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Welcome to the May 2008 issue of the LumberJocks eMag:
From the Editor
What exciting times we have right now as the three home & garden sites start to develop a strong identity in the internet world.
In just a month since the Grand Opening, HomeRefurbers has grown to over 140 members and GardenTenders has over 200 members since its big opening. And of course we can't forget our very own LumberJocks.com which has grown from a little over 2000 members at the first of this year to almost 4300 members as of the first of this month.
On behalf of everyone at the three sites Id like to congratulate Martin on the success of the new "Simply Home & Garden" trio.
~Debbie
The LumberJocks
The amazingly fast growth of LumberJocks.com in the past several months has been fascinating to watch. I'm sure Martin, the site founder, is very pleased with the success of the community he began just two years ago.
Along with the challenges this brings to members trying to keep up to date with projects, blogs, and other content on the site, comes the need for some stricter guidelines to ensure the site remains the "#1" online community for woodworkers and is an enjoyable and helpful site for its members.
The decision to set down rules must have been a hard one for Martin to make, but, in the end, we all realize that it is in the best interest of the community. A clear process needed to be stated as to how inappropriate postings will be handled and what content would be deemed unexceptable.
The rules, as stated here, have been created based on past experiences and feedback from members. Please remember that if you do not like a particular posting that you can simply ignore it and/or send Martin a private message to voice your opinion.
Although the rules seem pretty black and white there are a lot of grey areas and Martin has asked for feedback to adjust the rules if needed. The biggest dilemna is what to do about members advertising on the site. Is this a perk that supports the members or is it an annoyance to the readers and does it have a negative impact on the prospective advertising income which supports this site financially?
We realize that with the expansion of the site membership there will come growing pains and that we need to be patient as things work themselves out. In the meantime, keep posting and keep chatting!
LJ Awards & Challenges
* LumberJocks Bookcase Design Challenge
* Safety Video Challenge
Bookcase Challenge
Last month we were inspired by the entries submitted to the "Bookcase Design Challenge" that LumberJocks.com and Popular Woodworking worked together to present.
For the challenge, members were challenged to design a bookcase, not necessarily build it, and the winner, selected by the team at Popular Woodworking, would have their entry featured in an upcoming Popular Woodworking magazine issue. Yes, that's right, one of our very own LumberJocks will "get a full-blown article in the Popular Woodworking magazine. PW will work with the winner for step-by-step photos of the building process and opening photo – even if it requires them to arrange a photographer to make a trip. In addition, the winner will be paid for the article and become a contributing author."
This challenge was very exciting to follow and all-in-all we had 50 entries submitted! Congratulations to the winner, "Ryan Shervill" with his Shoji Screen Inspired bookcase. We look forward to seeing this project in print!
Also receiving recognition are blackdogwoodshop and wheresmytools.
All entries can be seen here
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Safety Video Challenge
This month, between May 5th and May 9th, members are asked to submit a safety video in their blog.
This challenge is presented in partnership with The Wood Whisperer and is part of his first annual "Woodworkers' Safety Week". Safety is a 24/7 priority and it is also important to be reminded now and again to work and play safely!
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Three random winners will be selected from the video entries and each will receive some cool prizes.
For more details, read the rules here. |
Other LJ Events
LumberJocks' Picnics
Throughout the year many LumberJocks get together for what have become known as "LumberJock Picnics". The following are in the plans. If you'd like to arrange a picnic in your area, just let me know and I'll post the information in the eMag. (The more notice you can give, the more opportunities people have to make arrangements.)
- Charles Neil's Shop: May 24th
- Washington State: June 14 or 21, 2008. Host: chamoruboy
- Lee Jesberger's Shop: June 21
- Brant County, Ontario: July 13, 2008. Host: MsDebbieP
- Mid-America: (to be determined).
- Oregon/Idado/Nevada: to be determined (depends on number of people interested). Host: Peter O
- your picnic listed here
LumberJocks' Pen Swap
The Pen Turner's Swap is coming to a close. It has been an exciting journey even for those of us just watching. If you feel like you've missed out, dont worry, there is going to be a "round two". So keep your eyes open for the next pen swap coming to our planet.
Sister Sites
GardenTenders.com
The gardeners who are currently in the midst of spring are busy planning, planting, and nurturing their flowers and vegetable plants with visions of abundance inspire them. Are you getting the gardening bug? Pop on over and share some gardening talk with our garden tenders.
HomeRefurbers.com
Are you building, renovating, designing or redesigning your living space? We'd love to see what you are working on and learn from your experiences. Let's "re-furb" together!
Feature Article: Pyrography
Pyrography - no, we are not talking about people who play inappropriately with matches! We are talking woodburning as an art and form of woodworking!
Pyrography means "writing with fire" and artists typically use a heated wire to burn designs into the chosen material (often wood or leather). Various shades are created through a number of ways, including adapting the heat level, by varying the size/angle of tip used, the shape of the line, and the length of time the hot tip is applied to the material.
| Projects here at LumberJocks.com include portraits (as seen here) , |
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enhancing relief carvings as seen here, |
and even on paddles
as seen here! |
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| Be sure to check out ALL the woodworking projects and blogs and we hope that the inspirations lead you to posting your own pyrography work! |
Projects tagged as "pyrography"
Projects tagged as "woodburning"
Blogs tagged as "pyrography"
Where In The World is MsDebbieP
Compnay Tour
This month MsDebbieP interviewed Rob Cosman and learned about his woodworking past as well as his current and future business plans.
f you would like to be part of the Shop Tours and Inspections send a message to Douglas Bordner, our resident Tour Manager, Writer, and Designer. Inspections are painless and we enjoy getting a peek into other people's shops!
Tutorials & Other "How To's"
Tutorials and other "How To's"
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2-Tone Wood Dye
Daren Nelson shows us how to create a two-tone wood dye with amazing results.
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Carving Tips: Staining
Dick Cain shows us the effects staining has on a carved piece of art. The stain is clearly a vital part of the carving process.
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Heating/Cooling The Shop
Fireball asked for ideas on maintaining the temperature of a shop and the LumberJocks responded with plenty of feedback!
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Shop Temperature |
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Chainsaw Art
3DBMe shares with us the process of creating a piece of chainsaw art.
The series of projects are located here, here, and here.
Jiri Parkman also shares his "how to" process in his blog series which begins here.
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Cleaning the Shop Floor
Do you have a cement floor that has been splotched with paint? Try these ideas to clean it up.
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Cleaning Paint
off a Cement Floor |
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Plane Stops for The Workbench
Mike shares how he added plane stops to his workbench in his Building The Holtzapffel Workbench series.
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Making the Most With Your Mallet
Round or square? Muscle or technique? How do you get the most out of your mallet? Check out this discussion.
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Mallet Wisdom |
What Do You Do With Those Little Brass Screws?
Having troubles when them twisting? Try these ideas.
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Brass Screws |
Large Scale Mouldings
Check out this idea for making your own mouldings. |
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Protecting Your Health
Spalted maple is more than what meets the eye! Although pleasing to look at it should come with a warning label. Read about JockMike2's first hand experience here. |
Health
First |
And Speaking of Safety
Here's a list of things to remember as well! |
Safety Tips |
Creative Ideas for Inlay Fillers
You have this great inlay design but how can you make it unique? Try these ideas. |
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Caring for The FInish
Tony shared some tips for finish maintenance in his blog series on finishes which begins here. |
Are you finished? |
The Golden Rule
Knowing the rules can lead to greater creativity. The "golden rule" is a great place to start when designing your woodworking projects. Check out this information. |
The Golden Rule |
Routing Small Objects
Here's a tip to help with small tasks on the router. |
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It's Very STAT-ifying
LumberJocks.com
We are 4,280 woodworkers making 200,715 comments on 7,225 projects, 4,368 blogs, 319 reviews and 3,145 forum topics.
GardenTenders.com
We are 206 gardeners making 8,152 comments on 96 projects, 234 forum topics and 252 blog entries
HomeRefurbers.com
We are 142 refurbers making 1,259 comments on 45 projects, 23 forum topics and 42 blog entries.
Milestones
- HomeRefurber's Grand Opening April 3, 2008
- LumberJocks reaching 4000 members April 7, 2008
- 500 Reasons You Know You Are A LumberJock April 17. 2008
- GardenTenders reached 200 members April 27, 2008
- LumberJocks reach 200,000 comments April 29, 2008
Promoting LumberJocks
Donations
- Bill, "Ad Marketing Guy" recently took it upon himself to challenge members to make a donation to the site, to help offset costs and to show appreciation for all the benefits they receive by being a member. His personal challenge (pledging a donation for each new donor over the span of his weekend blitz) expanded the list of donors by 12%. We can all see why he's the advertising guy!
Thanks goes out to Bill for this thoughtful words, his challenge to members and to the generosity of everyone who provided their written support as well as those who gave financially.
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
- take the time to check out the company interviews posted
- 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!
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