According to the American Hardwood Information Center, red oak is by far the most commonly used North American hardwood. Four out of every ten North American hardwood boards sold are red oak.  It’s the state tree of my former home state, New Jersey, where it grows just about everywhere you look.  It’s one of the most common woods used in kitchen cabinet construction. It’s an extremely common flooring material. Entire bedroom suites are made out of the stuff…

And, sometimes, all that familiarity breeds contempt. I’ve spoken with woodworkers who have flat out said, “Boy, that would have been a great project, except for the fact that they built it out of red oak…”

So, in this week’s poll, I wanna know exactly what you think about red oak and its place in your shop.

Hobbies are fun. They take you away from the everyday world and give us a chance to stretch our creative wings after doing the nine-to-five grind. But, ask many hobbyists, and they’ll tell you that they have several past times… in the kitchen… in the garden… in the music studio… on the open water… in the garage… and on and on.

This week, tell us where woodworking falls on your list of hobbies. Is it your one-and-only love, or do you spread time between several avocations?

We survived the Mayan apocalypse. The Summer Olympics. Gangnam Style.

Yeah, 2012 posed a bunch of challenges. But, now that’s in the past, and we are now in the first weekend of the great new year of 2013. A year of new possibilities – and new resolutions.

So, this week’s poll is a simple one. Have you made any new year’s resolutions when it comes to woodworking?

OK, everyone, as you can imagine, the activity level at the North Pole is through the roof. Elves are busy putting the finishing touches on gifts. Mission control is checking the sleigh out to ensure all systems are ‘go’. The vet is giving the reindeer the once over. And, the big guys is double checking his list to make sure everyone is on the proper list…

So, today’s poll is very important… On which list do you find yourself?  Give it a good, long thought…

OK, you have built the gifts in your shop. Maybe a cutting board for Aunt Edna or a vase for Uncle Bill.  The finish is dry, and it’s read to go…

Oh, yeah… Getting those gifts there. Some of us are lucky – we’ll be handing gifts to lucky recipients on the holiday. For others,well, those gifts are going to have to travel a great distance to get there. And, with shipping come those pesky shipping deadlines – many of them arriving this week.  Blech…

While your local post office and other carriers such as FedEx and UPS can get things where they need to go in a hurry, they haven’t yet created time travel – allowing you the flexibility to ship things to arrive in the past.

So, this week, let us know if you are going to make those shipping deadlines, or if you are going to be sending apologies for a late arriving gift!

Last week’s quick poll started an interesting conversation. I had intended it to be about what kind of footwear you wear in the shop to prevent injury if something fell onto your foot from your workbench. But, what folks read was how do you keep comfortable while standing in your shop for hours on end.

It’s more than just a matter of comfort. In fact, some readers commented that they had issues ranging all the way up to joint replacement surgery.

For most garage or basement woodworkers, concrete is the default flooring.. and that’s where a lot of the problems begin. It’s an unforgiving surface that can leave you feeling footsore before you know it.

This week, tell us how you combat this standing fatigue and issues that could possibly plague you years down the road.

When we think of workplace safety, things like hearing and eye protection typically come to mind.  Or, is it hold downs, feather boards and push sticks?  Dust collection? Not drinking before you operate power tools?

My point is that we often overlook one very important part of shop safety – what we’re wearing on our feet.  There are lots of hazards that could affect us down there – from dropped objects to stepping on sharp items.  And then there’s the slipping hazards, splashed chemicals and other concerns.

If a foot or both feet are hurt, you could be out of the shop for quite a long time.

This week, let us know what kind of footwear you slip on before you head out to the shop.