This week, I’m instructing at the Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference. Now, I’m sure you have got to be wondering why I’m letting you know about this. After all, it has nothing to do with woodworking and you may not even live in an area vulnerable to the impact of these storms.

Add to the fact that the last time a hurricane made landfall in the United States was during 2008’s Hurricane Ike, and you may believe you are starting to see me reach for a topic.

Not so. Last October at the Woodworking in America conference, I ran into Kyle Barton, a Galveston, Texas area woodworker. Kyle is very much your average hobby woodworking kind of guy. “Like most folks, I did some home remodeling and considered myself pretty handy. So when we were looking a buying some furniture I said, ‘I can build that better and cheaper.’ Now as we all know, it’s never cheaper, but it is better.”

His shop was in the basement level of his home – which actually sat up on 14 foot pilings to elevate the living area above potential storm surge flooding levels. “The shop was about 12’ feet wide but 36’ long. The sad part was I had just finished insulating and putting up walls. For the first couple of years it was uninsulated. The shop had an A/C and dehumidifier – a necessity on the Gulf coast. For lighting I had four T-8 fixtures from Home Depot that had 4 tubes per fixture. The walls were OSB, screwed into the studs, and painted with white oil based paint.”

He had built his shop around a Bosch bench top table saw and an assortment of other routers, a planer, dust collector and other hand tools. “Nothing too serious…” But, one of the tools he had just purchased – and was most proud of – was a Jet 12” jointer/planer. “A great tool… I had just bought it, and was discovering what it was capable of.”

This was a great place for Kyle to build all kinds of furniture. Cabinets, tables, maybe a few chairs in the future.

Now, Kyle lives in a very vulnerable area of the country for hurricanes. The Texas Gulf Coast, much like the west coast of Florida where I call home, is flat country next to the bathwater warm waters. “It had been more than 20 years since a major Hurricane – Alicia – had impacted Galveston. And according to some neighbors that lived there then, only a couple of inches of water got into any of the houses. So, why I knew it was a possibility – actually, a certainty over long time period – I never thought I would have major water in my shop.”

“I was putting on the last coat of paint on the walls of shop when I first heard of Ike. We had just has a close call with Gustav earlier in the season. Ike was still a ways out, but the projection look like it was coming straight for us.”

Knowing that he would not be covered by insurance for anything that got damage in his shop, he moved all of the small tools upstairs into the house. “The only thing left in the shop was the table saw, jointer/planer, dust collector, router table, drill press, and spindle sander. The only thing that wasn’t on a stand of some sort was the jointer/planer. I put that on blocks in case I got a foot or so of water in the shop.”

Kyle also had the presence of mind to do a complete shop inventory before he left to go to work. Photos and a list of the items in the shop, just in case. With this in hand, he headed to Dallas to prepare for his company’s relocation to a safer area.

As he pulled away from his home, Kyle’s last thought? “I just hoped I would not get any water on the baseboards, because I really didn’t want to have to replace them.”

Hurricane Ike, apparently, didn’t share Kyle’s feelings toward his baseboards.

Come back on Wednesday to read part two of Kyle’s story about Hurricane Ike.

If you have been following the news in recent months, perhaps you noticed the story of the Egyptian cobra that escaped from its enclosure in the reptile house at the Bronx Zoo. For a week, the venomous snake slithered around, closing the facility until it was captured.

If I had followed my career ambitions in second grade, I might have been the guy who went in to catch him.  Yup, I had been on a field trip to the same reptile house that year, and I became totally fascinated with all things herpetology. I’m not sure what it was that caught my imagination.  Maybe it was the the way they moved so fluidly on their bellies, with no apparent way to move themselves. Maybe it was how menacing they could look  if they were threatened.

But, I’m sure it was the stunning appearance of their scales. The rattlesnakes, coral snakes and cobras I saw back then had exotic looking scales in a bewildering array of patterns, colors and textures.

While my days of wanting to play with snakes are way behind me, I am still fascinated by stunning patterns in natural products. That’s why I was so excited when Eric Poirier of Bell Forest Products brought snakewood to my attention.  “It’s a very rare and exotic wood that’s tough to work with, but once you get it into shape, it’s something to see.”

Snakewood comes from small trees found in Central and South America.  Initially deep red in color, snakewood changes color to a rich reddish brown upon exposure to air. “The color change is pretty dramatic, but nothing like the figure you will find in the wood.  It is comprised of dark and lighter specs that resemble the scales on a snake.  It’s some wild looking stuff.”

An extremely dense hardwood, snakewood can be somewhat challenging to work with. It splits fairly easily and tends to be splintery. It’s also hard to cut and drill. “This stuff can be a challenge even to the most experienced woodworker. The key is to use very sharp tools and take your time.  Believe me, your patience will be rewarded.”

And, yes it will be. Snakewood turns well and polishes beautifully, showing its dramatic color and figure.  “Any project with snakewood in it is going to attract attention in a big way. You will want to put those  accents in a prominent place.”

While it can be a bit spendy (actually, one of the more expensive woods out there), a little bit goes a long way. “It’s generally sold in small blanks and is best used in making items such as bowls, vases, knife handles, pool-cue butts, and the like. Some times, you have a splurge a little bit, but the pieces are so small, it won’t break the bank.”

Don’t be surprised if you find snakewood slithering its way onto your list of favorite woods.

What makes something strong?  It’s character? It’s bulk? A certain Je ne sais quois?

In the case of basswood, its true strength can be found in its weakness.

“Basswood, also known as linden or lime wood, is some pretty plain looking stuff,” said Eric Poirier of Bell Forest Products. “No real showy grain or figure, a very light color and – well – it’s just beautiful in its simplicity.”

Now, how would such a plain looking board be considered beautiful? “If you are looking for an excellent wood to carve, there are few as good as this one.” For centuries, woodcarvers have been slicing into basswood, creating absolutely crisp detail with minimal tear out. How intricate? Well, this picture is from part of an altar carving made by German artist Tilman Reimenschneider back in the early 1500’s…  Wow…

These and other artistic treasures can still be found all across Europe at cathedrals and palaces. The wood is highly stable, making it less prone to movement and cracking over time.  “Along with its ease of carving, the neutral color of basswood doesn’t detract from what’s being carved into it. It becomes – in effect – a blank canvas for a woodcarver to work on.”

What else is basswood good for beyond carving?  Plenty. Its light weight and tonal properties make it an excellent material for electric guitar bodies and wooden instruments such as recorders and is also used when creating drum shells.

Basswood’s light weight also makes it a natural for wooden blinds and shutters. “Imagine the weight that can be kept off a set of hinges using basswood over other common species. That means less stress on the hinges, significantly improving their lifespan. If you are looking to build a set of plantation shutters for your home, basswood is an excellent option.”

So, while its reputation is as a lightweight, give basswood a chance. You might be surprised just how strongly you will rely on it in your woodworking.

Tall. Dark. Handsome.

If you ever wanted to apply these adjectives to a species of wood, walnut would be the one you might choose. One of the most traditional and classic of hardwoods found in Europe, Asia, North and South America, walnut is one of those woods that understatedly says ‘class’ when worked into a project.

“It’s one of our most popular sellers year after year,” said Eric Poirier of Bell Forest Products. “And, that comes as no surprise to us. Walnut works beautifully, is very stable and can be finished to a very smooth surface.”

The wood’s color varies from a light cream in the sapwood to a rich chocolate brown in the heartwood. Walnut trees tend to have wider areas of sapwood, which can limit the size of the darkest heartwood boards. If a streak of lighter wood is included in your board, it can easily be dyed to match

When used in cabinetry and other woodworking projects, this dark wood can be paired with a lighter species such as maple to create a striking contrast. “Maple pulls on a walnut project, or vice versa, really makes the piece pop.

Its legendary working properties and strength also make it a natural for musical instruments, and for centuries, it has been the wood of choice for rifle and shotgun stocks. “Soldiers from both sides during World War II were armed with rifles made from millions of board feet of walnut. The German Mausers, British Lee-Enfields and American M-1 Springfield rifles are some of the examples of battlefield weapons made with walnut stocks.” Today, many sporting long arms and handgun grips are made of this tough wood.

Walnut lumber is exciting stuff, but when it comes to burls, that’s when this wood goes off the chart. Walnut burls are easily some of the most coveted woods out there, either being used for turning bowls or to be sliced into veneers for projects, especially on the interiors of high-end luxury automobiles.

One interesting thing to note about walnut and its sawdust – if you compost your sawdust in a garden, be sure to keep your walnut sawdust separate and dispose of it another way. The wood has a substance known as juglone in it, which can kill other plants, especially tomatoes and apple and birch trees. Many animals also have a sensitivity to this as well, so it’s not a good idea for animal bedding.

When it comes to buying wood, it’s important to know what you are asking for… Some of the names of the woods out there are very similar.

For instance, everyone knows what poplar is, right? It’s that light colored wood with the green or purple streaks in it that is inexpensive, holds profiles very well and makes for some sweet looking painted or stained projects. Sometimes, it’s even referred to as tulip poplar.

And, if you thought that’s the species I was writing about, you’d be wrong.

“Yeah,” said Eric Poirier of Bell Forest Products. “We get that a lot. People call us looking for tulip poplar for some projects, but, wow, are they missing a spectacular wood also known as tulipwood.”

The tulipwood Eric is referring to comes from Brazil, and if you haven’t seen it up close and personal, you are in for a treat. This tulipwood is hard and heavy with a fine texture. Unlike the greens, purples and off-whites of tulip poplar, the sapwood is a solid yellow color, while the heartwood color ranges from a pink to a darker red, with a straw colored background.

While tulipwood is excellent for furniture, the pieces tend to be smaller due to the tree’s growth habits. “You’d think this would be a problem,” said Eric, “but there are plenty of woodworkers out there who turn beautiful projects from pieces of the stuff. It’s also a very popular choice for knife handles, pens and smaller accent pieces.”

Another surprise about the wood is how well it polishes up. “I’ve seen projects where the woodworker has sanded the piece down to a fine grit and then buffed it with a felt wheel. The finish is something to look at.”

If you are looking for something a little off the beaten path, trying a little tulipwood in your next project may make it look like things are coming up roses.

Life in the woodworking blogosphere has been a blast for me. I get the opportunity to write about a subject I have a tremendous passion for, and it gives me a chance to tell each of you how excited I am to be building in the shop.

Blogs such as mine, the Wood Whisperer, the Village Carpenter and Matt’s Basement Workshop have an established track record in the blogging community, and while we – and many other established bloggers – like to shine, it’s always exciting to welcome newer members to the community.

Case in point, I’d like you to meet Matt Gradwohl who runs Upper Cut Woodworks out of Washington state. And, as with many other woodworkers, he got his introduction to the craft at an early age watching his grandfather at work “He was a great inspiration. When I was seven or eight years old I built a wooden sled with orange Hot Wheels tracks for the runners. It was a clever idea but weighed a ton and worked horribly. I painted it with tempera paint that didn’t stand up to the wet snow and when I brought it home I was covered in brown paint. It went straight into the fire pit and I swore like a sailor about that “damn sled.” I wasn’t even ten years old but my mom didn’t punish me for the cusswords, she felt so bad for me and was laughing too hard inside.”

Fortunately, Matt wasn’t stopped by his early failure. Later, he converted part of his closet to a computer desk with the help of his grandfather. “I didn’t want anyone to see that I was a computer geek. My grandfather was the first woodworker to teach me proper handsaw technique.”

Today, Matt builds projects in his 25’ x 20’ shop in suburban Seattle. “I bought this house new and when I moved in I had the walls insulated & painted, the floors epoxied, lots of lighting and outlets installed, and a little gas stove installed for heat. I take most of my time off from my real job in the winter, so it’s great to have a warm and well-lit shop to work in.”

With the Pacific northwest such a heavily forested area, Matt loves to use the local timbers in his projects. “I’ve been to a lot of great places in the U.S. and abroad, and I’m always happy to return home. The most common native woods in Washington are Douglas Fir, Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, and Pine.” However, he’s also receptive to using more classic North American hardwoods such as maple, cherry and walnut. “I really like Walnut and especially enjoy the smell of fresh Walnut plane shavings.”

His shop also features a mix of power and hand tools. “I started out with hand tools, then moved to some power hand tools, and then got some big iron. I would call myself and most of the woodworkers I know ‘hybrid woodworkers’ because we use power tools and we’re actively seeking quality hand tools and learning proper hand tool techniques.”

While still working for software giant Microsoft, Matt is working hard to get his woodworking business off the ground. He has moved from building smaller projects into larger and more complicated ones to satisfy the needs of his clients. “Since starting the business earlier this year my first project was the Thomas Walnut Dresser. That was a great project, turned out well, and the client was very happy. I blogged about that project and recently George Walker posted positive comments about it, so that was very cool. The current projects are a custom maple cabinet for a saltwater fish tank, a modern Wenge buffet, and a set of walnut bases for U.S. Fencing Association trophies.”

And, part of Matt’s business plan is tied in to his blog. “I decided to get started because I wanted to learn and document the steps for starting a woodworking business. There are lots of blogs that cover design, materials, tools, and techniques and I love all of them. I think it is great that woodworkers help each other so much, I think that’s because we’re dedicated to our craft and we don’t really compete for business. So I am going through the process of starting the business and documenting the steps on the blog. Not only do we need to preserve the designs, materials, tools, and techniques, but we need to get our work into homes and that means creating successful businesses. There’s still so much to do and so much to write about, especially as I head into the end of the first year and the taxman comes knocking, so stay tuned.”

Until then, the blog is hungry, always looking to be fed. “Because I want to produce content for the web on a fairly regular schedule, I need to set aside shop time every week and also set aside time to update the blog. Sunday night has been shop night for me and I often post later that night.”

Matt is quick to point out that Upper Cut Woodworks is a long journey for him – someplace for him to head to after retirement. “In the long term, I’ll be retired from Microsoft woodworking full time, with a good set of design, build, and business skills; a great shop and set of paying customers. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll be writing articles for magazines, teaching woodworking in schools or helping tool manufacturers bring better products to market.”

Since I wrote my first Woodworking Spotlight, I discovered that there is one common trait that all of the woodworkers have – a determination to grow in the craft.

So, when I had the opportunity to exchange e-mails with David Life, well, I just knew I had to do a spotlight on him.

The woodworking story for David begins in 1990, when he and his wife moved to a little house at the edge of a farm. A neighbor up the road stopped by one day and asked if David would be up for earning a little extra money picking up some hours at his nearby cabinet shop. That brief meeting eventually led David to quit his job as a delivery driver and take up cabinetmaking as a full time vocation. “While working in that small shop for a couple of years we built all kinds of cabinetry for homes and many commercial pieces for radio/television stations, retirement homes, colleges and other places. It was a great experience and working with that guy showed me that it was possible to really enjoy building something from scratch and get paid for it.”

D’savid enjoyed it so much that after 12 years of working, he struck out and opened his own cabinet shop – Life’s Custom Woodworking – building European style frameless cabinets and countertops. “Building cabinetry and countertops that enhance both the surroundings and the clients lives is what we do.”

David’s shop is a bustling place. “Initially, I built a shop about 30’ x 30’ with everything in its place. I designed it so all aspects of cabinet building could happen with a good flow – including finishing which takes place in the back of the shop with an industrial exhaust fan. Our reputation has attracted a number of repeat clients and referrals. It got so busy that we recently added a 26’ x 30’ addition providing a staging area for materials, completed work and a bathroom.”

David’s shop has all of the basic tools you would expect to find in a cabinetry shop – a Unisaw with an Excalibur sliding table, air compressor, commercial pocket hole machine, a Blum hinge boring machine… the works. Oh, and his workbench is a few stacked sheets of MDF standing on a pair of saw horses. “My workbench isn’t glamorous, but it sure is easy to replace the top when it gets banged up and nasty.”

Currently, David’s company is undertaking a huge countertop project at a local seminary. The project involves building solid surface countertops for a 100-unit townhouse development, with each unit needing three countertops in each kitchen and two or three vanity tops in the bathrooms. “It’s great to have such a huge job right now and I look forward to doing more commercial jobs of this size – as well as getting back to building cabinets for homes.”

David still manages to keep a number of employees on the payroll, but his mind is constantly looking ahead to the economic recovery. “The biggest challenges have been to stay afloat in the past couple of years with the economy on the brink. Having a faithful group of customers is great in a good economy, and today it is more necessary to bid on as many jobs as possible in order to keep the business coming. Our greatest success has been in doing good work and most always getting repeat business or referrals.”

Up to now, you must be wondering, “gosh, Tom, this sounds like it could describe any one of a thousand cabinetmakers.” But, there’s something unique about David.

He’s legally blind.

“Yeah, I found out about two years ago.” David has a rare form of macular degeneration known as cone-rod degeneration. “It was at this same time that I quit driving and couldn’t read printed materials. I knew my eyesight wasn’t perfect but I had no idea that in just a few months it would come to that point. I went to the eye doctor expecting glasses and was told that glasses would not help me at all and that I should find a new profession.”

But, David didn’t let this slow him down. “A few months after this all hit, I came to the realization that I really couldn’t just lay down at forty years old and quit. I decided to search out ways to make it work. I have to say that part of my inspiration comes from my parents who both had polio when they were young and my mother is now blind from the same condition that I have. My parents never allowed their handicaps to stop them. My father just retired from over thirty years of teaching college level French. He wrote his entire doctoral thesis with his mouth and drives without using his arms. My mother worked for many years as a secretary and keeps house while walking with crutches while being completely blind. They have taught me to never give up and to continue to get things done.”

David has had to make some changes in order to keep his shop in production. “I now do all my design work on a special computer with cabinet design software. I have hired employees to do finish work and other tasks around the shop and I have teamed up with another local company to help with installs. Other equipment helps in the shop such as a talking tape measure, special lighting, equipment that magnifies objects onto a screen, etc. My speed at building cabinetry is not what it used to be, but I am still able to do it and I really enjoy creating cabinetry and countertops as I used to.”

And, while you may think a disability such as David’s wouldn’t give him any reason to be thankful, he is quick to point out, “I am very thankful to my family for all the help they give me. My wife and older children are even more an integral part of the business today, which happens to be one of our original goals for the company.”

David leaves with these sage words of advice, “Find a way to go after your passion. If it is important to you, then you will find a way to do it. Some things might not be possible for some, but there is a whole lot that is still attainable no matter what disabilities you have.”