LJ Woodworking Awards Winter 2008

Hello Martin;
—-great awards and may the spirit of all LJ’ers here and yet to come, carry on….best wishes to all!!!

....and thank you Martin for all your time and effort….
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

a couple questions have been posted already:
the box dimensions … EACH of the dimensions must not exceed 18” (so height max: 18” etc.)

one 2×4; one project… you get the idea… we want to see the creative side! (length of stud is 8’)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Thanks Debbie!

I was thinking like the post office: Length + Width + Height = 18” (Wrong)

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

phew.. glad we got that straightened out :)

and as for the 2×4: think of walking into the wood store and asking for a 2×4.. what would you get? Or think of “needing” a 2×4.. what would you use? And the last point to ponder is: what is the intention of the category? To see how creative people can get with a single piece of wood that usually does not get a lot of glory.

Somewhere there is a site where a group of woodworkers have tackled the above challenge and posted their ideas—so if you are desperate for an idea, do some searches… and if you don’t want your creativity contaminated by previously-made ideas, well… don’t search. Ha!! :)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Hello Debbie;

—-yes, good way of saying it….!

Now if I was to ’walk into my local boxed lumber store’, I guess I would be taking what they had all-ready cut…1-1/2’‘x3-1/2’‘x8’....

....and if I ’needed’ a 2×4x8, I would walk out into my log yard and cut one out as 2’‘x4’‘x8’

Wow this really is exciting….
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

I need to clarify a point.I want to add a brass plate,purely decorative,as part of the design in the 2×4 contest.It wont make the project any larger,but will complete the look I am after.I think this falls under the “doo dads” you mentioned but want to make sure.Is that going to be ok to do?
Thank you for your help and I cant wait to get started.

Also,I would like to suggest that we consider the following for the next contest. All projects should be sent in to be judged and then all of them auctioned off with the proceeds to go to a charity for children,or breast cancer,etc….. As an example,WOOD Magazine does this with the proceeds going to the St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital.So this would add an additional incentive to participate,one that is totally unselfish.But,I was thinking of projects and a cause that is non Holiday based, since there are plenty of those already.
Just a thought.

-- " If I can make it,so can you" Andy in Oregon

Andy, adding decorative parts is perfectly fine.

It would be great to have auction after the contest. However this requires established infrastructure and larger team…. maybe in the future. For now you may participate in our Save the children event

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

Is the competition open to USA & Canadia residents only, like other USA sponsored competition, or does it include all members world wide?

In the unlikely event of a non-US/Canadian resident winning will they ship the prize over seas?

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

WARNING: don’t look if you don’t want to see sample 2×4 projects….
here’s a sample for 2x4 projects—don’t look if you don’t want to be swayed towards an idea or away from something you have already envisioned.
And here is another one.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Frank says:

{Now if I was to ’walk into my local boxed lumber store’, I guess I would be taking what they had all-ready cut…1-1/2’‘x3-1/2’‘x8’….....and if I ’needed’ a 2×4×8, I would walk out into my log yard and cut one out as 2’‘x4’‘x8’}

I think you should be able to go either way

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

yes.. it’s a 2×4 not a 2” x 4”.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Get over it people, its a stud from Home Depot.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com

Any one else notice that we seem to have two topics going on the same subject..

LJ Woodworking Awards Winter 2008

and

LJ Woodworking Awards – Winter 2008 #1: Announcement

Seems it would be simpler with just one.

-- Leon -- Houston, TX - " I create all my own designs and it looks like it "

to everybody:

As always, these Awards are judged by other LumberJocks and each author is responsible for providing the right photos and project story. Don’t overanalyze the category descriptions please – they are meant to be the guidelines and cannot cover each scenario.

If you think that your intended project fits into your interpretation of the category description then just submit it and tell others (potential voters) why you think so in the project story. Nobody will ban your project.

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

Tony, prizes are supposed to be shipped internationally as well. We’re international woodworking community ;)

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

The 2×4 Challenge:
over 2/3 of the projects already posted here at LJ could be made with a 2×4 but probably less than 1% have been … it just takes a little more ingenuity, patience, planning, and creativity.

You can’t take a piece of plywood to make a box bottom that is 12” wide—you have to cut the 2×4 into 12” strips.. and you can’t make it 1/4 thick without slicing that same 2×4 into the 1/4 thickness.. but watch out: your supply of wood is limited!! No grabbing that extra 2×4 that is sitting in the corner… one 2×4… one project.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

LOL Blake. That is where I am heading tomorrow to get my stud.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Thanks for the box dimension clarification. I too read it the same way as Dick. and it was going to be such a cute little box too ;)

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

nothing says it has to BE 18”.. cute and little works too!

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I meant they were all going to be so cute and little…

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

ooooooooooooooh

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Hope I can make the time for this. I see a 2×4 paddle.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

This is fun stuff !! Looking forward to seeing all the entries !

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Martin, I noticed that the second link BobS gave me for another 2×4 contest specified “construction grade” 2×4. We don’t all have a lumber yard in our back yard like Frank has. (The lucky dog!)

I am planning on using a “constructoipn grade” 2×4 and challenge the rest to do the same. Of course, all is fair in war and Lumber Jocks Contests!

As far as auctioning off my piece, I am making it as a gift for my wife.

God Bless,
Hawg

-- Saving barnwood from the scrapyards

This is a 2×4x8 KD Pine/Fir Stud then?

It sounds like people are thinking of using other types of wood, is actually allowed?

whatever you’d use as a 2×4 stud.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

ah, yes, but can I turn it on it’s side and use it as a 4 X 2? (grin)

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX

that is true!! Sneaky.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I wonder if it,s possible to make a birdhouse out of a single 2×4 ? hmmm

-- John in Belgrave ,(Slideshow http://cid-69bce320c6d8b119.spaces.live.com/ (Website) http://www.extremebirdhouse.com

that would be cool, John—make an extreme BIG birdhouse and an extreme SMALL birdhouse… interesting concept.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Might be a toughie for you John… working that small ;)

no 4×2s Rob, that’d be grounds for disqualification!

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

no reversing, no multiplying, no no no lol

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

LMAO @ 4×2 LOL, can i stand mine on end and make it an 8×4?

-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!

haha you guys are funny. It’s all in the perspective, isn’t it :)
A stud by any other name is still a stud, no matter how you look at it :D

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I laid my pressure treated 2×4 on my shop floor a few days ago and the forces of nature have done the work for me. Think i’ll paint it green and submit it as the Undulating Monster Sculpture :-)

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

hahaha that’s pretty creative!! :)
work with what you got and trust the spirit of the wood to tell you what it is :) lol

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Well, they do have red oak 2×4s at the depot!

Well I think I got the “Right Stuff”.........2×4x8’ KD Douglas Fur….....bought 2 and will use the one that moves the least over the next couple weeks.

Is this the official 2×4 thread to converse in?????

Neil

Hey Neil.. this thread’s mission is to answer any question related to the Winter 08 Awards, not just 2×4.

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

I can’t remember, but didn’t LJ.com do the 2X4 contest a while back? It might have been another site, but for some reason I’m thinking it was here. I believe the winner created a child’s chair. These types of contests are what I love about woodworking. I love the process of putting creative ideas into reality. Woodworkers are definitely a group of problem solvers. Don’t believe me, count the number a jigs laying around our shops!

-- Jeff, South Carolina

It was on other sites, Jeff. This is our first 2×4 contest. Looking forward to your creative problem solution ;)

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

18” box will just about use up all of my 2×4…........LOL

-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/

Sorry, but I have one more rules question.

Am I safe in assuming that any mock-ups, templates, or custom jigs needed to build the 2×4 project can be built from wood not from my 8-foot stud?

I’ve already had a good time working up a plan for what I’ll build.

Thanks

-- johnjoiner

Another rule check….....

By entering, you verify that your entry is your own creation

Does that mean you must use your own plan, or could you build from a commercially available plan…..?

-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/

John in Cranbrook – Here’s a challenge: build a birdhouse out of a single 2×4 and then convince the other LJs that it also qualifies as a box!

-- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --

it’s just the project that has to use the 2×4 JJ….

Brian: that rules is to “ensure” that people don’t scam someone else’s photos and just use them for the project.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

LOL Peter. go for it John, I will believe you ;)

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

Thank you…That is what I thought, but just wanted to make sure….On my way to the big box place to buy a 2×4…......

-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/

Newby question from the new guy…...I have a vision, I have a 2X4 fresh from HD (ar as they say up here…”I got my two-by-twice from the ‘ome depot” :) ), and I have a couple of extra days right after Christmas….how exactly do I “enter” this contest?

Cheers everyone,
Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

Hey Ryan… SUBMIT ENTRIES button will be displayed on the Awards page during the entry period. Once clicked you’ll be able to pick any of your projects listed here on LJ.com and enter it to the appropriate categories.

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

Great! Thanks for the info :)

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

can my parrot enter this contest ?? he makes some mighty fine mulch out of a 2×4 . or does he have to have his own account ?

Peter i don,t think it matters what i build It will still look like a birdhouse .
The worst part is i did think about it. lol
I think it is possible . Extreme Birdhouse Minni’s hmmm

-- John in Belgrave ,(Slideshow http://cid-69bce320c6d8b119.spaces.live.com/ (Website) http://www.extremebirdhouse.com

john if anyone can it would be you

Thanks mrtrim i almost feel the pressure . lol

-- John in Belgrave ,(Slideshow http://cid-69bce320c6d8b119.spaces.live.com/ (Website) http://www.extremebirdhouse.com

you can do it.. you can do it…. I know you can.. I know you can….

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

When my wife and I went get a 2×4, my wife wife kept asking “Will that one do? Whats wrong with the one in your hands? Why are you whispering to the end of that board? (I was trying to find a straight one) Are you not just going to cut it up anyway?” So I grabbed the board and we left with a some what straight, knot free 2×4 that likes to be talked to.

-- Andy Stark

OK…Can I have an official, final answer re: the rules pertaining to Wood size/species?

I was under the impression that the idea and spirit of the contest was to use commercially available, kiln dried, spruce/pine/fir framing lumber, measuring 1 1/2” X 3 1/2”...aka a ”stud”, which you would turn into a working project…”the elevation of a lowly wall stud to something beautiful” yada yada yada.

Anyway, I am curious to know if this is, in fact, the rule of the contest. I have a lumber rack full of 2” thick walnut, mahogany, tiger maple and bubinga….can I cutr a 4” wide by 8’ long chunk and use it?

Are we supposed to use a “2X4” (1 1/2” X 3 1/2” SPF kiln dried stud)
Or
can we use a full 2” x 4” piece of lumber, whatever species we choose.

Any clarification you could give would be great!
Cheers,

Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

I have my board and have my project underway. It is a nominal 2” x 4” x 8’ long. However, I did locate a kiln dried, perfectly clear piece of tight grained Douglas fir. It cost a “bit” more than $2.80. However, it is a very nice piece of wood. Let the fun begin.

-- CutNRun - So much wood, so many trails, so little time

Relic . . . LOLOLOLOL

I could actually visualize what you were saying.

Ryan . . . The way Im looking at it is that Im going to get the prettiest construction grade 2×4 I can find.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Hello Ryan,
—-just not sure where or how the rumor got started that a 2’‘x4’’ has to be 1-1/2’‘x 3-1/2’’ and then there’s that other rumor that the species has to be Douglas Fir.

If you will read the rules they say: ”The Multi-Purposed 2×4 – One 2×4; One Project. Put your creativity and technical skills to the test by building a project from a single, eight foot long, 2×4.”

So what we have here is that you can use a 2’‘x4’‘x8 or you can use a 1-1/2’‘x 3-1/2’’ whichever you choose....and….there is no-mention of species, so you can use whatever wood species you choose or desire to use....!

Hope this helps, and….

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

It did say that…”from a 2X4”, not “From a piece of lumber measuring 2” X 4”. To me, ”A” 2×4 is a stud…if you go to any store on the planet, and ask for ”A 2X4”, you’ll get a stud….if you wan’t something 2” thick, you ask for “8/4 four inches wide. ...”2X4” iis universally used to describe a 1.5X3.5 piece of lumber, generally used for framing.. :)where is the challenge in using perfect lumber? I mean…doesn’t that just equate to “building another piece of furniture” rather than actually being a challenge?

Here’s where the fairness comes in: Those that start with a stud are not only allready losing 1/2” in every dimension to those that dont…they THEN lose another chunk getting the thing workable (Planing/jointing)
So in reality, they are starting building with a piece of wood measuring 1 1/4X 3 1/4” (assuming it was reasonably straight to start with)

Conversley, if I take a piece of 2 1/2” X 4 1/2” piece of lumber from my rack, dress it down perfectly to 2X4 with no further machining needed and start from there, technically yes, I am starting with a “2×4”, but I have zero waste…the advantage there is huge.

Like I said, I have a 2”X4”X 8’ piece of waterfall quilted bubinga sitting in the rack….cost around $800.00….the dimensions match, is it fair that I use that when others are using construction grade studs? If it is…fantastic! I have just the piece in mind.

Whatever the powers that be decide is great with me, seriously. I’m good using a stud, or if I can use premium hardwood? Good with that too….I have both. :)
I’m not looking to start any arguments….just looking for clarification. As I read through the comments above, it’s obvious that there is a very wade spread of what people interpret the requirements for the contest…and it is, after all, a contest….so clear rules would be good. :)

Zuki- what I thought as well…..I mean, I could use the extra bd/ft from dimensional lumber….and It’d be nice to select something knot free and pretty….but that just doesn’t happen with construction grade lumber.

That said, I’d rather not have to go down to the micromeasurements trying to pull out a project from this less than stellar construction lumber if I don’t have to, and I’d like it to be a level playing field across the board…..

Martin: A little clarigfication please? There’s sawdust waiting to be made!

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

Hello Ryan;
—-not sure where your getting your information from concerning; “whatever you’d build a wall with”….

I don’t see that quote in the official rules….and here is the link for the Winter 2008 Awards or I’ll just copy and paste:

The Multi-Purposed 2×4 – One 2×4; One Project. Put your creativity and technical skills to the test by building a project from a single, eight foot long, 2×4. You can secure the pieces with glue, dowels, screws – whatever your heart desires; you can decorate it with paint, stain, or some other medium; you can add mechanical do-dads. What you can’t do is add any other building material to it (wood, plexiglass, sheet metal, etc.) One 2×4; One Project.

I believe the key word here is ’creativity and technical skills’....

I do believe the clarification is defined there in those rules above.
Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

I guess the confusion….and apparently it’s not just me….is in the interpretation of the prefaces “A” and “One” ie: “A” 2X4, and “one 2X4”
To 99% of people, I’m sure that if you say A 2×4,or “one 2X4” they think stud…

I have a feeling this debate comes down to the difference between the spirit or intent of the rules and the technicalities of the rules….

Either way, I’m good with it.Stud/dimensional lumber..whatever. I don’t presume to know what those who wrote the contest rules meant…hence my request for clarification. Whatever they respond with is A-OK with me. I just think everyone should be “on the same page”

YMMV…..

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

Hello Ryan;
I see you removed the quote about “whatever you’d build a wall with”….oh well.

Also never saw in the rules that one had to go to a store and buy their wood….so I went out to the cellar of my barn and got some wood we sawed from a tree some years ago. When I go to my local sawmill and ask for a 1×8, I get a board that measures 1’‘x8’’.....if I go to a store and buy yes, then I will see 4/4, 6/4, 8/4 and so on.

When I cut a board or slab out of a tree, I cut a 2’‘x4’’, 3’‘x4’’ and so on….just don’t have the time for all that 1/2’’ cutting….

The bottom line is you can use whatever size of dimension and species you want, just so that when you start your project it measures as The Multi-Purposed 2×4. How you define all that is left up to you and creativity!

Enjoy making your project and,

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

Heres where we are stumbling frank…that is your interpertation of the rules. Others (ms Debbie for example) have a different interpretation (thats where that “wall” thing came from)
I know what your view of the rules is…and I know what others members views are…problem is that they don’t match :) You, I, Debbie, and everyone else are just the members here, and….well…. our interpretations of the rules don’t really matter much…hence the reason I’m asking for clarification.

Like I said, no worries either way. Whatever Martin answers is good with me.
In fact, I’ll probably end up using an ugly spruce 2X4 (and yes…by 2X4 I mean “stud”) regardless …Spruce because I can’t even get Doug fir up here, and spruce studs are nasty!....but heck, I build with perfect lumber every day, ...a stud will be fun…. I like a challenge!

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

I can’t get spruce or douglas fir or redwood here in my part of Texas. I’ll have to use southern yellow pine
or cedar. Lucky for me is that with a little scouting I can find a good piece of either.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Hello Ryan;
—-I understand perfectly what you are saying….and then we all have our own ‘interpretation’.

This will be my fourth contest here….last winter, summer and now again this winter, plus the Greene and Greene contest. And no, have not won any yet….but it’s the spirit of the contests that keep me coming back. Not sure what will happen this time either….but I do have fun.

One of the main factors here at LJ is the spirit of the place and it’s contests….and then, you must be able to sell your entry to the voting members, and that is where the work comes into the contest. Now that is really hard for me since I hate rules and as a woodworker and an artisan, sometimes my creations just don’t fit within the box of what every-one else is doing. But that’s just the way it is, I learned a long time ago to not let that bother me….and so I interpret usually from ‘outside the box’....never could figure what side of my brain I’m using when I do that. How-ever I never bend or manipulate the rules, I just see them as ‘other than’ set in stone and so I interpret.

Whatever happens, I look forward to seeing your creation and wish you the best….

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

LOL…understood. I guess I’m just hung up on having all the info. While I have never been in a contest here, I have competed in a few ww’ing disciiplines, and I learned the hard way (more than once) that if you aren’t 100% crystal clear on the rules…ASK! So please forgive my request for clarification…... Maybe I’m just not used to stuff being “open to interpretation” ;-)

One 2X4 (oops..I mean “1.5X3.5”) project comin’ at ya!

Cheers,

Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

the “spirit” of the challenge is what this is all about…. taking a single piece of lumber and being creative with it.

the challenge is to use “a 2×4”.. Although the species of wood will have an impact on the overall look, the project itself will still be what is judged. How you cut up that 2×4 and put it back together is what is important to impress the judges (the LumberJock members) – impress us enough to win our vote.

(and if you 2” is better for you than 1 1/2” and you want to cut your own 2” board.. then go ahead. Everyone has that option.) Everyone will challenge themselves in different ways with this.
Also remember that stain, paint etc is all allowed. You can achieve a lot of character with these options.

I hope that helps.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Yup…got it :)
I have a knotty, twisted and down right ugly wall stud ready to fight…er….work with.

Funny, it was straight when I picked it up at HD…but then again, thaw WAS a couple days ago….
LOL, maybe I’ll make a Bow and arrow (complete with curvy arrows :) )

Cheers,

Ryan

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

hahah what a great idea… that would be a perfect Valentine’s gift for someone searching for love!!

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

So, can we safely assume that we will be working with 3.5 board feet of lumber?

-- lobbster, Oregon, www.michaellobby.com

approximately I guess (I have no idea how the board /foot stuff works.)

whatever is in “a 2×4”, 8 feet long.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Ideally, with enough glue you could just grind down the 2×4 and make just about anything you wanted…

-- He said wood...http://hickbyassociation.blogspot.com/

that is true… time, effort, and creativity—and the 2×4.. that’s all you need :)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

You also need a digital camera. No picture… didn’t happen!

-- JP, Shelbyville, KY

Bring to top

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Martin -

Asking for clarification on the contest “point counting”: The person with the highest total point count (bandsaw winner) could possibly (likely?) also be the person with the highest point count in each of the two individual categories (box and 2×4). Would that person therefore win three prizes (Grand prize and two 1st prizes)?

I guess I’m asking: Will there be five prize winners regardless, or will there be as few as three?

-- Paul, Texas

From Ms. Debbie:

time, effort, and creativity—and the 2×4.. that’s all you need :)

Ms Debbie, I read this way back whan, and adopted it as my mantra through the whole process…..it’s the first one that’s messing me up!

-- If you can't set a good example, at least serve as a horrible warning... www.rarewoodcreations.com

Ryan.. dang that “time” factor… you have 2 weeks left. Do you really need to sleep?

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Hey Paul, if somebody will be that good and win both categories then he/she will get all 1st place category prizes as well as the grand prize.

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

January 31st ... 3 PM Central Time... fast approaching

(make sure you make note of the time zone – I think we’ve lost an entry or two in the past due to this factor)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

44 boxes…. are we going to make it to 50????? How exciting

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Man I’m tired. I was up late finishing and having nightmares about my entry. I’m going to bed early tonight. :)

Tick Tock, Tick Tock – just over three hours left

-- Paul, Texas

1 hour to go and 1 box to reach 50 boxes ;) go go go !

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

Two boxes to go by my count – one of em, is… well, larger than allowed, and not very boxlike.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

hey, Martin—- go whip up a box and enter it to make it to 50!!!
without you, we might be stuck at 49

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

ok ok ok.. where do I start now ugh… 28mins to go, pressure

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

you are down to seconds.. I hope you are ready to hit “enter”

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Thanks Martin for setting all this up. January has been a thoroughly enjoyable month LJwise. We’re going to miss it.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems

Yes, thanks Martin. It’s been very enjoyable (and humbling) to enter this contest.

I just lined out my choices to enter tomorrow morning. If I look again though, it will change. For, I had at least eight or ten candidates in each category. Very tough to pare it down to five.

As I looked at all the amazing entries, I recalled that in third grade we had a vote on the best artwork in the class. My good friend went around the classroom individually to me and several classmates and said, “Psst, if you vote for mine, I’ll vote for yours!” His clearly wasn’t the best but I wanted someone to vote for mine. I was so gullible that I was dumbfounded when my artwork didn’t receive a single vote? Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who believed his lie, he won and received the candy prize.

“Psst . . . hey friend, if you vote . . . oh, nevermind . . your entry was outstanding! Thanks for sharing it! This has been a blast!”

-- Paul, Texas

Congratulation to all who were able to get an entry into the contests.

Congratulations to all who tried but were unable to get it all together in time or to force the wood to go the way you wanted.

Congratulation to all who at least thought about it. Because that way you can plan to get something entered into future contests.

Congratulations to all of the suppliers who are providing gifts and prizes. May your business multiple because of your generosity and support.

And congratulations to all of us who are privileged to be able to select the best of the best in this contest.

This is truly the best woodworking site bar-none.

So Congratulations Martin.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I agree. I’ve really loved the teasers and wondering what the end results were going to be

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Both contests have been a great deal of fun. Early on, I thought I might have a slim chance of winning something. At this point, I wouldn’t vote for my own projects as best, even if I could. I have gotten to see what outstanding craftsmanship really is. It is inspiring and humbling at the same time. Two final comments:

1. How do I make up my mind on which is best?
2. What is the next contest going to be?

-- CutNRun - So much wood, so many trails, so little time

Thank you Martin for the opportunity to participate, in both competitions.

It would be interesting to learn how many works were created specifically for the competition, I can attribute one work, a work that I would not have made but for the opportunity presented by Martin / Lumber Jocks!

Good luck to everyone, we are all winners!

Good Health
Tony Ward

-- Bandsaw Box Plans

Hey, It got me back in the shop, and I had a lot of fun too.
Thanks to everyone.

Steve

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

Dangit!!! (or stronger words…)

I didn’t see the 3:00pm cutoff. I got home tonight, grabbed my camera, and checked the site but couldn’t find the link. Then I saw that I was too late!

This sucks.

-- He said wood...http://hickbyassociation.blogspot.com/

Tony,

Both my boxes were created for this competition. The way I figured it out, win or not, I have two boxes worth several hundreds dollars at least just because of this contest, boxes that I would probably have never made.

In any case, it has been a lot of fun and I learned some new things.

Alin

-- -- Alin Dobra, Gainesville, Florida

I had a great time with my project.

It made the month of January seem like only a week, a great way to kill off the winter.

Barb told me that she’s a winner already, so that’s %90 of the vote.

Now I’ll have to wait for the precincts to close for the other %10. LOL

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I have been so impressed with all the personal challenges that people have given themselves for their entries.

Everyone is individually a winner and LumberJocks.com is a winner.

Congratulations to everyone for meeting the challenge and creating something or posting something!

And now—it’s time to vote.
I’ve looked through the 2×4 entries a dozen time and I cannot (no matter how I try) get my list down below a dozen.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

This has been a lot of fun. Both the items I made were specifically for this contest, and I over extended myself on both (especially the box). I am looking forward to the next contest now.. After I take some time to clean up the shop, sharpen all my chisels, and planes, and build myself a new workbench.

-- David, Charlotte NC (http://beechcreeknaturals.etsy.com)

This challenge has been remarkably educational, inspiring and, like, really fun. I just finished voting and boy was that hard. I figured I might as well do it now because it will only get harder later. There are too many decisions, too many great projects. Thanks to Martin and all the LumberJocks for allowing me to share this experience. Wow, what a ride.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

you picked? I’m impressed…. I just can’t narrow it down.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

As January I knew would be a busy month for me, I got started early…

I also built just for the competition. As soon as I saw the 2×4 contest advertised, I knew what I was going to do. Not likely I would have ever built that bi-plane if not for the contest.

My box entry was just to have an entry in the box competition. Never had I thought I’d build a bandsaw box, and it was a lot of fun. I will being do more of these somewhere in the future.

I also just did my cyber duty and voted….. And it took a long time to figure which ones I liked best. So many nice boxes: You all are winners in my book.

Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this adventure, and good luck to all…....

-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/

I have never ,ever, in previous years used my workshop for anything substantial between about Christmas and Easter. Your competition got me out there and, as Dick said, an otherwise miserable January just flew by. Not only that, but we’ve ended up with two items we wouldn’t otherwise have.

What’s also pleasing is that I haven’t even hibernated since the comp. I was out there today starting on a thicknessing sander that’s been on my to-do list for some time.

Mmmm, as to voting; that’s going to be really hard.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems

I just voted. Really difficult. Do you vote for the “wow factor”, do you vote for the person who challenged themselves, do you vote for the most persistent, etc. It was hard . . . but I did mark my X.

Good luck everyone.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

I agree, Zuki.. so many factors.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

Mrs YS and I went through exactly the same discussion over breakfast Zuki. Whatever, ‘tis done now.

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems

I joined LJ to late to enter either contest but hopefully the next one will be something I can enter. I had a ball just looking at the fine craftsmanship of the members here. Each and every entry gives me a newbee woodworker something to strive for. Thanks to everyone that took the time to create something I enjoyed viewing them.

-- Frank Auge---Nichols NY----"My opinion is neither copyrighted nor trademarked, but it is price competitive."

I just voted, and it was REALLY hard. Like Zuki said, what factors do you give the most weight to? For example, a piece might not be your cup of tea aesthetically, but yet you feel it has an extremely high degree of craftsmanship. What do you do?

I’m just glad I got my voting done so I don’t have to agonize over such decisions any longer. <g>

I will say this…. Every entry in each category is a creation its maker should be proud of. A great collection of creativity and craftsmanship.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

hey Martin

great contest.

thanks for everything.

DAN

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

So much talent, so many decisions. Best of luck to all.

-- Andy Stark