October marks my "9 month" anniversary here at the LumberJocks Shop. Over this time, I have watched the site grow, not only in numbers, but in content as well.

We, now, not only have projects and blogs posted but tutorials in written, photo, and video formats. We are learning about turning bowls and pens, building jigs and boxes, and how to refurbish an old plane. We are being challenged to expand our woodworking skills, not only by the LumberJock Challenges and Award events, but also by the inspirations that are showcased in the projects.

Just as a parent watches in awe as a baby develops, is astounded by the milestones reached, and is anxious to watch the child's potential unfold, I, too, am excited to watch the LumberJocks site grow, becoming bigger, better, stronger, and more amazing with each new member, with each new posting, and with each new comment made. 

To each and every LumberJock: "Well done!"

- Debbie

There's been a lot of celebrating going on in the LJ shop recently as members reach a variety of milestones. Here are just a few:

Buckskin, a relatively new member, celebrated his 300th post by sharing with us his decision to (and pleasure at) becoming a LumberJock.
Red Headed Merganser blogged the building process of his first commissioned piece! (That is always something worth celebrating).
Calgirl's blog shares the excitement of "Finally, My Dream Shop".
Frank posts his 200th blog entry! 200 postings of words of inspiration and wisdom.
Karson celebrates 5000 postings, from which we all benefit from the wealth of knowledge and support he readily offers to his fellow woodworkers.
Dick Cain has us celebrating and drooling with envy over his new iMac.
Thos. Angle celebrates his 1000th post. And he says he has never commented on anything on the internet before!! A natural, I say and an honour to have him in our shop.

And all that just in the past week or two!
Congratulations to ALL members celebrating something, whatever it is! HOO HAA.

• Woodworking for a Cause
• Virtual Dining Table Challenge
• LumberJocks Picnic

Woodworking for a Cause
We are very excited about introducing our 1st Annual Fall Philanthropy Event: Woodworking for a Cause.

This year the LumberJocks are busy building projects that they will auction or sell in order to raise funds for "Save the Children". The items will be sold online or will be held for auction or some other unique fundraising event - whatever the woodworker decides to do.  Funds raised will be forwarded to the host organization Save the Children, Canada, who will then use the money to provide programs and supports to children around the world who are in crisis due to natural disasters or the travesties of war.

The money raised is to be sent to STC, Canada by January 1, 2007 and the participants meeting this deadline will receive a special thank-you gift donated by Lee Valley Tools.

Spread the word about this special event and invite other woodworkers to participate by building something "for the cause".  There are banners ready to be added to websites and bookmarks available for printing to help promote this event.  (Click here to download your promotional resources)

On behalf of children in need, we want to thank all the woodworkers who are participating in this challenge, all the people donating to the cause through their purchase of the creations, Lee Valley Tools for their support, The Wood Whisperer for being a key promoter,  and  all the Save The Children organizations around the world for all that they do for children.

Read more about this wonderful event.

Virtual Dining Table Challenge
During the month of September, LumberJocks were busy designing dining tables - but not just any design! No, no, no.

Thanks to Martin (LJ's Founder) and Popular Woodworking we were challenged to use Google's Sketchup tool to design a table that was based on a specific inspiration (ex. an element of a famous building). For those not familiar with the Sketchup program, several tutorials were provided by Bob Babcock.

It didn't take long for the ideas to start flowing and by the end of the challenge (September 30th) we had 22 entries! (Be sure to check out all of the designs.)

As with all of the LJ Challenges, everyone participating is a winner, as we develop new woodworking skills, challenging ourselves to do something different. And, as well, there are also "winners" who are chosen to be specially acknowledged for their accomplishments.

This time, one lucky participant (a random selection) will receive the "pro" version of the Sketchup program, thanks to Google!  Three other table designers will be chosen by the editors of Popular Woodworking and will each receive four extraordinary prizes!  Read more about this challenge...

LJ Picnics
On the last weekend of September, Lee Jesberger hosted a picnic at his home. This event not only provided a time to network with fellow LumberJocks but the opportunity to share ideas and woodworking skills face-to-face and to get a tour of Lee's shop.  We will be looking forward to hearing the stories and seeing the pictures of the latest LJ picnic.

Does anyone else have plans for a a get-together? Plan early - you just have no idea who will make plans to attend and how far they will travel to get there!

Whether you are building a conference table or a small jewelry box, a jig or two will come in handy.

Here, in the LJ shop, Niki has come to be known as the King of Jigs! Having limited access to store-bought jigs and necessity being the mother of invention, Niki has developed numerous jigs to help him do his work efficiently and safely. 

Some of the jigs designed by Niki are:

• rolling mortise jig
  
• box joint jig
  
• small part hold-down for drill press
• small pieces on the table saw
• crosscut sled
• frame-cutting sled

Recently, Cabinetman paid tribute to Niki, commenting on the work put into the jigs themselves as well as the time to develop the detailed blogs and helpful step-by-step photos. I urge you to pop by and add your comments, if you haven't done so already. 

Niki is not the only LumberJocks sharing their love of jigs. Check out the following for more ideas:

• The world of Jigs - by Fred
• What would Niki Do? - by Douglas
• Jigs & Fixtures - by scopemonkey
• Jigs & Fixtures - by caliper

Forum Discussions tagged "Jigs" and "Jig"
Blogs tagged "Jigs" and "Jig"
Projects tagged "Jig"

Shop Inspections
Tour Manager, Writer, Designer: Douglas Bordner

• Robb (passed)
• OKAlbert (passed)
• Karson (passed)
• Dusty (passed)

Company Interviews
Along with the shop inspections, MsDebbieP continues to "visit" companies (either in person or by the help of Douglas Bordner and his digital photo editing).

MsDebbieP has shared information about the following companies:

• Canadian Woodworking Magazine (part II)
  
• Roarockit (Veneering system) (part II)
• Microplane

Cyber Skill Share
David has created a CSS Video Series on "Veneering". For some, this is a repeat, but definitely worth watching!

David has also begun a tutorial series on uploading digital content to the LJ Site. if you are having difficulties getting photos to show in your blogs, be sure to watch episode 1.

To make your own CSS Video for sharing, download the CSS video "intro" here. Thanks Tom!

Tutorials tagged with "video"

Tutorial Request
Woodminer has posted a request for video tutorials on scroll saw basics. The challenge is on: all you need is a scroll saw, some "how to" (and "how NOT to") advice and a video camera (or other tool that you can use to make a video) and voila. (See above CSS intro information to add this to our Cyber Skill Share resources).

Projects tagged with "Scrollsaw"

Fuming, Shellac-ing, and Painting
Have you ever thought about fuming wood to change the colour but weren't sure what the effect would be? Well, last year, Ethan tested a variety of species and wrote an in-depth article on the process and the results.  This year, Ethan adds yet some more tips, talking about mixing shellac. Red Headed Merganser's FUMING article  was brought forward by David and continues to provide a wealth of knowledge to the LumberJocks. Consider it a "must read". The article on mixing shellac is here.

And here, the woodworkers share their expertise on painting cabinets. Discussion was initiated by  Tom Fran

Making Your Own Tools
For some of us, buying the right tools for carving is a big event and the thought of making our own tools doesn't even cross our minds. But the tutorial series provided by Bob, definitely makes it look possible and do-able! From making the blades, to turning the handles, this series walks the reader through this amazing "do it yourself" process.

Problem-Solving Jointer Issues
New toys bring new learning opportunities. Aubrey shared some difficulties with a new jointer and this started a great discussion on adjustments and "how to" tips.  A second discussion was initiated by Lance and again lots of advice was provided.

Selecting a Hand Plane
With the choices available, it can be quite difficult to choose which hand plane to invest in. Praki began a discussion that has provided lots of things to think about!

Blogs tagged with "Planes"
Forum Discussions tagged with "Planes"

Lathe Tools
We recently had a lot of discussion about lathe tools. If you have a question, our LumberJocks have the answers! Check out the discussions initiated by snowdog and by krum

Forum Discussions tagged with "Lathe"
Blogs tagged with "Lathe"
Projects tagged with "Lathe"

The LumberJocks love to share their woodworking experiences - not only through posting their finished projects, but blogging the process as well, sharing how they do what they do. The following are just some of the plans shared:

Cutting Boards
With the gift-giving season approaching, many LumberJocks are busy building cutting boards to give away. One of the many boards showcased is the The Lattice Cutting Board.

The lattice design for cutting boards captured much attention and thanks to Tony, the plans have been posted for all to use. Thanks Tony for putting this together for us.

Bird Houses
Bob #2 shares some information on making bird houses, with the goal of encouraging others to try woodworking. A great idea (and a nice little challenge to us all!)

Workbench
Okalbert continues sharing his progress of building a workbench. In this episode of his blog he shares the plans for his bench.

Small, Wooden Boxes
Don, the lover of small, wooden boxes walks us through the creation of one of his masterpieces. This 7-part series is filled with tips and "how-to's".

Gator Grips - discussion initiated by USCJeff
Benchtop Sanders - discussion initiated by UncleBen
Bandsaws - discussion initiated by JimW
Planning Software - discussion initiated by edp

Club Meetings
If you'd like to post information about upcoming woodworking events just send me a message and I'll be sure to add it.

Wood Shows
Woodworking Machinery and Supply Expo (Toronto Ontario) October 26-28, 2007

What's happening in your area during the next few months? Let me know and I'll add it to the Woodworking Events list in our next LJ eMag

Continuing to grow, we are now:
1,684 woodworkers
making 73,501 comments
on 2,808 projects,
1,080 forum topics and
1,987 blog entries

Come and discuss this issue at the dedicated forum topic.

Forrest WW10407125 Woodworker II 10-Inch 40 Tooth ATB .125 Kerf Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch Arbor
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