The woodworking shop here at at August Home Publishing can be a very busy place. It’s where all of the projects for Woodsmith, Workbench, and ShopNotes are built as well as the props for the Woodsmith Shop television show. Now, all of the projects that come out of our shop have to hold up to the uncompromising standards of magazine photography. If there’s a scratch, drip, or chip it’ll show. So our shop craftsmen put a lot of effort into choosing the best lumber, matching it carefully, building to very high standards, and applying a flawless finish.

Most of the equipment in our shop any hobbyist would recognize and might well own: table saws, drill presses, planers, and workbenches covered with parts and hand tools

There’s one item that we have that the home shop might not is a dedicated finish room with a professional spray booth. With the volume of projects that get built around here, it’s an important tool in our shop.

I am in awe of this thing. Some people love to apply a careful, flawless finish and they’re great at it; I’m not one of those people. I find it all to be a bit tedious and frustrating. A spray booth excels in applying a final finish (clear or paint) evenly and smoothly. The booth also has the advantage of providing a clean and well lit environment. It’s a much better place to apply finish than in the corners of a dusty shop.

The spray booth arrived on several pallets stacked with all sorts of galvanized sheet metal parts and fasteners like an Erector Set spilled on the floor. Piece by piece it was bolted together. This was followed by a parade of sort. First came the contractors for electrical work, plumbing the compressed air lines, running an exhaust duct to the roof, and setting up the fire suppression system. Next came the inspectors from the city, fire department, and insurance co. You don’t have one of these installed on a whim.

The front of the booth consists of two large doors for easy loading and unloading. The doors also act as pre-filters to help trap dust. In the back of the spray booth are filters that catch overspray as the air is drawn out by the fan. And it has a big fan. There’s no doubt when someone is using the spray booth because it’s actually hard to open the exterior doors to the shop due to the suction created by the fan.

All of the electrical equipment is explosion proof (no sparks please). There’s one switch to turn on the lights and a second that simultaneously turns on the fan and opens a valve that lets compressed air flow to the spray gun. You can’t spray if the fan isn’t on.

With all of the use this spray booth gets, there’s a bit of overspray, so, the interior has a peel away coating. When the overspray gets too thick we can peel it off and apply another coat. We typically keep the gun full of clear lacquer and ready to spray. Lacquer has the advantages of being clear (color neutral), easy to sand, and very fast drying.

For my projects at home, I’m still a fan of simple wipe on finishes. They’re easy and almost (but not quite) foolproof. But here at work, nothing beats the spray booth for fast, quality, no- hassle finishes.

Workbench Magazine has been doing some interesting things with plywood, paint and stain–creating beautiful furniture that’s well-made, fun to build, and surprisingly in expensive. The current issue, Number 311, is no exception with a couple terrific cabinets for living rooms, family rooms, or where ever you display your favorite books and curios or watch wide-screen TV. But they also focus on storage, and I especially liked the roll-around garage storage cart in this issue. It’s a clever, multi-sided cart that has loads of storage space in a compact footprint. They call it a garage storage cart, but I can see this in use anywhere you need lots of storage, but don’t have much space.

Well, it took me about a month to complete 90% before the boys were born and 8 months to complete the last 10% after they were born.

Well deserved congratulations on both counts and more comments in the Woodworking Forum. BTW: Plans for the crib (originally published by Workbench Magazine) are available in print or as a download at PlansNOW.com.

My shop is only 400 square feet. Things are always underfoot and I’m constantly having to move one machine so that I can get to another. The lathe is stored in an adjacent (finished) room, the miter saw and stand are out in the garage, and I have to set up a couple of sawhorses out there just to cut a sheet of plywood down to size. Boy, what I wouldn’t give for a big addition to my house for a new shop!

The problem is, I don’t have an extra 25 grand laying around to spend on fixing up my home. But I could. And so could you.

That’s because Home Depot is giving away a $25,000 gift card (and many more prizes) to the best YouTube video entry showcasing the projects Home Depot customers would like to tackle around the house. You can submit your video from November 10 to December 15, 2007, and the winners will be announced sometime just before Christmas.

Think about it, you could finally add that gourmet kitchen you’ve always wanted…or put on a new roof…or add a backyard getaway…replace all the flooring…the list goes on and on. Or if you need some really great ideas for your video, pick up a free preview issue of Workbench. It’s full of practical ideas for your improving home.

Are you feeling creative? Then get to it.

To keep track of everyone’s videos, log in to YouTube and join the Home Depot “Gift Card” group.

Don Peschke and Paul Roman.

If those two names aren’t so familiar to you, it’s because they’ve both worked more behind the scenes as the pioneering editors and publishers of Woodsmith and Fine Woodworking magazines, respectively. Each has probably influenced more people to get into the shop and actually build something than just about anyone else on Garrett’s list.

Neither Don nor Paul’s name is as familiar perhaps as Norm Abram, but to me their magazines were groundbreaking. Woodsmith, published by August Home Publishing (they also put out ShopNotes, Workbench, Garden Gate, and Cuisine at home), is unique in that it doesn’t just show you a pretty project, it helps you build the project with detailed step-by-step instructions and clear, concise drawings and photos. I remember the first time I picked up Woodsmith magazine, my very first thought was “I can do that!”

(As you may know, Don owns the company I work for, so this is not a completely unbiased post! But the fact is, I’ve been an editor for Woodsmith for 7 years, but I’ve been reading the magazine for over twenty-five years.)

Paul Roman, and his wife Jan, started Fine Woodworking in 1975 and it eventually expanded into a publishing empire that includes magazines for woodworking, home building, cooking, and gardening. Paul’s goal was to have a woodworking magazine that not only informed, but also inspired its readers. There’s no arguing with that, it’s an awesome magazine.

I suppose we’ll always be more influenced by TV personalities. And this is not a knock on Norm, but I’d rather read about woodworking and then go do it myself, than watch it being done on TV anyday.

If you’d like to subscribe to Woodsmith to find out exactly what I mean, click here.

He attended a woodworking seminar recently at the Woodsmith Store and liked what he saw. Now, he’s

become a fan of Workbench magazine.

Our latest slate of woodworking seminars at the Woodsmith Store starts in just 10 days with Jim Downing, a senior design editor for Workbench magazine, presenting “Tips for Setting Up a Great Home Shop.” Jim has given this seminar a couple of times before, but it’s always an interesting seminar because it’s constantly evolving. The last time Jim gave this seminar, he offered some great ideas for a space-saving home shop (see the photo above).

As it turns out, most of his ideas were featured on the cover (and inside) of the October 2006 Workbench magazine. The cool thing about his design for the shop is that it includes set up space for 5 major tool stations — in just 50 square feet!

The full schedule will be posted soon on the Woodsmith Store website. We’ve combined the schedule for both the Winter and Spring 2007 seminars in a single brochure. Plus, we’re offering 4 ways to pay for the seminars — single passes, Winter Season passes, Spring Season passes, and a new Gold pass — good for all 19 seminars. As usual, each paid $8 admission receives a $5 Sawbuck that can be used toward any purchase in the Woodsmith Store. If you’re planning on attending all the seminars, the Gold pass is the best deal because it saves you up to $27.

You’ll see what he means in Issue No. 299, which is just hitting the newsstands. Highlighted here are just four of the great projects featured in the magazine. The display shelving shown above is made with 1/4″-thick tempered glass. It’s both distintive and easy to build.

This service tray (above) has interchangeable decorative inserts and a folding base. And a removable glass panel allows you to change out the inserts to suit the look you want.

If you have cluttered closets, here’s a fix that organizes everything and provides more space than you ever thought possible. The secret is track-mounted ventilated-wire organizers. Plus, we’ll show you how to build a set of simple, yet stylish doors (above).

Finally, convert an old window sash using a few store-bought items to build a display cabinet (above) with real style. Salvage an old window, or use a “barn sash” window like the one we picked up at the local home center.

The first issue of Workbench was published in 1957, so look for a special 50-year retrospective in each issue all during 2007. I have a feeling the best is yet to come.

I had an interesting day last week visiting on-site during construction and filming of the ABC-TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This is the first home they have built in Iowa, so my wife, Cathy, and I decided to drive the hour and a half north of Des Moines on a sunny, autumn day and check out the action.

Security was heavy and we stopped at the sign-in booth. I signed in as “Media” and they decided that Cathy would be considered a V.I.P. We found out later that meant that I would be in a little tiny tent and she would be enjoying the food and “freebies” in a big luxurious tent with sofas! (Okay, they let me sneak into the V.I.P tent as well.)

If you’ve never watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition here’s what happens: A family is selected who has some unique and deserving problems (such as physical handicaps, their home has been destroyed, life-threatening illness, etc.) The design team led by star Ty Pennington shows up at their home on a Sunday morning, surprises the family and then sends them on a free vacation for a week. While they are gone, their current house is torn down and a new house is built for them in only 7 days!

I’ve always enjoyed the show, but had a healthy bit of skepticism about how much of this is real and how much is just “made for television.” Can they really build a quality house in 7 days? After having visited the building site, I was truly impressed.

The house built in Iowa was for the Kibe family. They had moved from the city to the country because one of their son’s was being bullied and they thought this would be a better place to raise their family. Everything was going along fine until their farmhouse was burned completely to the ground right before Christmas. They have been living in a small trailer and a couple of small tents since then.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition selects a local builder to work with. In Iowa, this was Hubbell Homes out of Des Moines. (This immediately was a challenge since Des Moines is an hour and a half from the building site!) I visited with Rick Tollakson, CEO of Hubbell Homes about the experience. When I asked him about how much advance notice Hubbell Homes had that they had been selected to build the house he said, “It’s a secret. I can’t tell you, but it is a lot less than you would guess!”

Hubbell had to line up all the subcontractors and partners, order materials, get security, create websites and signage, work out the complete plan to build the house, get night lighting, find caterers, get building permits, and a million other details in a matter of days.

I spoke with Kathy Krafka Harkema from Pella Windows and Doors. They are one of the subcontractors for this and many of the other Extreme Makeover houses. Kathy said that all of the materials and labor are donated. And the subcontractors have to be very flexible. Pella has 65 windows and doors going into this house and two barns on the site. At one point she found out at 6:30AM that they would need some special windows. She called up a Pella plant two hours away and they made the windows and had them on the site ready for installation before noon!

When the production company found out I worked for Woodsmith, Workbench, and ShopNotes magazines, they asked if I would like to interview Ed Sanders, a member of the Design Team who is passionate about woodworking. As Ed describes himself “I’m the bald guy with the funny accent.” (He’s from England.) Ed was very generous to give a couple of other journalists and me a long interview.

Ed is extremely personable and talked about how he grew up as an actor in England. His father recommended he get some practical training in another area “in case this acting thing doesn’t work out.” Ed took up carpentry and furniture building so I enjoyed talking to him about some of his favorite woodworking projects he has designed and built for the show and even a little about mortise and tenon joinery. It was obvious he knows woodworking!

Though they wouldn’t let me into the house under construction, it was fascinating to watch the progress during the three and a half hours Cathy and I spent on the site. (At one point in the interview with Ed I asked him what he was working on in the barn that morning. His response: “It’s a secret, so if I told you, I’d have to kill you!”) Even from afar, it was also fascinating for me to watch the filming of some of the members of the Design Team such as Preston Sharp discussing construction details with Hubbell Home’s Rick Tollakson.

Overall, I came away with a lot healthier respect for the show and all of the “stars,” contractors, sub-contractors, and production team that puts it all together. They travel and do this constantly for ten and a half months of the year. They have to be extremely flexible, very creative, and giving of their time and energy.

One final thought. I was told by someone on the site that the person who created the concept for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition had previously worked on the TV show Fear Factor. On Fear Factor, the contestants compete against each other in things such as eating bugs or hanging from helicopters. He felt that there must be a more positive show that features the good things that can happen when people work together as a team. When I thought about this, it is true that there is very little on commercial television today that is inspiring and features positive news.

The Iowa Extreme Makeover house and barn will be on the show in late October or November. The show is on ABC-TV every Sunday night at 8 PM (eastern time) and 7 PM (central time). I hope you and your families get the opportunity to watch it some time. Let me know your impressions.

To see more of my photos of the Iowa site click here: extreme-makeover gallery.

-Doug Hicks, Executive Editor

Now, it seems that a recent ruling in favor of inventor Stephen Gass’ technology by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission will turn the debate into one of economics rather than safety. You can read more about the ruling here.

The problem is, manufacturer’s of woodworking machinery are not embracing the technology. And the ruling has led the U.S. government to agree with the recommendations of the CPSC, that mandatory safety standards for table saws be raised to include the SawStop technology.

That’s where money comes in. According to Charles Murray, technical writer for Design News, woodworking tool manufacturers face the prospect of investing millions of dollars to re-tool existing production lines. And inventor Gass agrees, “… there’s a huge product liability problem for any manufacturer who doesn’t have this. People will ask, ‘Why didn’t you have this on the saw you sold to us?’”

So now thanks to this ruling, and as is often the case when lawyers get involved, it comes down to one thing — money. (By the way, Stephen Gass was a patent attorney and a woodworker, when he came up with the SawStop.) If manufacturers of table saws are faced with adding safety features that will potentially cost them millions, who do you think will pay for it in the end? You guessed it — woodworkers!

American Router
American Woodturner
American Woodworker
Fine Woodworking
Furniture & Cabinetmaking
Popular Woodworking
Wood Magazine
Woodcarving
Woodcraft Magazine
Woodturning
Woodwork
Woodworker’s Journal
and Other

Several of the ones that are listed are specialty magazines (American Router and American Woodturner), focusing on a single aspect of our hobby, such as turning or routing. Three of the magazines — Furniture and Cabinetmaking, Woodturning, and Woodcarving — are published in the UK and may be hard (or expensive) to get here in the US. I didn’t even know they existed until just recently. (And I’ve been subscribing to anywhere from 4 to 10 woodworking magazines since about 1995.)

Woodwork is good magazine that appeals to woodworkers who have an artistic bent, and Woodcraft Magazine, even though it’s only been around for a couple of years, is starting to gain some readers.

The rest of them (American Woodworker, Fine Woodworking, Popular Woodworking, Wood Magazine, and Woodworker’s Journal) are all fine magazines, and I subscribe to all except one.

A few magazines not on the list include Woodshop News, Woodworking and Popular Mechanics. Woodshop News, from Sounding Publications, is a great source of information for consumers, as well as the professional trade. I don’t subscribe, but I always look at it when I’m at the Woodsmith Store in Des Moines. Woodworking, a no-ads limited circulation publication from Popular Woodworking, has started to gain a real foothold with woodworkers interested in hand tools and learning about craftsmanship. Finally, Popular Mechanics has included at least one woodworking article in every issue for many, many years. And every November, they dedicate the entire issue to woodworking. Some of my favorite plans for Arts & Crafts furniture come from PM.

But most odd of all is the absence of any of the woodworking magazines from August Home Publishing. That’s because two of the top four woodworking magazines are Woodsmith and Workbench. According to the last published figures from ABC (Audit Bureau Circulation, 2006)* that I know of, Workbench is number two and Woodsmith is number four. Then there’s ShopNotes. Although its subscription base is smaller than its sister publications, ShopNotes is a one-of-a-kind magazine for woodworkers who are looking at solutions for building shop jigs and storage projects for the shop.

I don’t have the capability to do a poll here, but I’m interested in your comments or feelings. What is your favorite woodworking magazine?

(* According to ABC, Wood Magazine is first in paid subscribers and American Woodworker is #3.)

Two of the first tools to come to my mind are the drill press and a contractor’s-style table saw. Most drill presses are made for the metalworker first and foremost. Features that a woodworker would find beneficial are an after-thought, if they’re thought of at all. And the contractor’s table saw, with its motor sticking out the back, is the price you paid for an affordable saw that supposedly is light enough to lug around to the job site.

But, a few manufacturer’s are starting to come around to offer tools with wood shop features. I’m talking in particular about the Powermatic® 2800 VS Drill Press, and the Jet® Pro-Shop line of contractor style table saws. I got a quick look at both of these new tools at IWF — 2006 in Atlanta last week, and are they impressive.

The Powermatic 2800 VS Drill Press has so many features that are great for woodworkers it’s hard to list them all. But I’ll try!

* Single handle variable speed adjustment (with a digital readout)
* A 5/8″ keyless chuck
* Twin LED lights
* And, a new dual laser guide system.

These are all welcome features that provide ease of use and accuracy that is rare on a standard drill press.Best of all is the extra-large table (it has dual extension wings to provide additional support for long work pieces). The table also tilts 90° and has a positive stop at 0°. Its large adjustment handle makes lowering and raising the table quick and easy.But that isn’t all, twin T-slot grooves for a miter gauge, hold-downs or shop-made jigs are milled right into the table top and an adjustable split fence with dust collection port is included.Finally, it doesn’t matter if you’re right or left-handed, because the feed handles can be mounted on either side of the drill press. Whew, that’s a lot of great features!

One of the more impressive new tools I saw at IWF is the Jet Pro-Shop Contractor Style Table Saw.

This table saw has a couple of features more commonly found on cabinet (or hybrid) style table saws. First, is the enclosed cabinet with a 4″ dust port for improved dust collection. The stand makes assembly of this saw significantly easier than a regular contractor’s-style table saw.The Pro-Shop saw has a new Pro-Shop fence with extruded aluminum side boards with T-slots and either 30″ or 50″ rails. The saw below is shown with steel wings, but cast iron wings are also available. A large paddle-style switch is also a nice safety feature on this saw. Once again, you can turn to Workbench Magazine for reviews and much more on these new tools and lots of others in future issues.

Every Thursday night this fall you can learn from the experts at the Woodsmith Store and Woodsmith, ShopNotes, and Workbench magazines. We’ll walk you through the basics of woodworking, tool techniques, safety, terminology, and everything you need to know to build great projects in your home shop. Reference handouts are provided. All questions are welcome.

Click here for more details including a calendar, seminar topics, and how to sign up!     

When I first saw the steel gray and black paint scheme I was reminded of another manufacturer of woodworking machinery. That may have been done on purpose, but I doubt it. They made no secret that quite a few of the people working for Steel City formerly worked for the competition, including Delta, Powermatic and Jet. But they’re not out to copy anyone. Their goal is to offer quality machinery without all the gimmicks.

When asked what it is that they hope will set them apart from the competition, the answer was — service. All of the tools are backed by a full, 5-year warranty and they promise to deliver the best customer and technical service and support possible.

From what I could see, they’ve made a good start. Look for more on Steel City Tool Works in future editions of Workbench magazine.

If you’ve got tools to sell, you need to fill out this form.  You can also see a sampling of tools that will be for sale on page 2 of this form.

Click here for directions to the Woodsmith Store.

Workbench magazine has been a source for great project plans for the home for many, many years. I think I bought my first copy off the newsstand around 1987. Back then, I was a brand new homeowner anxious to turn my 3-bedroom, 1000-square foot ranch-style home into my own idea of a “castle.”

Even though my wife and I were on a tight budget in those days (or maybe because we were), we realized the benefits of updating and maintaining our home. I considered every project that added to the functionality (and beauty) of that small house as an investment.

And now almost twenty years later, we own our third home and we’re still making improvements. In fact, we’re planning to build a smaller version of the Outdoor Kitchen grilling center featured in the July 2005 issue of Workbench. Each issue of the magazine is filled with great ideas for updating your home and I continue to take advantage of it all the time. If you own your home, or if you’re thinking of buying one, a subscription is a great idea.

What’s in store?

If you’re already a subscriber, you should be receiving your September/October 2006 issue of Workbench magazine soon. (This issue should be on the newsstand around August ?.) Here’s a sneak peak of what you’ll find inside:

Space-Saving Home Shop
Discover new strategies for making a small shop work big. Like using inexpensive cabinets to create multipurpose workstations, building a flip-top planer cart, and converting a miter saw into a precision cutting tool.

Kitchen Counter Upgrade
Transform your kitchen with a remarkably simple plate rail and tile backsplash. You can build them both — from start to finish — in a weekend.

Garage Door Makeover
Give your garage door a custom look, without the cost, by adding shop-made windows. Built from PVC lumber, they’ll last forever, and they’re a snap to install.