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.”

Microbes can be your friends. Yup. Ever drank a beer or a glass of wine? The fungus yeast is responsible for the fermentation. How about some blue cheese? Bacteria’s hard at work giving the cheese its distinctive twang.

And, when it comes to woodworking, you’d be surprised at the magic that fungi can work on what would otherwise be plain looking boards. That’s why wood merchants such as Bell Forest Products actively seek out logs that have had a touch of fungus development.

“The wood is referred to as spalted. Really, what’s going on is that the board is just starting to rot,” said Eric Prorier, “But, that’s a good thing. The fungi that start the process of returning the tree to the forest’s soil have just gotten a toe hold in the board.” The fungi, hitching a ride in the water that wicks up the tree’s vascular system, begins to consume the lignin in the wood. As part of the metabolic process, the fungi excrete a dark colored pigment, which starts to permeate the wood.

Knowing that spalting is a sure sign wood is rotting, it’s important to catch this process at just the right time. “The boards need to be sawn after enough color has been developed but before it gets to the board becoming punky.” Said Eric. Once sawn and kiln dried, the fungus has been killed and the board is as beautiful as it will ever be. “When we catch the development at the right time, the look is amazing.”

While woods such as birch and beech can spalt, the king of spalted woods is maple. It’s light appearance and intrinsic strength makes it ideal. “Plus,” said Eric, “there’s a reason why it’s called sugar maple – the carbohydrates are an easy source of food for the fungus.”

The appearance of the spalting in maple closely resembles that of a pen and ink drawing. “In some boards, it can be very subtle, offering an understated appearance. On other boards, it’s dramatic and widespread.” One of the most striking uses for spalted maple is to resaw the boards to make bookmatched panels. “When you look at two doors bookmatched like that, it creates movement and drama in your design.”

Since there is this fungus in the wood, woodworkers may wonder if they have to take any special precautions when working with spalted maple. “It’s a great question to ask, because you never know how sensitive you may be. Dust collection is always recommended and a dust mask is a good thing to wear when cutting or sanding.”

Since spalting is such a unique phenomena, selecting boards one at a time is the best way to go. “Since we offer the opportunity to view and hand-select boards, looking at our spalted maple selection will give you a good idea of what level of effect you are looking for.”

What I love most about woodworking is meeting and speaking with other woodworkers.  And, yes, I invariably find that woodworkers are a generous bunch of folks.

One of the first professional woodworkers I had the pleasure of meeting – and interviewing – is Gail O’Rourke of Plymouth, Massachusetts.   She is now a project manager with Chestnut Bay Cabinets, and they are working with a charity known as Room to Dream Foundation. When she told me about an upcoming build, I wanted to share it with you.  Remember, Gail, I want to see pictures when you build the furniture and when it’s installed, alright?

The Room to Dream Foundation Partners with Hutker Architects to Renovate Space for Falmouth Child

The Room to Dream Foundation – dedicated to creating living spaces that give children and adolescent’s room to dream of a healthier future – has teamed up with Hutker Architects to help a family with a chronically ill daughter in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

Designers Abby Bart and Courtney Fadness of Hutker Architects met with the family and designed a space to meet her medical needs as well as provide expertise, design creativity and volunteers to make it all happen. Working with Room to Dream they evaluated the space and set to work to design a space suitable for a teenage girl. The project is set to be completed the first weekend in October.

“Hutker Architects has thoroughly enjoyed being part of the team to help re-create Tyla’s ‘Room to Dream’,” notes Mark Hutker, president of Hutker Architects. “We are looking forward to installation day and hope she loves it! We have been very encouraged about the forthcoming support from our friends and colleagues here in Falmouth for Tyla’s room.”

Additional help for this project comes from the generosity of the following sponsors: Chestnut Bay Cabinets, Steven J. Bishopric Construction, Sea Crest Beach Resort, Ideal Flooring, Crane Appliance, Sherman Williams, Tony DaCruz Painting, Patton Electric, KAM Appliance, Maxwell’s Clothing, and Headlines.

The Room to Dream Foundation is a Boston-based not-for-profit organization whose mission is to create healing environments for children who are facing chronic illnesses. As they recuperate and recover, the hope is that their renovated spaces will improve their quality of life, promote strength, imagination, self-worth, and aid in their recovery processes. The foundation typically undertakes 6 to 8 projects a year relying entirely on donations and volunteer work.

To learn more about The Room to Dream Foundation, call 617-332-3066 or visit the foundation’s website ,www.roomtodreamfoundation.org.

Oak is – by far – one of the most plentiful North American hardwoods on the market. According to the American Hardwoods Council, oaks comprise nearly 51% of all hardwoods harvested and brought to market.

While this may seem very boring and redundant, there’s actually quite a bit of variety when it comes to these oaks.  In fact, there are more than 600 species of trees worldwide which come from the genus Quercus.  Some of the characteristics that may make each species stand out include bark thickness (for cork oaks), leaf shape, growth habits and whether or not the tree is evergreen or deciduous.  Yes, in the very deep south, trees such as live oaks never drop all of the leaves in their canopies.

Fortunately, for woodworkers, things are a little less confusing when it comes to shopping for lumber.  “While there are several commercial species, you can basically break the oaks down into two separate groups,” said Eric Proirier of Bell Forest Products. “It’s kind of like selecting a wine for dinner.  You have your reds and your whites.”

It’s funny that Eric mentioned wine, because one way to tell the difference between red oaks and white oaks has a lot to do with how liquids pass through them. “Wine barrels – and ships, for that matter – are always made of white oak because liquids can’t pass through the pores of the wood. Very important if you are trying to age wine – or sail the high seas!”

Red oaks are exceptionally plentiful.  In fact, 36% of all North American hardwoods brought to market are considered red oaks.  White oaks, on the other hand, still make up a hefty 15% of the North American hardwood market, but are some of the most sought after boards out there.  Why?

“The grain pattern on white oaks is typically finer than that of reds,”  said Eric.  “In many cases, this gives a more refined look to the piece, something woodworkers tend to look for while building projects.”

Another key difference between the two oaks comes to the ray flakes seen when the boards are quartersawn.  “In quartersawn white oaks, the ray flake pattern is more pronounced.  These rays are very pronounced in quartersawn wood, and are typically larger and more numerous in white oak.”  Ray pattern, actually part of the grain of the wood, was highly sought after during the Arts and Crafts movement, with many handsome pieces made that highlighted the effect.

White oak is very hard and heavy and works very well.  The tannins in the oak, however, can affect any steel fasteners used to build the piece, turning a dark black and staining the wood.  “Brass screws used in pre-bored holes do better, or be sure to hide your fasteners under plugs to prevent some ugly looking stains.”

Another interesting characteristic about white oak is how it responds to ammonia fumes.  “This is the wood that the Arts and Crafts masters used in their fuming tents.  The wood looks great when finished like that, but remember that ammonia is pretty nasty stuff.  If you aren’t 100% sure how to get that fumed finish safely, you might want to pass. When possible, we always recommend you use safer finishes.”

While white oaks are definitely beautiful, they aren’t necessarily  superior to their red cousins.  “White oaks don’t bend nearly as well as reds, and red oaks are plenty handsome on their own.  Whichever oak you choose, you are very likely to be happy.”

But, for that classic Arts and Crafts looks, it’s hard to beat white oak.

So, you are visiting Tom’s Workbench looking for this week’s quick poll…

But, you aren’t going to see one here today on Father’s Day. Sorry ’bout that… you can count on one for tomorrow.

Instead, I want to focus on a very special woodworker who gave me the inspiration to get involved in woodworking in the first place – my dad.

He is the youngest son in a family of seven children and he grew up in an Italian American neighborhood in Fairview, New Jersey. Taught the value of hard work from a very young age, he worked to help support the family while in school.  And, as soon as he was old enough, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving during the presidency of John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

After his honorable discharge, he married my mom and started work delivering soda – first with Seven Up and later with Coca Cola. Talk about grueling work… dad would deliver hundreds of cases of soda in the rain, snow, heat and cold for more than 40 years.  I never liked helping him deliver soda… the times I did go out, it was back breaking work.  Hauling cases up and down stairs at small convenience stores and eateries.  But, my dad never stopped smiling or engaging folks in conversation.  Even on tough days. Just a genuinely nice guy.

Always industrious, he worked hard to make his home a nicer place to live.  After my parents bought an older home in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, with the help of several relatives, he renovated the two family structure to get ready to start his family.  Demolition, studding, electric, plumbing, drywall… the guy knew how to do it, or learned quickly.  After the renovations, the house looked pretty darned good.

Years later, we moved further west into New Jersey to a town called Bloomingdale. It was a modestly-sized home that served our family well – when we were just little kids.   But, as my brothers and I got older – and bigger – we needed more room to spread out.  That’s when mom and dad came up with the idea of finishing our home’s basement.

I can still remember the planning phase… wondering why we didn’t just hire a professional to knock the job out and be done with it. That’s where dad’s wisdom and encouragement really shone.  As the materials started arriving at the house for the renovation, he called his sons together and we watched this new show on PBS.  It was called This Old House, and featured two bearded guys with New England accents finishing – of all things – a basement! We watched, while dad kept telling us, “We can do better than these two guys!”

That’s when we hit it.  Sure, the basement renovation took longer than six half-hour shows, but it was far more rewarding than anything else I had done to that point.  My dad likes to take the time to explain stuff to a very fine detail.  In fact, he’s the kind of a guy if you ask him what time it is, he will tell you all about the history of clocks and exactly how to build one.  During the basement build, he showed me how to accurately mark wood for cutting, how to lay out stud spacing, when to nail and when screws are better… all the way to how to properly trim out the paneling to make the final project look sweet.

When faced with a challenging corner in the basement, he designed and built a corner entertainment center… much like the one I had built about eight years ago  in my house.  Just a clever idea to use a corner that would otherwise go to waste.

It’s funny how much what I learned during that basement renovation has helped me.  In college, I was asked to be the guy who built the room divider that allowed us to use the dining room in my apartment as a second bedroom. Other people have asked me to come in and help with other construction projects in their homes and yards.

My dad has since retired from delivering Coca Cola.  But, he’s not the kind of guy who likes to sit around. Today, he works as the maintenance guy at Glen Wild Lake, the gorgeous lake that his new house overlooks.  This can involve negotiating with fish hatcheries to get the lake stocked with bass and trout all the way to coordinating the lowering of the lake level to get extensive dock work done.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is his interest in teaching.  He takes the time to teach my sons and my nephews about everything… history, sports … and woodworking.

Thanks, dad.  I doubt I would have come this far in life without your teaching, inspiration and encouragement.

Happy Father’s Day to you and all of the other dads out there.

Many woodworkers today look back on the craftsmen of different ages with a reverence that approaches awe.

While those woodworkers from ages ago were certainly talented, they were simply using the commonly applied techniques appropriate for the tools of the day.

But, when a woodworker can masterfully blend modern and classic techniques, well, that’s another story altogether.

Meet Craig Bentzley. While this Pennsylvania-based woodworker is known for his 18th century reproductions, his start in the craft was very modest. “I can remember fooling around with my Dad’s hand tools when I was pretty young. He built a lot of houses for a few years after he came home from World War II, so he had a basic set of decent hand tools that he let me lose and destroy. In retrospect, I guess he was a pretty patient man. I was always building bird houses, rabbit hutches, tree forts, and the like. I was a typical 1950′s country kid.”

Craig later spend time in his grandfather’s upholstery shop, combed flea markets and auctions for tools and took shop and drafting classes in high school. After a short stint in a machinist’s shop, he landed a drafting job where he spent much of his time drawing parts for seating, primarily in the furniture and automobile industry. “When I got my first apartment, I didn’t have much money for furniture, so I started building my own.” Being the early 1970’s, Craig found himself enamored by the studio furniture of the period – especially the work of George Nakashima. By 1972, he knew he was addicted to woodworking.

By 1974, Craig’s interest in furniture design turned toward the historical. A friend at the drafting job was a nut for early American furniture. “Once I discovered the amazing capabilities of our ancestors to build all this magnificent furniture with nothing but hand tools, there was no turning back. I was totally hooked. I read everything I could get my hands on, went to every museum I could find, and became completely immersed.”

Today, Craig builds a great number of authentic reproductions of these pieces in his Bucks County (PA) workshop. Blanket chests, tables, small spice boxes… if it was made back in the day, Craig can build it.

While he uses the joints and techniques of the day, he turns to some modern tools to accomplish the task. “My power tools are my apprentices. I have some nice Disston D-8 saws and have ripped plenty of boards by hand, but I can’t make money that way. Rough work gets processed with the table saw and band saw. I have at least seven routers but I still dislike them. My power tools do the rough work but all surfaces are finished with hand planes and scrapers.” On reproduction work, Craig still does all joinery by hand. If he’s building a competitive piece or doing generic cabinet work, he’ll use anything to produce good quality work.

Another part of Craig’s work deals with repairs of existing antique pieces. It’s demanding work, but he learns much from the original builders. “Each piece takes you on a new journey and each piece has its own tales to tell. Just like now, every cabinetmaker had their own unique solutions to the task at hand. You learn something new with every piece you work on.”

When I asked Craig what his favorite aspect of woodworking was, he didn’t pull any punches. “Besides the actual processes and challenges, I’ve met some of the nicest, most generous people you can imagine. Woodworkers are a pretty good lot. Too bad the general population isn’t cut from the same cloth. There’s also an immense satisfaction when you have a happy customer. When you receive a thank you note from a person ten years after you delivered a piece of furniture, you know you’re doing something right. I doubt anyone does that with their auto mechanic.”