Chuck Melton

I thought you were searching for an answer instead of illuminating a truth.

Marc's shaker table video is honestly one of my favorite of the 11 guild projects that I have access to. You can absolutely learn hand tool skills from watching the video but it requires practice. Should you choose to go to Asheville, make sure you go to Biscuit Head. Seven different gravies available, and you can order a gravy flight with your biscuit. I think that alone is sufficient reason to choose which class you take.

The world is full of these sorts of odd naming conventions that were based upon something that was a defacto standard. Golf clubs are a great example. The modern naming convention for golf clubs came about when in 1913 Spalding decided to mass produce golf clubs, which before that time were almost exclusively hand made. The numbering system today essentially refers to the arbitrary numbers that Spalding assigned to it's offerings. Phillips screw driver sizing is based upon the original arbitrary sizing that Robertson square drive screws used.

I like that this turned into a Jorgensen appreciation thread. The action on them is so so much better than the Besseys or the Jets. the Jets are probably my least favorite and seem to be the least well made.

While I've never made a dollar woodworking (and I'm unlikely to ever do so), I do spend a fair bit of time talking to people about business process. First, decide whether you want to be a businessman or an artist. Your pricing structure is going to vary greatly based upon that decision. If you're an artist, ask yourself how much it's worth to you. Find a number that makes you happy and write it in beautiful flowing script on a hand made price tag. If it's a business you're going to have to think in terms of how this stuff would show up on a P&L. You obviously have the Cost of Goods Sold (labor and materials), the tricky part is the Expenses (consumables, tools, rent, electricity, insurance...) Typically you'd deduct all of your COGS from your accrued revenue for a period to determine a gross profit, and then deduct your expenses to get to net profit. Your margins may vary, but a professional services business (which I think is a good analog for woodworking) that's putting out a 45% gross profit is going to be doing ok if they net around 15% (note that his assumes you are paying yourself a fair wage under COGS). You'll need to scale some of your expenses for the amount of work you are doing, but I think it's fairly reasonable to count the entire cost of consumables into the expenses of your mini P&L. Oversimplified Example : In a month you produce 2 shaker end tables for which you spend $180 on materials, and you put in 12 hours of shop time. If you are paying yourself $25/hours (which is probably too low) you've sunk $480 into just being able to sell the table. At this point you aren't keeping the lights on and the rent paid. $50 is probably a token payment to yourself for rent and electricity. Maybe you spend another $50 on Titebond, sandpaper, etc. You're now at 480 for your COGS and $100 for expenses. In our oversimplified example, you will need to put $670 ($335 per table) in to the top line in order to net out a 15% profit. Realistically, your expenses are going to be greater so you should be selling the tables for $400 each to get to a 40% gross profit. If you're not paying yourself, you're cheating yourself. If you're absorbing all the costs, you're cheating yourself. If you're underpricing something for a friend, it's a gift and make sure they understand that.

I've definitely abused my 4Runner in similar ways, but for that much lumber it might be worth it to spend the $30 to rent a utility trailer for a few hours.

I get excited when I can find a piece of plywood that isn't jacked up at my BORG. They do sell red oak and polar at riculous prices, but that's it on the hardwood front.

I wouldn't have thought that the blade would have an affect but I can see the logic behind it. That will definitely be step 1 when I actually get to step foot into the shop later this week. I don't get much woodworking done in the summer and I've had the same 3/8 blade on since the problem started. Now that I think back to that last blade change, I had a heck of a time getting the thing to track correctly. Thank you for the suggestion.

I have one of the ubiquitous Grizzly G0555L band saws, and it has picked up an odd clicking sound that I'm afraid is the bearing on the lower wheel. I've been meaning to record the sound to accompany this post, but it keeps skipping my mind when I'm in the shop. I'm not positive that it's the bearing but I don't know what else it could be. The blade isn't making contact with anything. I can reproduce it intermittently by rotating the wheel by hand, but it doesn't happen consistently in the same arc of rotation. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Sweet sweet tool porn. The cabinet ain't too shabby either. The layout of the tools themselves is one of the most impressive parts to me, A tool cabinet was one of my first woodworking projects two years ago and I predictably made something, that while not a complete monstrosity, doesn't fit my tool collection. Seeing your cabinet gives me some motivation to make one that sucks a bit less than my first attempt.

AvE has definitely become one of my favorite YouTube channels. I've torn through his content, and he is pretty consistent with his tool reviews. He also specifically does two parters so he can correct incorrect assumptions. It's kind of like a kid from Sunnyvale Trailer Park went out and got a masters in engineering and decided to start a YouTube channel. His non tool review videos are pretty interesting as well. The second TS 55 video shows more positive aspects of tool, specifically illustrating how the electronic controls maintain blade speed during heavy cuts. I will see the chincey brass bushing instead of a real bearing is the only thing that surprised me in terms of the build quality, well that and the spindle lock engaging on the plastic fins of the motor fan. I only own one Festool product (the domino) and while I think it's an awesome tool, I've never pulled the trigger on any of their other products. I'm not saying I won't, but the difference to me as a hobby woodworker hasn't been substantial enough to sway the decision.

Does anyone have an opinion on router guide bushings? It is not exactly a major investment, but I want to avoid buying something and not knowing it's junk.

I was really thinking no one was going to reply to this thread.

I thought one or two folks might be interested in the application of software to make the business of production woodworking more efficient. Here's a story about some work we did for the St. Cloud Door Company. Basically, it's a piece of custom software that allows them to efficiently send out quotes, and push their door and drawer orders through their two shops. https://www.gomainspring.com/client-story/taking-the-edge-off-manufacturing-woes/