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#1 ·
Announcement

It's official! Get building for our current semi-annual Woodworking Awards. This year we are pleased to announce that along with the traditional two categories we will also have a GRAND PRIZE winner, the participant with the most combined points. So, put those shop aprons on, sharpen those tools, and start building your entries.

GRAND PRIZE: 14" band saw with granite top
by Steel City Tool Works



AWARD CATEGORIES

Not Just Any Box

Award for Top Woodworker in this category:

  • 10" Premier Fusion Saw Blade donated by Freud Tools
  • Shaper Set & Sanding Discs donated by Microplane
  • Magazine Subscription donated by Canadian Woodworking
  • T-Shirt donated by LumberJocks.com

Runner-Up:

  • $50 Amazon Gift Certificate donated by LumberJocks.com
  • T-shirt donated by LumberJocks.com

The Multi-Purposed 2×4

Award for Top Woodworker in this category:

  • Grex P650 - 2" Length 23 Gauge Headless Pinner and package of pins donated by Grex
  • Shaper Set & Sanding Discs donated by Microplane
  • Magazine Subscription donated by Canadian Woodworking
  • T-shirt donated by LumberJocks.com

Runner-Up:

  • $50 Amazon Gift Certificate donated by LumberJocks.com
  • T-shirt donated by LumberJocks.com

Please visit our Awards pages for all the rules about this event. And in case you have any questions, the official discussion forum topic is here.

Good luck!
 
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#27 ·
Martin, thanks! I like the idea of selling your interpretation / justification for your project.

If the judges buy your story, you could be a winner. If the judges don't, you won't get many votes.

After all the discussion, I think I'll stick with a plain old 2×4 stud with a few bits of hardware.

I see it as challenge to make something interesting out of a plain old boring 2×4.

Now if I only had an idea how!
 
#29 ·
I've been looking forward to the 2×4 contest since it was first mentioned!... and for me, I'll probably go the home depot route, though…. living in a pre 1900 house, I could always rip one out of a wall and would have some nice old straight honest to goodness 2×4 to work with. Unfortunately for me, what I'd gain in girth, I'd lose in length (with just over 7' ceilings!)

I'm really looking forward to the creativty of these entries, and WOW what a top prize!
 
#30 ·
--well Home Depot is too far away from me, so I'm planing one of two routes to go….

....out to the cellar of my barn, where I will have to decide on oak, hemlock or pine….



....but then there's also a short//long walk out to one of my timber lots, where I will think upon pine or….



....chestnut….



....and which ever I choose I will be photo//blogging a story, as I saw the timber to shape and size here soon!

Thank you and best wishes to all LJ'ers….
GODSPEED,
Frank
 
#32 ·
Hello Blake;
--never saw much use for Home Depot when it comes to making furniture. Now for a cabin I'm presently framing out and then inside work….well yes sometimes, but never for furniture.

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank
 
#34 ·
I know Frank, The big box store is not quite your style. I was just tryin' to razz you a little :)

A new Home Depot just popped up in our town and I can't stand it. What ever happened to the small hardware stores and guys like Frank? What ever happened to picking up nails with a magnet and plopping them on a market scale? I'm only 25 and even I remember those days.
 
#39 ·
Big Orange and others are what happened to the local hardware store. I remember my grandfather showing me a sled in the window of the local store where I grew up. He said any good hardware store will always have a sled. I grew up in Arkansas. Not exactly sled country. I still remember that, 30 later. We fortunately still have one or two where I live now (Alabama) along with about 8 of the major retailers. But only one them carries a sled. And it really doesn't snow here, EVER. Ice yes…Snow no… I support my local guy as much as I can but he closes up shop at 5:00 during the week and I can't always make it by there. Of course I don't build fine furniture either. The thing I miss most is the lumber yard that had a section of exotic woods and more variety than simply pine or oak. They closed up about 4 years ago. Now I either have to drive for over an hour or order online.
 
#40 ·
PRESS RELEASE: LumberJocks Announces Winter Woodworking Event

For immediate release

LumberJocks Calling Woodworkers to Compete for Special Prizes

The Grand Prize of a 14" band saw with a granite top, donated by Steel City Tool Works, is being vied for by woodworkers in the latest Woodworking Awards Event held by LumberJocks.com.

Twice a year, LumberJocks.com hosts a Woodworking Awards Event where woodworkers from around the world enter projects into two designated categories in hopes of being voted top woodworker of one of the divisions.

This year, not only are the woodworkers seeking the honor of being voted as the best in each category but they are also hoping to be selected as the top "overall" woodworker.

Winter Awards 2008
This event is free and is open to all woodworkers. To enter and vote one must be a member of LumberJocks.com. Joining the online community is easy and is also free.

The Winter Woodworking Awards is an interactive event, with participants discussing their projects and writing blogs about the creating process at LumberJocks.com. The Award recipients are then selected by the LumberJocks themselves, using a simple online voting system.

Submissions to this event's project categories, "Not Just a Box" and "The Multi-Purposed 2×4", will be received during the month of January, voted on during the first week of February and the Awards announced on February 8, 2008. For the Winter Woodworking Awards' official rules visit http://lumberjocks.com/awards/winter_2008.

In honor of the respect shown by fellow woodworkers, the top woodworkers in each category will receive tools, gift certificates, magazine subscriptions, and t-shirts provided by the event sponsors. Martin Sojka, the founder of LumberJocks.com, is thrilled about the support supplied by sponsors. Steel City Tool Works, Grex, Freud, Microplane, and Canadian Woodworking have all provided amazing products and services for the Award recipients.

The Grand Prize
The special excitement for the Awards event this year is the inclusion of a "Grand Prize". After the voting is complete, the woodworker with the most points, combined from the two categories, will be named as the top "overall" woodworker and will receive the 14" band saw with a granite top donated by Steel City Tool Works. Sojka says, "The "granite top" line of tools by Steel City is one of the most talked about new innovations in the LumberJocks' forums this year and we are really excited to be have it as our special Grand Prize".

About LumberJocks.com
LumberJocks.com is part of the growing network of online communities hosted by Martin Sojka. The rapidly growing LumberJocks.com is comprised of men, women, children, and youth from around the world who are actively involved in woodworking. The members are a combination of professionals, skilled hobbyists, beginners and everything in between. They are furniture builders, artists, home renovators, and wood explorers.

The woodworkers join LumberJocks.com to share their experiences with wood, ask and answer questions, seek and post their personal tool reviews, find and share resource information, and blog their woodworking journeys.

###
 
#42 ·
Submissions Are Open

Let me announce that the submissions are now open for our LJ Woodworking Awards - Winter 2008 in both categories - Not Just Any Box as well as The Multi-Purposed 2×4. You must first post your entries as the projects and then just click on the green SUBMIT ENTRIES button on the Awards page. Remember that the submissions close on January 31, 2008 at 3 PM CST.

Fantastic prizes are waiting to be won! Good luck ;)

 
#50 ·
Cast Your Votes

January has been an entertaining and inspiring month, as the entries for our two Awards categories came in. I am very pleased to see the excellent response - with 50 boxes and 34 2×4 projects. Also, the challenges that we host throughout the year are intended to provide woodworkers the opportunity to expand their own skills. I think you have outdone yourselves. Very impressive work. You are all winners already. Congratulations.

And now, an exciting week is ahead of us as we meet the biggest challenge of all - the voting! With all the amazing entries it is going to be really difficult to select a top 5. But, this is what it's all about. It's time to select our Award winners.

So, you have until February 7th at 3 PM Central to make your selections.

Only LumberJocks who have posted at least one project in the past are allowed to vote and, for those of you who have submitted an Awards entry, you will notice that your project is not listed when you make your selections. (You are not allowed to vote for yourself.) So don't panic when you do not see your entry in the list for voting purposes - others can pick your entry without any problems.

Then on February 8th I will announce the Award Recipients. Good luck everyone (with the voting and with the Awards).

Click on the big VOTE AND WIN button on the Awards pages to cast your votes now. Yes… the button caption contains WIN word since the three lucky random voters will win our stylish LumberJocks Shirt ;)

Once again GOOD LUCK!
 
#71 ·
And The Winners Are...

Our successful Winter 2008 LumberJocks Woodworking Awards are over so allow me to officially announce the winners. The winning projects were selected from 84 total submissions in an online voting held from Feb 1 to Feb 7. 232 votes by 121 voters were cast during this period.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GRAND PRIZE: STEEL CITY 14" BANDSAW

1st Place - GaryK (612 points)



2nd Place - Ryan Shervill (504 points)



3rd Place - YorkshireStewart (301 points)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOT JUST ANY BOX

1st Place - 1 Box of Drawers by GaryK (391 points)



2nd Place - Not just any box..... by Ryan Shervill (164 points)



3rd Place - Rachels Box by Andy (150 points)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE MULTI-PURPOSED 2×4

1st Place - (psssssst...wanna see what I made from a 2X4?) by Ryan Shervill (340 points)



2nd Place - My multi-purposed 2x4 entry - Welsh Stick Chair by YorkshireStewart (244 points)



3rd Place - 2 x 4 Birdcage with bird by GaryK (221 points)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click here to see the complete results.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd like to thank our sponsors for their support once again, so here they are:




Microplane
Canadian Woodworking

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And here are the three lucky winners of our stylish LJ shirt (randomly selected from all the voters):

  • Dave
  • Nils
  • Copperjock

Congratulations, everyone! I'm going to PM the prize winners shortly.

THANK YOU EVERYBODY! I'm already looking forward to the next Awards edition in the summer…
 
#117 ·
Interview With The Winners



How does success in our Winter Awards feel?

Gary: It feels strange. I am honored that so many of my woodworking peers liked my work. I think that this is the highest complement you can obtain.

Ryan: It really feels great. As the "new guy" on the board, I am amazed at this welcome. The project was a tough one, taking a picture from your mind's eye and shaping it out of wood is tough enough…add a 2X4 into the equation, and results are seldom what you intended! The fact that the LJ's here were happy enough with the end result to vote for it is extremely satisfying. It reminds me why I keep doing this.

What inspired the design of your winning project?

Gary: I realized early on that your standard box with a lid wouldn't win this competition with so many great woodworkers out there. My thought was to make something unique and at the same time something that my wife would find useful. With my birdcage I thought just the uniqueness of it would be enough to carry the day, but Ryan's great looking table and Stewart's fantastic chair put me in my place.

Ryan: Just a picture in my mind. I have sculpted cattails before, but I've had this idea in my head to do a table forever. This contest was the perfect avenue to make that "vision" a reality.

What Legacy do you hope to leave behind in your work?

Gary: That is something I have never considered before. I guess nothing more then for someone in my family to be able to someday say, "my grandfather (or whatever) made this".

Ryan: Legacy? I really don't have an answer for that….probably more than anything I hope that I inspire others to practice the craft. In our modern world, the hand made is becoming a rarity…and the people to practice that craft are a dying breed. There is beauty in the elegance of a well made joint, or the glow of a finish applied with care that is rapidly being replaced with staples, particle board and lacquer….I want my children and grandchildren to see the craft for what it is…not what it "used to be". To that end I tutor as many young woodworkers as I can manage, and every so often…you get that one young person with that "look", that "fire" that you know "gets it". That is the legacy I hope to leave.

How has working with wood changed your life?

Gary: I wouldn't say that is has changed my life, but added to it. It gave me an outlet to express myself.
I don't consider myself artistic, but more technical in my woodworking. That being said it gave me the chance
to add to my skills.

Ryan: It has made me a better person. Not bogged down with faxes and phone calls and computers and secretaries and assistants and meetings and deadlines and budgets and projections and cost overruns and scheduling….you get the idea. There is something therapeutic about what I do….I take trees that have been taken apart, and put them back together in different ways…. on the most basic of levels, it really doesn't get simpler than that. And simple is good.

What part of the woodworking journey has been the most challenging for you?

Gary: I think the part of woodworking I love most is trying to figure out HOW to do things rather than actually doing them. I think that the physical part of making something is the easy part, but thinking about WHAT and HOW to make something as the real challenge. Oh, yea! Also trying to figure out how to fix your
mistakes, or if you can't fix them, try to incorporate then into your project to make it look like you planned
it that way. That's a challenge!

Ryan: Finances. Pure and simple. The leap into full time woodworking from a career in finance certainly was a tough transition. We had a tough go for the first few years, but my wife and I are stronger because of it. We have a beautiful little 5 year old girl that I would have never gotten to see grow up at my old job, my family is closer as a result of my not being gone from 7-7, and although I may have had to give up the convertible for a pick-up truck, I see that little girl and my (very) pregnant wife sitting across the table, and I realize that I am the richest man in the world.

Who are your 5 most inspirational woodworkers?

Gary: To tell you the truth, I have never known any other woodworkers. The closest I can come to someone is Norm Abrams on New Yankee Workshop which I have watched for years. Until I got involved with Lumberjocks. I had never heard of Maloof or Krenov.

Ryan: You know, It's tempting to quote the popular gurus…Maloof, Stickley, "Norm" :), but the fact is that I draw my inspiration from "regular" guys. While I admire people like Maloof for their execution of the craft, they don't "inspire" me. Seeing work done by my peers, especially those that go "outside the box" and work to realize their own personal vision are the most inspirational. I can look at someone's work and say :"hey! I'm not the only one!" The work I've seen done on forums like this have inspired me far more than the books I've read by/about the masters. People like LJ's Gord Graff are the kind of people I'm talking about. The work may not be to everyone's taste, but it IS true to the craftsman's vision, and…And in my opinion, that's what it's all about.

If you could project your work 10 years into the future, what would you like to see?

Gary: First of all I would to say that I always hope to have 10 more years to work. During those 10 years
I just want to be able to make the things that make my family and myself happy. I don't sell anything I make,
but I can see the day when I will have to start giving things away to family members because I am running
out of room for it all.

Ryan: I'd like to be in a position where I can focus solely on creative works, and not have to worry about paying the bills. I'd like to reach the point where I don't have to balance the need to do it perfectly with the need to "get it done".....that, or have that TV show I'm working towards ;)

Thank You!

Gary: The thank's goes to you, my extended Lumberjock family. A special thanks to Martin for putting all of this together, and to MsDebbie for all the behind the scenes work she does.

Ryan: I know this sounds canned, but sincerely, thank you. Thank you for the welcome into your community, thank you for the encouragement and support, and thank you for voting for me! It really has been MY pleasure throughout.
 
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