some kind of work area and spending Saturday mornings hard at work. In this week’s poll, I’d like for you to look back into your past and remember just how old you were when you started woodworking.

Now, remember, I’m looking to see when you got into the craft seriously, not when you were first exposed to it. For instance,  I had a wood shop class in middle school when I was 12, but I didn’t get seriously involved in the craft until I was in my late 20’s.  So, I would vote in the 25 – 30 range…

[poll id=”87″]

Getting started in woodworking is a tricky business.  One typical route people enter woodworking is through home improvement… and many prospective woodworkers come to the table with your basic tools – a circular saw, a drill, screwdrivers – you know, the basics.

From there, wisely adding to the tool collection is the best way to get your feet under you.

In many cases, budding woodworkers will turn to a more experienced woodworker for that advice, and the most commonly asked questions is, “What should I buy first?”

So, this week, what would you tell that new woodworker? What should be the first tool they set their shops up around?

[poll id=”86″]

Everything in woodworking has a cost.  It costs to buy wood.  It costs to buy glue.  It costs to buy fasteners, jigs, electricity for the lights…

And, most importantly, it costs to buy tools.

Whether you have a massive, professional shop full of state-of-the-art monster tools or you have scoured the classified ads looking for ultra bargains, there is little doubt that you have made an outlay of cash to get what you need.

This week, I want to know what was the most you ever spent on ONE single tool.  Maybe it was that large cabinet saw, the hand-made infill plane you had commissioned or the large cyclone dust collector to keep your shop neat.  Just give us the price range you were operating in. Thanks for voting!

[For my international viewers, the values are in U.S. Dollars.  To convert your currency to USD, visit this Universal Currency Converter. Thanks!]

[poll id=”85″]

When it comes to woodworking, woodworkers are always looking to get arrow straight boards, completely flat and true.

Yeah.  Right.

First, there are turners, who take nice straight stock and turn it round.  Then, there are carvers who – with chisels, gouges and other tools turn those pretty chunks of wood into works of art.

And, then there are the folks who like to bend wood to add flair and drama to their projects.

Bending wood is typically accomplished one of two ways.  The first is to steam the wood in a contraption for a certain amount of  time to loosen the lignin in the board, then taking it from the box and bending it quickly over a form.  The other method is to slice thin pieces from a larger board, then laminate them with glue and clamp them to a form.  Both give spectacular results.

So, this week, I want to know if you have ever bent pieces of wood for your projects, and if you have, how did you do it.

[poll id=”84″]

Woodworking is many things to many people.

For some, it’s a fun and easy way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  For others, it’s the continuation of a family legacy, carrying on the work of a parent or grandparent.  Some may even consider it a form of therapy, getting them out of their daily routine.

While it may seem clear cut to some, for others, it’s a debate.  Is woodworking an art, or is it a craft?

Sure, this is typically discussed among the high-minded folks at some fancy gallery opening, but it’s an interesting question. Since most woodworking projects have a function, they are considered craft.  But, come on.  A George Nakashima table, with its use of live edges of boards and tastefully placed butterfly keys certainly isn’t the same as a plain old coffee table.

So, this week’s poll is trying to get to the heart of the matter – do you believe woodworking is art, craft or something else.

[poll id=”83″]

Let’s face it – our woodworking projects are something we can be very proud of.  Whether a perfectly executed set of kitchen cabinets or an expertly turned piece, we want that work to be identified with us.

For some people, they will name the project they are working on, much as an artist will name a painting or a sculpture.

Some names are basic – “A dining room table”

Some are more descriptive – “Aunt Marge’s Dining Room Table.”

And, some names are very creative and further identify the piece – “The Thanksgiving Tableau.”

This week, I want to know if you have ever named one of your work pieces, and which naming scheme you have used.

[poll id=”82″]

Most woodworking tools do their jobs through the use of very sharp edges.  Woodworkers can spend countless hours grinding and honing their tools to a razor sharp edge.  Manufacturers can get a keen edge on carbide router bit cutters or table saw blades…

And, then there are rasps and files.  These oddballs don’t slice the wood they are cutting – they tear the fibers off and leave a pretty rough surface that needs to be refined with planes, scrapers or sandpaper.

There are times when the only tool that can do the job is a rasp or a file, yet they aren’t normally the first tools a woodworker will purchase.

This week, we want to know what you think about files and rasps…

[poll id=”81″]