I would like to say, I think safety week is a great idea. I know there will be a lot of people going over use of safety equipment, like respirators, hearing protection, and how important it is the use guards on your saw. But one of the most important things that I think we overlooked as woodworkers is our backs.

I am saying this from my own experience, because in 1992. I was working for small shop on Saturdays, while I was running my own cabinet and trim business through week. On this particular Saturday my employer asked me to help him move his table saw. Now he had a large cabinet saw with a 7 hp three-phase motor that was capable of cutting 60 inches right of the blade. So this was a big, big saw and to make things worse it was a small shop, with lots of tools. So we had muscle this saw to where it was going. While we were moving it somewhere in the process I felt a little pain in my lower back. Than a little later I was laminating some table tops after I glued down the tops I would stack them about seven high and then place a couple of five gallon buckets of water on top of them as a clamp until the glue dried. After about my third set I reached down to pick up a bucket and about half way up. I felt a snap in my back, and I fell to the ground. That was in 1992, three surgeries, many hours of PT and almost one year are not being able to walk, all because of a few careless moments of not watching how I was picking something up.

So when you’re in your shop muscling around them heavy sheets of plywood, you would do well, to be very careful of your back, where a back brace, stretch, and loosing up them muscles a little. If you need to move heavy items go inside get some help, call your neighbor, and use your tables or some other type of holding jigs. I am here to tell you it really isn’t worth it to hurt your back over trying to saw a sheet of particle board or man handle that piece of furniture up on your work bench.

I hope some of this is a little bit of a reminder to watch your back. I know I still have to remind myself to watch my body position. Even after all I’ve been through. Well, that’s my little spiel on safety. So keep the saw dust out of your eyes and live long and prosper

Last week at this same auction, I was able to buy an older metal seven inch vice for five dollars. Again, I thought more people would want this vice. I opened the bid for five dollars, and again, I was the only one who bided on it. At this same auction that night they sold two pieces of pine 2×4 that had several holes drilled in them and was held together with two quarter-inch bolts and wing nuts. The auctioneer called them homemade shop clamps and there was a lively exchange of bidding, and these sold for seven dollars each and there wasn’t $.50 worth of hardware holding together those two boards. So I guess I’m lucky to be going to an auction with people who do not know the value of good woodworking tools.

I’ve been going to these auctions trying to fine some older planes and saws. Who knows, maybe I will get lucky and run across a few more jewels in the process. One can never know. I did notice they had a pile of rough sawed lumber and maybe a I’ll will get lucky and get that pile of lumber at a good price

I will post some pictures of my treasures and the progress I have in restoring them. I’ll keep everyone updated the best I can. I hope to start building the base and bring the top back to some kind of usable condition. Until then keep the saw dust out of your eyes.

Joey

This bookcase has 3 sections, the 2 on the ends will handle most novel while the center section is for larger books that never seem to fit in a normal book case, there is 160 ” of shelve space in the 70” piece

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff175/jledington2002/Scan_2.jpg

This design I pulled from my design notebook. It is a design That worked up for a customer, but I never got to build. I think it would look good build out of walnut with a maple & ebony accent, it all solid wood construction with the exception of the back which would be a 1/2 inch walnut veneer plywood

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff175/jledington2002/bookcaseContest_1-2.jpg

the 3” apron would be veneer in a vertical 3/4 walnut banding with a 1 1/2 walnut burl in the center, or maybe a birdseye maple for contrast. the legs are 2 1/2 sq with a home made medallion made with a 1” plug cutter and contrasting woods there is a 3/8 halve round the accent the bottom of the apron and it carries though the legs and side, band inlay would wrap the legs to terminate vertical stringing and a taper would be cut the bottom portion, just above the taper another 3/8 halve round would wrap the piece.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff175/jledington2002/Scan_1.jpg

The top would have a 1” overhang on three sides and a 3/4 overhang in the back so it can touch the wall so that baseboard would not hold out from the wall. The top would have an artistic inlay or be banded with banding or stringing, The piece would be finished with a sealer coat of shellac and then a wiping varnish with sanding in between coats.

The idea for a bookcase, came from research I was doing on hunt boards in the federal style for a client I really like all the inlays and banding so jotted down a few ideas in my notebook.

I have many in my notebook but I wanted something that stood out. I have a few more that stond out but this one I would really like to build. good luck to everyone

Best Wishes
Joey

Now this is the third shop I have started and if I have learned anything it is this, to be successful you need a plan! There it is. Now the first two times I did not write a business plan, I did not write a marketing plan. Really all I did was run into a guy who knew a guy who had a building to rent and the next thing I knew I had a shop and a whole lot of bills to pay that I wasn’t sure that I could pay them at first, and the first few mouths where tough they strain our home fiancé but we worked thru it and started to make money. Looking back on it thought it was all by the seat of my pants and I was lucky. Most of the time I was in the right place at the right time to find jobs. I didn’t have any system to market my work except word of mouth, and what was worst is that I was spending all my being a woodworking and hardly any being a business man, and that is what kills our businesses.

So this time I decided to do thing right. I am writing a business plan, doing marketing research, and writing a marketing plan. Now just a note, plan to me, they are an idea to be follow, but not set in stone, because in a small business one needs to be flexible.

Business plan: I had to write a business plan in college, so I vaguely remembered how, so the first thing I did was turn to the computer and looked for resources I could use that where up to date. There was plenty but not a lot dealing with woodworking or the craft business but I did find a few I also found pod cast on small business that have been helpful some touch on relevant information and others don’t pertain to businesses that woodworkers would be interested in. other resources I use are magazines like trade magazines, woodshop news, and the craft reports. Now with all this information I have came up with fourteen questions in my business plan. This I am hoping will give me a road map to keep on track and to grow. I am still working on a marketing plan. That I will save for another blog. I would love some input on the questions in my plan and if you have any suggestions. I will also list links to my resources for anyone who wants to check them out.

If you have iTunes go to pod cast section of the iTunes store and check out StartupNation pod cast and the Small Business pod cast both have had some good information. Downloading these pod cast are free. They also have web sites and StartupNation website is a wealth of information. http://www.startupnation.com/

A couple of publication that I mentioned was the craft report http://www.craftsreport.com/ and woodshop news http://www.woodshopnews.com/ME2/Default.asp , both are gear to craft people and woodworkers who make a living at there craft and address a lot of the issues we all have. I also read all of woodworking magazine and have copies going back almost twenty years, while they are a great wealth of woodworking information they don’t really address the business of woodworking or crafts. I also subscribe to a couple of online newsletters and they sometimes have helpful information. Well now on to my first draft of my business plan any input will be helpful, because together I know there is no greater pool of knowledge and experience in woodworking that I have come upon than this site and my fellow lumberjocks.

Joey

Business plan

1. Idea for product or service
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2. What need will our idea address
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3. What business model will suit our needs
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4. What makes our product or service different or better?
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5. How big is our market?
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6. What are our roles in the business and how do we grow?
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7. Who is on our team, and who will we need on our team?
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8. How will price our product and how will we sell to our customer?
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9. How much money will we need to make?
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10. How much money will need to start? (6 Months) budget
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11. Marketing and selling the product.
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12. What do we need get started?
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13. How will measure success?
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14. What will be our key milestones?
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First I know all the pitfall, as this is not my first rodeo and I am sure I’ll get thrown down and stomp plenty of time on this journey, however I have to give it one more chance in my life before I give of on it. I have been in business for myself before, both as a trim carpenter sub contractor, and a cabinet shop owner. I have done kitchen and commercial cabinets in the pass. I always was able to find fill work that help to keep my shop hovering just above the red in the early years. I’m hoping I can repeat that luck. I also I my carpentry skills, so I know how to market my skills to builders and other subs. But buildings slow here and its pretty cut throat out there and I haven’t worked in the building trade for the last four years, so I don’t have a lot of fresh contacts there. I live in an area that is big into antiques so there is always work for stripping and repair work and I have experience at both, although its not what I really enjoy, but I’ll do it if pays the bills.

Just so you all don’t think we lost our minds completely we both plan on keeping our jobs until this venture either proves we don’t need them no longer or the vice versa. Which any case my wife will more than likely keep hers just for the insurance.

I will keep this blog going as I progress, because I know there are a lot LJ out their want to know what its like to do this but can’t for reason or another do it themselves. I wont lie I wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat thinking WTF am I doing, you’ve been there and done this before I say, and then the sawdust in my blood lull me back to calm and I smell the faint smell of cedar from my closet and I smile and go back to sleep knowing that its all I am meant to do.

I placed a small vacuum that I use to use to clean out cabinets after I installed them under my bench, it is small enough that it really don’t take to much room and is a powerful little sucker for its size.

all I had to do was plug my saw into the main plug and the vacuum in to one of the two accessory plugs, and turn on the vacuum. now when I hit the switch on the saw the vacuum comes on and pulls a lot of the dust through it. also it runs for an extra 10 seconds or so to to clear the hose which is nice. I guess the other outlet is for a task light.

I got my gizmo at sears for 22 bucks I know Woodcraft also has them I think their are 32 or something like that but I could be wrong on that.

Joey