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Welcome to the February 2009 issue of the LumberJocks eMag:
From The Editor
February, 2009 Issue #20
February - the month of acknowledging relationships. Here, at LumberJocks.com, the list of friend, teacher, student and mentor relationships is endless!
Every now and again, someone will post an inspirational piece on the site, vouching for the quality of our woodworking community. Each time I read such a posting and the subsequent comments of praise, my heart beams with pride. As I was telling Martin just the other day, "I am proud to be called a LumberJock!"
If you haven't been here very long you may not have had time to really know what being a LumberJocks is all about. Well, one blog posted this past month, "A Workshop Evolution" by one of our new members, MTBrian and this one by Rustic will help you out. These blogs, in my opinion, sum up what it is to be a LumberJock. It really is a thing of pride to say, "I am a LumberJock".
And so, here is a great big LJ hug to all the mentors, friends, supporters, and motivators here at the LumberJocks Shop!
~Debbie
LJ Awards & Challenges
2009 Winter Woodworking Awards
Our 3rd Annual Winter Awards is now wrapping up and the time for entries is now closed. The 58 entries in the "A Knot Like No Other" category and 48 entries in the "A Secret Compartment" category really demonstrate the quality of woodworking skills as well as the involvement of our members at our site.
And now is the time to vote! I'm not sure which is more difficult -- making the projects for the Awards event or picking your top favourites. Somehow, though, we will manage to make it happen and by February 8th we will have our Overall Award Winner and our Category Award Winners.
Vote: Do you have your favourites? Give them your support by voting for them. Remember that the "A Knot Like No Other" category is highlighting our members' creativity and "A Secret Compartment" has challenged our design and woodworking skills. How do you vote? Just click on the categories here and rank your favourites.
Sponsors: A special thank you to our Award Sponsors, DeWalt, Passion For Wood, Eagle America, Swing Paints, Steussy Creations, Fine Woodworking, and Kehoe Dovetail Jig Co. for their wonderful support of this special event.
Best of luck to all of our participants!
Other LJ Events
Pen-Turners' Swap
Has the famous Swap met a snag? Has the box been lost in transit? We all wait patiently to see if everything works out.
The Famous...
A special congratulations goes out to our friends:
- Dennis Zongkers receives a design award.
Read jm82435's blog for details!
- John Looser, (the Extreme Birdhouse guy) is being featured on an episode of Animal Planet! We all look forward to seeing John on the show.
- T-Chisel has his classic step stool featured in an article at Fine Woodworking Online. Read more here.
- Todd Clippinger's video on card scrapers is now part of Wood Magazine’s instructional videos. (Thanks Scott for sharing this information)
- Triffern has a project on the homepage of American Association of Woodturners.
Congratulations to all of our LJ Celebs! Check out our "Autograph" Page for other famous LumberJocks.
LumberJock Connections
Do you live in the area of one of the following locations? Connect with fellow woodworkers, here in our LJ discussions, to talk about local resources and perhaps even to plan a LumberJock event in your region!
Not sure about hosting or attending a LumberJocks get-together? Well, check out Karson's blogs here and here to get a bit of inspiration!
Do you live in one of the following regions? Say hello to your neighbors and join the discussions!
Focus On... Displaying Your Work
| Focus On... Displaying Your Work
Woodworkers, whether they are professionals, amateurs, or just weekend sawdust-makers, put their work on display for others to see. The projects may be in a cupboard, holding "things" or they may be displayed on a shelf, with their beauty being the quality of usefulness. Still other projects are displayed for sales purposes and some projects are the displays- commissioned by others to hold works of art or other items for sale.
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| In this blog, David shares how he created a steamed cherry display shelf for a customer. Such a shelving unit would look lovely in an art studio or in one's home, ready to hold special items. Variations of a shelving unit include the corner cabinet, such as this one and a wall-mounted shelving, such as this one made for a small apartment. |
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Craft show displays also creates their own special requirements. Some displays are semi-permanent, set up at a site where space is leased. Other show displays are created for quick set-up and take-down time as well as ease of transport.
And then there are the large shows, such as the Western Design Conference, where the exhibits are often on a grander scale, such as this display by Dennis Mitchell and as described here by Mark DeCou.
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| There are also the woodworking studios, where woodworkers greet visitors and potential customers right in their work space. Not only do the visitors get to see some finished projects on display but the woodworking skills, as well. |
| Here, the viewer gets a look behind the scenes and is immersed in the woodworking world through all their senses: they smell the sawdust and finishing products; they see things being made, in various stages of development; they hear the solitude of the woodworkers environment mixed with the sounds of equipment and/or woodworking tools; they can feel the wood, from its rough state to the pre-finishing stage, to the completed "as smooth as silk" stage. How can they not fall in love with the finished products? |
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| Your work is your creative outlet. How do you display your work? Share your vision, your tips, warnings, and inventive ideas here. Show us how the artist within you honours your talents by displaying your work and inspiring others! |
Tutorials & Other "How To's"
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A wealth of information has been posted here at LumberJocks.com over the past month alone! The following is just some of the "how to" information shared at our LJ Shop!
Building Tips
Business Tips
Carving Tips
Equipment TIps
Finishing TIps
Joinery Tips
Scroll Saw Tips
Shop Tips
Turning Tips
Miscellaneous Tips
Site Tips:
- Tags: Tags are a great tool for tracking down information on a specific topic.
For tags to work effectively, remember to add tag words to your projects, blogs and forum discussions appropriately -- and that means, "add the tags"; use lots and lots of tags! Label it and people will find it!
Check out the lists of "tag" words that are already being used. You can use these words as your tags or add your own when you post (or edit) your project, blog, or forum topic.
- Posting Organization: Another way to keep our community working as a source of accessible information is to keep content as organized as possible.
- Have a question or tip? Use the Forums.
- Posting a "how to" or project process? Post it in your Blog.
- Have a finished project ready to showcase? Add it to the Projects section.
And... last but not least, our "how to" list can't be complete without The Wood Whisperer's "David Mark Tour" Series, which begins here.
Looking for something specific? Check out the Tags as well as the Tutorials listed in previous issues of our LJ eMag.
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PROJECTS
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It's Very STAT-isfying
Look at us! We are 7,607 woodworkers making 353,221 comments on 13,506 projects, 7,040 blogs, 590 reviews and 6,181 forum topics.
Milestone
- 7,000 Blogs: January 27, 2009
Looking back... check out this posting which identifies some of stages of our development.
This time, last year, we had 2876 members. The increase in projects, comments, and blogs shows that we have almost tripled our activity in the past year. This is one very busy community!
Sister Sites
HomeRefurbers.com
HomeRefurbers is all about "building, renovating, and improving".
Share your latest home decor project that you have been working on!
GardenTenders.com
Has the artist in you created projects for your gardens? Share your creations with other garden-lovers.
Promoting LumberJocks.com
Why Promote?
* more activity means more advertising potential
* more advertising = site maintenance fees covered
* more advertising = more "perks" and services for the members
How To Help
* word of mouth: talk about the site with woodworkers and woodworking companies' managers/employees
* distribute press releases, flyers, etc as they are provided, for special events
* place a link to LJ.com on your personal websites/blogs
* use your LJ profile as part of your business website
* use the badges and widgets provided, on your sites
* let potential advertisers know about our advertising information
* make a personal donation to the site
* purchase items through the LJ Store
* and of course, don't forget to wear your LJ t-shirt or LJ Hat!
For information on advertising, see our "Advertising Page".
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