Go Auction!

Being the wife of a woodwork you often find yourself doing things that you never would have imagined doing before you met him. That was the case when he drug me to a local auction.

And why, you may ask, were we going to this auction? Wood, of course.

An acquaintance gave my husband a flyer for a nearby estate auction, and listed there in black and white was the magic word: Lumber.

So to prep for this first time experience for either of us, I was instructed to do some research in the form of an Internet search. There was a web address on the pamphlet where there was not only a listing of the when, where, and what, but also pictures of some of the items. Never in my previous life did I ever think I'd be looking at piles of wood on the Internet.

The day of the auction came with us arriving at just after ten o'clock. Did I mention this was on a Saturday? Yes, well, so here I am on a Saturday morning standing around listening to an auctioneer talking a mile a minute was auctioning off everything from pots and pans to bed linens.

Everything was laid out for inspection for the potential buyers so we took a look around until we found what we were looking for, the reason for us being there in the first place, lumber.

After a close inspection of what was on offer, we went back to the main area and set in to wait for what we were interested to come up on the block.

And we waited.

And waited.

It was one thirty before they decided to get to the whole reason for our presence there. We ended up getting a great deal on enough wood too fill our lumber racks.

By the time we loaded and hauled all the lumber home and unloaded it, it was well after five o'clock and getting dark. What a way to spend a Saturday.

Apples & Oranges

Have you ever heard the term comparing apples to oranges?

It is something I find myself repeating often. Just like the picture above shows, there aren't many simalarities between apples and oranges other than the knowledge that they are both fruits.

I find that in the cabinetry industry this phrase more than holds true when it comes to customers who are looking for cabinets in their home. Too often than not, a person will look at a space that they want to fill with cabinets and go looking for the cheapest price.

This is a BAD idea.

There are almost as many ways to build cabinets as there are cabinetmakers, which is why it is important for a comsumer to not only be educated but choose a craftsman they can trust.

Don't be afraid to question the person who is going to potientially building your cabinets. This is a big purchase and you have the right to know what your getting for your money. Find out what type of material they use and why. How many years of experience do they have?

Don't be afraid to compare and contrast between cabinetshops. Make sure you know what you are paying for and why. Just because one shop says they can do it for less money, doesn't mean that is the one that will offer you the most bang for your buck!

A Man's World

Maybe it is just where we live, but I don't think so. In the three years I've been handling the administration side of our business, I can said with a firm conviction that the woodworking industry is a man's world. Sure there are some of us ladies out there, but we are few in a sea full of men.

About two years ago, I was trying to put together a quote for a client. Of course, they wanted a species of wood that wasn't overly common in this part of the country, so off I went in search. I had to branch out to suppliers I don't normally use. One man very sweetly told me "honey, I've been doing this for forty years and I've never heard of such a thing. Are you sure you've got the name right?"

First, yes, I did have the name right. One thing to note about my husband, don't ever go head to head with him on woodworking knowledge because you will lose. If he says the wood exists, trust me, it does. Second, which brings me back to my point, was the derogatory way in which the man spoke to me. He didn't know me from Adam, but felt confident enough to use an endearment with me before basically telling me I didn't know what I was talking about.

But it isn't all negative. I have to say that sometimes it works in my favor. Because I am so often the only woman walking into a store, sometimes I run into some gentlemen who go out of their way to help me.

When I walked into Grainger last week there were roughly ten men in the store and me. This isn't unusual. I think I've been in there once before when there was another female. If you don't know what Grainger is, it is a store of sorts that sells just about anything under the sun that a business would need. Not just anyone can walk in off the street and buy things, you have to have a business license and open an account, but this company has some of the best customer service I've ever seen. http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml

There's also a woodworking shop here in Columbus called Woodcraft that is pretty woman friendly. They have women on staff that all have some level of woodworking knowledge. The only downside to this store, is that it is geared more toward hobbiests than professionals. But, if you are looking to get your feet wet, this would be the place to do it. They have classes ranging from the beginner to moderate skill levels. http://www.woodcraft.com/

Coming Out Of The Woodwork

I've had people ask me in the past if we have a busy time in our business. You wouldn't think so given the nature of what we do, but both last year and again this, fall seems to be the majic time of year.

We met with three clients over the last two weeks looking for some custom work to be done. It was a huge wake up call for me. With the economy being what it has been this year, things had been moving at a slower pace. Having to get everything in order so quickly meant I had to kick it up a knotch. My years of experience working in both fast paced environments, as well as, my ability to multitask when dealing with customers, became invaluable.

Nick took the additions to our schedules in stide and enjoyed being able to flex his creative muscles since two of the clients only had vague ideas of what they wanted. Although having a client give us a picture they've found of what they wanted makes things easy, it does take some of the fun out of it. Nothing gives better satisfaction than working with a client to make something their own.

Here is a picture of a past design we worked with a client on. The fireplace was existing and trick was to make everything match.

A Dying Age

My husband and I were talking the other day about age. But not in the way you might think. It wasn't our ages so much as that of the other well known master woodworkers out there.

This subject comes up from time to time as we talk about the woodworking industry around us. If you go out and find those craftsmen who truly do own the title of master, you find that most tend to be over the age of fifty. There are very few, like my husband, who fall below that line.

One example of this is Sam Maloof. He died in May and his loss was felt throughout the woodworking community. He was 93 and still going strong with his woodworking business out in California. He did what he loved, what he had a passion for, and was able to share that with his customers and the three master craftsmen that worked under him. Sam was one of the best known modern woodworkers of our time. His death was reported by major newspapers around the country including the LA Times and the NY Times. If you've never heard of him, check out some pictures of his work.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Sam+Maloof&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=6b3ESqjfJMXR8Abmt51G&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCUQsAQwAw

Sam Maloof isn't the only woodworker out there or even the only one that is well known for what they do, but those who truly have passion and drive to do what they do is becoming lost. Most young men, and not to be left out, a few young women, do not have the desire to take up this heritage. Why? The answer is simple. Most don't want to deal with the challenges they know they will face in the market.

Let's face it, most people in the US today don't even think of having a piece of furniture made for them when they need a table, bed, or chair. The first thing to cross their mind is to run to the local furniture store and buy something, right? Well of course it is. We've all done it. It's simple. Everything is there, out in the open for you to see. Find something you like and you can have it delivered to your front door in no time flat.

But you see, this is the exact reason why woodworking is truly a dying art. Sure there are hobbyists out there and there always will be. There is a difference between someone who dabbles and one that dedicates their life to the craft. Would you want someone who dabbles in accounting to do your taxes? Of course not. You want it done right the first time so you don't have the IRS knocking at your door.

Doing something every day and being on top of the latest trends and techniques is important no matter what field you're working in.

Most people don't view furniture the same way even though it is something we see and use in our homes every day. It is part of who we are, it says something about us when people enter our home. What does your furniture say about you, about your personality, about your life? Does it mean something? Does it tell a story?

Too much to do, too little time

Last week was one of those that no matter how much you accomplish your list never seems to get smaller.

The big item on my list was setting up our account on http://www.custommade.com/. We found this website for craftsman in an industry magazine and was pretty amazed at the amount of hits it gets per month/year. Registering wasn't that big of a deal, pretty easy actually. The problem came when I tried to upload the pictures of our work. For whatever reason, their site just didn't like my pictures.

After spending five hours solid at my computer, I gave up. Well not exactly gave up, I guess. I did get the pictures on the site but some of them I'm still not happy with since instead of the picture taking up the entire space, it takes up about half and the rest is black background. Needless to say, it was rather frustrating, but if it draws more business it will be worth it. Because that's the goal, right, more work.

Other than my fun with custommade.com, I also attended a businesses meeting and seminar for the Interior Design Society. I've been a member of the local chapter here for over a year and although I'm not a designer myself, I have to say I've learned a lot. This month we had our meeting at SGO Designer Glass, http://www.sgodesignerglass.com/. They specilize in stained glass overlay. It gives you the look of stained glass but it's really all one peice.

And last but not least, as promised, the lumber rack I was talking about in the last post. I decided maybe it would be nice to see what the old one looked like too so here it is,

Old

New

Getting to know...Me.

It still boggles my mind that ten years ago, I never would have imagined being a woodworkers wife nor knew all that would entail.

Let's start at the beginning...

I grew up here in Ohio, not very far from where we live now. My husband, Nick, lived in New Jersey up until almost nine years ago. We are very much opposites in many ways but it has really worked to our advantage as we've started our own business. With his passion and talent for woodworking and my love for helping people, we've been able to work together to form a business model that really works for us.

So how did we meet? On-line, of course. And no, not on one of those dating sites. He and I were both huge fans of a television show and frequented the on-line forum. One day we struck up a conversation and as they say, the rest is history. We've been together for almost eleven years and married for six. He is one of the most creative people I've ever met and I honestly have yet to see anything he can't build.

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What has been going on this week?

It was a typical example of the life of a woodworker's wife. If you're married to one, you know what I'm talking about. If not, well I'm sure you can relate.

First, there is always a project. There isn't such a thing as downtime with my woodworker. Even if there isn't a specific job to work on, there are always improvements to be made to or in the shop. This week it was rebuilding his lumber rack. He'd seen one in a magazine he liked better than his current one so after getting some 2X4's at Lowe's, we got started taking all the wood off the old rack and loading it onto carts so he could dismantle and rebuild.

Here I am after helping him to unload the wood off the old rack and onto the carts. Flattering picture isn't' it?

He's still working on the new rack as I write this, but hopefully it will be finished this weekend and I'm make sure to include a picture of it next week.

Living with MacGyver

Have you ever wondered what it would be like living with your own personal MacGyver? Well I don't have to wonder.

About a month ago my husband Nick comes to me and says, "I'm going to build an oscillating edge sander."

Of course, what am I to say to that other than, "Okay."

So that night, he starts his research getting on-line and pulling up diagrams of some of the commercial edge sanders he likes. Personally those diagrams make my head spin just looking at them but he, somehow, is able to make sense of them.

Next comes the trips to the hardware stores. And yes, I do mean to say 'trips' and 'stores'. It would be easy if it was just one big trip to one store, but that would be too easy. Over the course of the last three weeks I would venture to say there have been ten separate trips as he began to build and find more things he needed or the things he had weren't just right so he had to go back and get something else. Have you ever stood in a hardware isle for twenty minutes while your husband looked at bolts? Yep. That's me.

Last night he pulls me into his shop so he can show me his creation. It never ceases to amaze me how talented he is.