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Welcome to the August 2007 issue of the LumberJocks eMag: 
Here in Canada we have just another month left of summer. I can't believe how fast this year is zipping past! It seemed like just yesterday that we discussed having our Summer Awards and now, the project entries have all been posted and it is time to vote. And then, this event will be completed and we will start looking forward to a fall woodworking challenge... and the beauty that Mother Nature provides us in our next season. A lot has happened at LJ.com this past month. We've had many new members join, lots of projects posted (passing the 2000 mark in mid-July), and several tutorials provided on a variety of topics. And then, even with multitude of woodworking tips being posted we have not lost the sense of family, as we continue to laugh with and worry about our fellow LumberJocks and their families. It has indeed been an eventful month! But... July is history and now we look forward to all that is coming in the month of August. Bring it on, people; bring it on! Debbie Getting To Know Our Fellow Jocks 
Not only do we get to know our fellow Jocks by reading and posting comments on the site, but some of us have also had the privilege of meeting in person! On July 15th we held our "world-wide" picnic and Karson, for one, met with several LumberJocks and Jocks-to-be.And then there was the big tool event in Vegas and Drew1House was fortunate enough to be able to attend. Not only did he get the opportunity to drool over the tools (yes, we are all so jealous) but he also got to meet the famous Wood Whisperer in person! (Now we are REALLY envious!). I think people are already booking their trips to the 2008 show, which is in Atlanta I do believe! Upcoming Opportunities One of our LumberJocks is very busy with personal appearances and teaching classes. Over the next few months we have a number of opportunities to meet Donna Menke. Donna, according to her profile, likes all aspects of woodworking. She has some experience carving and turning, but is usually working on something small, like a box -- a Band Saw box, that is! Donna is the author of "The Ultimate Band Saw Box Book". On August 18th, Donna Menke will be at the West Springfield Woodcraft store, in Massachusetts, doing a show and tell, demo, and book signing. Read more about this event. She will also be teaching carving at Carve-Fest in Faribault, Minnesota on the 11th and 12th of August. And if that doesn't fit with your schedule, what about this? Donna will be teaching carving also in Fredricksburg, Texas with the Texas Woodcarvers' Guild in Sept, 24th-30. Or maybe this? For an even bigger event, she'll be an instructor for carving on the Carving Cruise in October, 21-27. Donna and other master carvers will be providing workshops during this unique cruise. http://www.soccerinsun.com/Travelcenter/carverscruise10-20-07.htm (Martin, I think that as Editor of your new eMag you should send me on the cruise to cover this special event!) For more information on her book and her work, you can visit Donna's website, here: http://www.woodworks-by-donna.com/ And... Famous LumberJocks are everywhere!! I can't say it better than Mot, so here's the scoop: "Furnitologist and Lumberjock extraordinairre, Neil Lamens, landed the cover project on the September 2007 cover of Wood Magazine! Way to go Neil!". And then there is Jiggy who invites you to be a part of his personal challenge of creating the world's largest jigsaw puzzle. For more information visit his website: http://www.thebigjig.co.uk/ 
Summer Woodworking Awards Remember that our votes have to be posted by August 7, 2007 at 3 PM CDT. (check out the link to find what the time equivalent is for you.) Oh, and Martin gave us a little surprise -- 3 lucky voters (randomly picked) will receive a t-shirt!! So get busy and help select our Award recipients. We look forward to hearing who the Awards Recipients are. "Lucky" Award Recipients, I might add - as the donations by our sponsors are amazing! Again, we'd like to thank DowelMax, Lee Valley, Fine Woodworking, Woodworkers Workshop.com, The Woodworkers Edge, Furnitology, Canadian Woodworking, and Jim Barry's Woodworkers Workshop for their generous donations. Also -- don't forget that the O.M.S. Tool Company Ltd. is offering a $10 discount to all LumberJocks who order a Dowelmax directly from the company during the duration of the contest and one week following the announcement of the winners. So if you've been thinking about it - now is the time to give them a call! And what's next? Well - you will just have to wait and see! Keep your eyes open for the big announcement. 
MsDebbieP, thanks to Douglas Bordner, (our resident pixelator), has been very busy with shop inspections. So far, MsDebbieP has visited the following woodworkers :
I'm looking forward to my upcoming inspections. This isn't a mandatory inspection - but it is for your own well-being, you know! We want to make sure that everyone is happy, healthy, and wise. All you have to do, to book an inspection, is give Douglas a message consenting to the visit. You might have specific areas that you are concerned about; you might even know that you will be getting a "thumbs down"; but don't worry. It won't hurt and we'll get you fixed up in no time at all! Be brave everyone -- contact Douglas about an upcoming "Touring Tuesday". 
Woodworkers' children are a lucky bunch -- they get the most amazing pieces of furniture and toys made especially for them! Now, we want to have the same special moments with our own children, or nieces and nephews, neighbours' children or even children that we have never met. The following are just a few of the wonderful gifts that have been made for children and, I'm sure, will be passed down to their children and then to their children.
And then there is the favourite: rocking horses! Check out the ones built by:
Perhaps we have inspired you to build something for a child that you know ... check out these RESOURCES for building things for/with children. (Photo of Toybox by Allen) Projects tagged: "Children" 
Cyber Tool Share Last month we introduced the new feature at LJ.com: "Cyber Tool Share". This feature is already growing and adapting into a wonderful resource for woodworkers. This month, we have been blessed with the new "Cyber Skill Share" where members develop video tutorials. Everyone is invited not only to watch and learn from the videos but also to create their own "how to" (or "how not to") instruction videos. There is a standard opening segment that can be downloaded for use. We already have a series created by Mot walking us through the process of turning a bowl on the lathe. The series begins here. For all Cyber Skill Share Videos, check the blog tag " lj-css " Turning a Pen The pens are so amazing that more and more LumberJocks are trying their hand at making a pen or at least are longing to give it a try. And, as we always find, here at LumberJocks.com, our fellow woodworkers are quick to offer tips and "how to" directions. Throughout the month of July, WayneC walked us through the "how to" process in a blog series. WayneC's tutorial begins with an Introduction to Pen Turning sharing with us the tools and equipment that you will need to make a pen. Even if you aren't turning pens at this time, following the tutorial is very rewarding! Projects tagged with "pen"
It's Not Finished Until It's Finished! 
Woodworking involves several steps, from the planning stage (often known as "Honey, you need to build one of these"), the building stage, the frequent "Learning Opportunities" stages, and the, last but not least, finishing stage. For many the finishing is a pleasant and relaxing component of woodworking. For others, it is pure torture! I am sure that RobH is not alone when he describes the finishing process as " yuck". According to RobH the work is tedious, it’s messy, and it’s not building". Now, I'm not sure if this pertains to RobH, but often, we dislike something because we lack the knowledge or the tools to tackle the task efficiently. And, as always, the LumberJocks are here to share their experiences, their expertise, and their wisdom about woodworking techniques. My first lesson on finishing came from Don as I was making a deskmate for my son. I have since printed off this information and stored it on my woodworking bench. http://lumberjocks.com/projects/587 Karson has recently started a blog on "what he has learned about finishing". This series is filled with information about tools and "how to" techniques. http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/Karson/blog/1319 RobH has been the catalyst for lots of information sharing regarding finishing. Here, we learn about lacquers, sealers, and other products. http://lumberjocks.com/topics/661 And recently. phonewired has inspired a huge discussion on sealing pine boards. A wealth of knowledge is shared at http://lumberjocks.com/topics/707 For more information, check out the following: blogs: finish, finishing, finishes For finishing resources check out the LJ Store! or is it? Tags are a vital part of LumberJocks.com as they assist woodworkers in doing research and to track down conversations from th past. Whether you are blogging, posting projects, or initiating discussions in the forums you can add one more tags to your entry. Also, keep an eye on comments made to your entry. Your simple pine table you showcased may result in a conversation about finishing or joinery. We often go off on tangents and a wealth of information can be found (and lost) in the comments if the original entries are not tagged appropriately. You can edit your posting at any time to update the tags as needed. What "Tags" Should You Add? Remembering that people will be searching for information on a specific topic, when you are adding a tag try and think about what your entry has to offer. Keep an open mind here. Just because you may not think it of interest doesn't mean that someone else won't. Wood: what type of wood have you used? We'd like to know. Perhaps someone has been given a bunch of lumber of the same kind of wood as what you have used and they are looking for inspiration and information. A quick click on a tag will provide them with what they are looking for. Creation: what have you made? Table? Sculpture? Chair? Small Box? (We know that Don is always looking for a small wooden box to adore - so let's make it easy for him and tag our small boxes for easy searching.) Tools: what tools did you use during the process? Hand tools? Table Saw? Lathe? A Dewalt? A Oneway? Let us know. Project Style: what style are you copying? Mission? Arts & Crafts? Victorian? Tag it so we can check out all the projects in the same style. Techniques: is your project carved? is it intarsia? hand-cut dovetails? We want to know! We are sponges soaking up the knowledge and learning from each other's experiences. Still not sure what tags to use? Check out other people's entries and also don't forget to check the Project Tags, the Forum Tags, and the Blog Tags to use keywords that are already posted. If you don't find the word that you want to use then you can add a new one. As you can see from the information on "finishes" I found three different tags that have been used over time. Now, that we are using the tags more consistently and effectively there seems to be a primary tag being used. The more refined we can get our tags to be, through consistency of terminology, the more efficiently the tag system will work. As our site grows we will become more reliant on tags to find information. 
RJones has been busy, not only with his woodworking, but also developing his website http://awlfreeplans.com/ and some free detailed plans! One of his latest plans is the Toy Box/ Blanket Box. What a wonderful gift this would be, for a child, a homeowner or even oneself! Planers (discussion initiated by TomFran) Just last month we were celebrating because we'd reached 1000 members. And look at us today - heading towards 1300, in just one month. It's pretty exciting! The Mason-Dixon Woodworkers Club will be starting up the bi-monthly meetings at the VFW Hall in Delmar, DE / MD (on the MD side of the street.) The meeting starts at 7:00 pm. The meetings are the third Thursday of the month. Sept, Nov, Jan, March, May and July Picnic. Five LumberJocks were present for the July Picnic this year. Contact information: Karson Morrison 302-337-0192 (Home), 302-228-9049 (Cell) |
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