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Welcome to the October 2009 issue of the LumberJocks eMag:
From The Editor
October, 2009 issue #28
Another month has come and gone, Hallowe'en is just around the corner and the end of the year is creeping up on us, quickly. Where does the time go? No wonder we've been seeing lots of postings about Christmas presents already being made.
I am sure that over the next month or so the wood chips will be flying furiously as woodworkers whip up those cutting boards, bottle balancers, and who knows what else for gifts for those special someones. I'll be watching the stats as we are getting close to 22,000 projects. Last year there were 2000 projects posted between October and the new year. At that rate we should be close to 25,000 projects by the end of the year. Unbelievable!
I guess I'd better get busy making some sawdust. Time is ticking and I want to be part of those statistics! Happy woodworking everyone.
~Debbie
LumberJocks Awards
Winter Awards...
Our LumberJocks' Winter Awards 2010 event is just around the corner. Are you ready? Are you excited? Are you curious?
Be patient and get ready to make some sawdust!
LumberJocks Connect
Around The World, LumberJocks Get Together
Check out these events that have been held or are in the planning stages for our members:
Last Month
- New England Sounds like it was a wonderful event - with 9 people attending.
- Todd has a special visitor
Upcoming
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Check the Calendar *NEW SITE TOOL*
Having troubles remembering when all these special events are taking place?
Don't worry - Martin has come to the rescue again!
Check out our new Events page and the easy-to-use calendar!
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Other LJ Events
November Challenge: 30 projects in 30 days.
Are you up for it? Let Scott know that you are throwing your hat into the ring so he can follow your progress!
Book Review / Free Draw
Fox Chapel Publishing has provided several books for review as well a copy of each for a free book draw for our LumberJocks' members. In the following review you will find out how to enter your name in the free draw.
A big thank you to Fox Chapel for this opportunity! |
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September's Book Review: American Country Furniture
Free Draw: We had 80 LumberJocks enter their names for the free draw.
Congratulations to John50 who will be receiving a free copy.
This Month's Review: Great Book of Wooden Toys by Norm Marshall
Who doesn't love a good ol' wooden toy to play with? Norm Marshall's book, Great Book of Wooden Toys, provides a variety of plans for a number of vehicles for the air, land, and sea. Also included in the projects are some cute little animals that can be linked together.
What I especially enjoyed with this book is the extensive amount of information in the Preface regarding wood selection, safety issue (for the children who will be enjoying these toys) and some basic "how to" information that is used for the projects. Being a relative beginner at woodworking I also appreciate the options that are provided throughout the pages. For example, he suggests that you can use his hole-saw process for making the wheels or you can cut them out freehand, use a lathe or even purchase them ready made. How's that for covering all the bases! This same "options" input is provided for a number of topics, including wood selection and finishes. Love it.
Each of the projects comes with a picture of the finished toy, a little information about the vehicle, an exploded view of the components of the toy, as well as detailed plans for each of the parts.The step-by-step directions are quite detailed, giving tidbits of information, warnings, and strategies to prevent problems. It's nice to learn from experience but sometimes it is even better to learn from someone else's!
Due to my current schedule I wasn't able to make one of the projects this month but it's on my "to do list". The Model T car is calling my name. I can't wait to add my version to those currently shared at LumberJocks.com.
My Ratings of The Book
Layout and Appearance: Good balance of pictures, diagrams, and words. Thumbs Up!
Instructions: Easy to follow; precise plans. Thumbs Up!
Project Selection: Air, land, sea; single items and toys that link together. Great combination. Thumbs Up!
Overall: Thumbs Up!
Win A Free Copy
To enter your name in the random draw for a copy of this book, click here and answer the two easy questions. (Hint: the answer to the first question can be found at the book's link, posted above.)
Again, a big thank-you to Fox Chapel for the donations.
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Focus On... Shelves
One of the handiest and functional items in our homes and workshops is the "often taken for granted" shelf. We put things on them, hang things off them, hide them behind doors, display them on walls, tuck them into corners and, yes, often, forget about them. Unless of course it looks like one of the shelves posted here at LumberJocks.com
Showcased on our site have been shelves that are functional, beautiful, and sometimes pieces of art all on their own. We have seen pine shelves, walnut shelves, and shelves made from poplar. We have seen shelves in cupboards, freestanding shelves, wall-unit shelves, and corner shelves. Some shelves were built with a specific purpose in mind and others were built to fill a space. When you look at all the options when it comes to shelving it's hard to believe that it's basically just a flat surface. Of course when you look at some of the projects the word "just" hardly describes the beauty or the functionality. Check out these shelves posted by our members:
You can see more LumberJocks shelves here (projects tagged as "shelves"). Also, check out the blogs as well as forum topics with the same tag name.
Tutorials and Other "How To's"
LJ Stats
We are 12,626 woodworkers making 560,361 comments on 21,575 projects, 10,259 blogs,
931 reviews and 10,345 forum topics.
A Year Ago
We were 5,676 woodworkers making 280,849 comments on 10,097 projects, 5,895 blogs,
456 reviews and 4,758 forum topics.
Sister Sites
Promoting LJ
Why Promote?
* more activity means more advertising potential
* more advertising = site maintenance fees covered
* more advertising = more "perks" and services
How To Help
* word of mouth: talk about the site
* 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!
It's starting to get cool outside -- got your LJ Sweatshirt ready?
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Donations
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Just a reminder that donations are always appreciated.
Martin has made the donation process just as easy to use as our LumberJocks site itself!
See the donation page, here for more info.
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Advertising
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What better way to promote your business to 12,000 woodworkers than to advertise on the LumberJocks' site.
Check out the deals being offered for the remainder of 2009 and our standard advertising page.
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Sponsors
More Shop Talk
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