1. Woodworkers Journal eZine
Archive
Reader's
Response
September 12-26,
2000
Vol. 1 No.
11
WebSurfers' Review
Conversations, opinions and tips from all over the Web
Thinking Out of the Box
Hot Dog Saw
Greasing Your Router
Cedar Canoe
Mortise Chisels
Walnut
Cool Site of the Week
Shop Scraps
During the last week, I've encountered some really original
thinking, and it's fun to watch. The first example came from
Woodworker's Journal contributing editor Rick White, who
helped design the miter gauge we previewed in this issue.
Some of the ideas, he said, came from the aerospace
industry.
There has also been a lot of buzz on the woodworking web
about the SawStop, the safety device that's designed to save
a lot of fingers in the not-too-distant future. As a last line of
defense, this device stops a saw blade cold if it encounters
the electrical signature of a human finger or limb. This
could be the kind of revolutionary product that really
shakes up the tool industry. Perhaps we'll see variations of
the SawStop that work with jointers, planers, shapers and
routers.
Bob Filipczak
Online Editor
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2. Woodworkers Journal eZine
Search the eZineThe Kickback
Page
Hot Dog Saw (rec.woodworking)
Shop Scraps:
High Gloss without Plastic
Look (The Oak)
This was a discussion about
achieving a high gloss finish
without making the wood look
like it's covered in Lucite. Here's
a process recommended by
someone who seemed to know
what he was talking about:
1. Stain: Midwax oil base
stain.
2. Seal Coat: 1 part shellac,
4 parts alcohol — one
coat.
3. Stain: Midwax. If desired
to darken or lighten (i.e.
Golden Oak to highlight)
4. Seal Coat: Shellac diluted
(amber or clear shellac)
5. First coats of Water base
Poly: I apply three coats
to get the millage or
thickness to the finish.
Do not sand between
coats.
6. First Sand: Sand with 400
grit wet/dry automotive
As is often the case, some of the most important
and revolutionary innovations can get very silly
names. In the case of the SawStop, a new safety
technology that may change the tool making and
woodworking industry, it takes a bit of
explanation to make it clear where we get the
name "hot dog saw." The SawStop was
introduced recently at the woodworking
machinery show in Atlanta, and it won both the
Challenger Award and the attention of just about
everyone at the show.
We talked about it a bit in the last issue, but the
SawStop is a safety device that detects electrical
current in a running saw blade and brings it to an
abrupt halt if the blade touches something other
than wood, i.e. your fingers. The motor slams to a
halt and is dropped below the level of the table if
it encounters one of your limbs. The inventors
demonstrated its capabilities at the show by
running a hot dog into the sawblade, and when
they took the wiener off the table saw, there was
just a small nick in its skin. So now you can see
where the name came from.
Understandably, this kicked up a lot of attention
on rec.woodworking in the past week. There were
skeptics and jokers, but there was also a lot of
substantive discussion. One person cautioned
about an over-reliance on such a device, but
others pointed out that, as a last line of defense,
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3. Woodworkers Journal eZine
sand paper and water. I
use a small spray bottle
set on mist. Sand until
you get about 50 to 60
percent of the surface
dulled. Wipe off and dry
often to ensure that you
do not sand through the
finish into the stain. This
will give you light/dark
spots and uneven finish.
7. Second coats of water
base poly: Apply two
coats of poly.
8. Second Sanding: Sand
with 600 wet/dry paper
and water. This should
give you about 80 to 90
percent dull finish. If not
satisfied with the
smoothness, repeat with
two more coats of poly
and re-sand.
9. Final Coat: One or two
coats of poly.
10. Buff out: Use automotive
paint anti-swirl
compound and rub out to
the sheen you desire.
Wife Goes Shopping (rec.
woodworking)
This was something we don't see
very often, but we thought it was
a good idea. A wife got on rec.
woodworking and asked the
gang for tool recommendations.
Seems she was buying a planer
for her husband, knew little
about tools and wanted the
expertise of the group. There
were a lot of good
recommendations regarding
brand names, but also some
features to look for (e.g. yes, a
13" planer is substantially better
than a 12.5" planer). We can
imagine this well-informed
spouse waltzing into the local
tool superstore with this kind of
expertise at her command. Let's
see them condescend to her.
this made a lot of sense. There was also talk
about the price of installing this system and
whether it could be retrofitted for old saws. The
consensus was it would add $50-$100 to the price
of a new saw but would be very difficult and
expensive to install on an old saw. One person
suggested that once the government got wind of
it, it might require installation of this device on
all new saws.
Someone commented that the inventors were no
dummies since all were patent attorneys and a
couple were engineers (chemical and electrical)
as well. Finally, one of the inventors, Dave,
joined the discussion to answer some questions
(didn't we say they were smart?). Dave explains
that the SawStop detects accidental contact
between the user's body and the moving blade
and stops the blade within 3-5 milliseconds. He
also reports, though there can be some damage to
the blade when it shuts down, that it won't harm
the arbor or the table saw motor.
Dave answers a bunch of questions about the
system, including issues like wet wood, gummed
up blades, static electricity from laminate, cutting
metal and dado blades. An Aussie on the list
asked if the system could be adapted to the 240 V
grid that he works with. Dave responded that the
extra voltage wouldn't affect the system.
It was pretty diplomatic for the inventor to get on
and mix it up with the rec.woodworking crew,
but he did a lot to explain the system and answer
the concerns of this huge group of woodworkers.
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the discussion going, join our new woodworking
forum.
Greasing Your Router (WoodCentral)
This question came from a woodworker who was
having a little trouble getting his router bits in
and out of the collets on his new baby. The
collets were so tight that he had to remove them
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Contractors Saw versus
Cabinet Saw (rec.woodworking)
A woodworker asked the group
whether he should buy a high-
end contractors saw with all the
bells and whistles or a low-end
Cabinet saw. There was some
hemming and hawing, but most
recommended the cabinet saw in
no uncertain terms.
Basic Chemistry (The Oak)
In this discussion a woodworker
remembers reading somewhere
that you could make your own
stain by combining rust with
vinegar. He tried it, and it
created an almost ebony-like
stain on the walnut and oak he
tested it on. He wondered what
he had created in terms of a
chemical.
Turns out, according to one
woodworker, he made a "a dilute
solution of ferric acetate
(FeCOOH)." Another
respondent commented that he
thought he had created "a
process of catalytic
hydrogenation, or converting a
nitro group to an amino group."
Whatever the case, everyone
seemed to agree the concoction
was pretty safe.
and tap them with some wood just to get the bit
out of the router. He wondered if it would be all
right to put a little lubrication (i.e. lithium grease)
on the shaft to help him get bits in and out of the
collets.
The first respondent said that if the collets are
that tight, they will squeeze out any lubrication he
might put on the shank and the RPM of the router
will scatter the oil away from the shaft. Another
respondent told him to get a new collet from the
manufacturer, especially if all his bits stick that
much. Others said having it too tight was much
better than too loose, and someone suggested that
he might have some pitch or gunk built up on the
shafts of the bits or inside the collet.
Then a router expert (a.k.a. the Router Lady)
joined the discussion, echoing some of the advice
already put forth. She warned that the router bit
should never be jammed all the way to the bottom
of the collet and that a router bit shank that was
scratched up should be replaced. She gave
explicit instructions about cleaning the socket and
collet and shanks. She ended her instructions with
"I agree with the others: no lubrication on the
collet. Ever. Having a sharp piece of shrapnel
coming at you at 20 thousand RPM will not make
your day better!"
Top of page
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the discussion going, join our new woodworking
forum.
Cedar Strip Canoe (Shopsmith e-mail newsgroup)
We shouldn't be, but we are still struck by the craftsmanship and humility of some of
the woodworkers out there. This was a short but involved discussion about a
woodworker's first shot at building a cedar strip canoe. He kept talking about how
easy each of the steps were, but a quick glance at his photos on the Shopsmith site
revealed that this guy was really, really good. A lot of people in the group commented
on how great his boat looked and how amazing his skills were. All we can say is if
this is his first boat, we'd like to buy his next one.
The only problem he ran into involved finishing the canoe in fiberglas. He didn't go
into details, but another woodworker echoed his comment, saying that he had a cedar
strip canoe (circa. 1947) that lost its fiberglas after about two or three years. He had
redone the fiberglas three times so far and wondered what was up. He checked out, on
the advice of other participants, West Epoxy Systems and remarked about how much
help he got from the company. "We spent 30 minutes or more," he wrote, "talking
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5. Woodworkers Journal eZine
about the job, and I got a lifelong lesson how to do it right."
Another participant suggested that that the boat builders check out the information
available from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association. There are some phenomenal
photos at this site as well. It might make you want to start one of these projects now
so it will be ready for next Spring.
Top of page
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woodworking forum.
Mortise Chisels (Woodweb)
A furniture maker asked this group about squaring off the corners on a bunch of
mortises he was making for some furniture he needed to complete. The mortises he
was getting from his mortiser and the CNC machine were not quite up to his
standards, and he wondered if there were any hollow chisels he could buy that would
make short work of finishing these joints so they were straight and square right to the
corners. He was imagining a rectangular hollow chisel that would be more efficient
than trying to whack a great number of mortises out with straight chisels.
The first respondent commented that his old employer had a foot-operated antique
mortiser that "consisted of a lever-actuated ram, a leaf spring return, a non-tilting
table and a set of inside corner chisels to chuck into the ram." Sounds like a real
contraption to us.
Another woodworker suggested checking out Bull Sharpening, but our cursory glance
there didn't reveal much about any kind of chisel. The second respondent chimed in
again and suggested that an inside corner chisel might do the job for him.
Top of page
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woodworking forum.
Walnut (WoodCentral)
Seeing the forest for the trees became even more important as this discussion about
the quality of walnut progressed. The original woodworker posited the theory that,
from her experience, the walnut she harvested from trees growing out in the open
have darker, more figured wood and that walnut trees growing in the woods tend to
be less interesting and much lighter in color.
Someone commented that she might be mistaking color differences based on green,
fresh-cut wood versus dried walnut (which is much lighter). She said she knew the
color differences and it still didn't account for the colors, or lack thereof, in the wood
she was seeing. She finally concluded that it was the soil (its level of alkalinity) that
accounted for the darker wood she was looking for.
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Top of page
If you'd like to comment on this issue and keep the discussion going, join our new
woodworking forum.
Cool Site of the Week — WoodShopDemos.com is a very interesting site that will
show you how to do a number of interesting projects and techniques. The owner, John
Lucas, states upfront that some of the projects are sponsored by tool manufacturers
that are featured in the demonstration. The step-by-step instructions that are
plentifully illustrated with clear photos are very effective and instructive.
Top of page
If you'd like to submit summaries of discussions you've had — either on the Internet
or face-to-face — please contact our online editor, Bob Filipczak.
Table of Contents
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7. Woodworkers Journal eZine
Archive
Reader's
Response
August 29-
September 12, 2000
Vol. 1 No.
10
Tool Maker Insider
Insights into the tools you use and the people who dream up, design and produce
them.
25 Years of Dovetailing
By Bob Filipczak
David Keller has advice for all of you
woodworkers out there. "Be careful what you
come up with in your shop, because that's what
you may end up doing for your career," he
warns. David knows a lot about that. Many
years ago, he was working in Art Carpenter's
shop and was given the task of creating some
new dovetail jigs for particularly thick stock
that was part of a project they were working
on. He drew up some plans for a new dovetail
jig that turned into a product that turned into a
business (Keller & Co., Petaluma, California)
with David at the helm. His company is
celebrating its 25th anniversary next year and
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8. Woodworkers Journal eZine
The Keller Dovetail System
has enjoyed more success than he ever
anticipated.
The whole thing started innocently enough,
explains David. He decided to make the new
dovetail jigs for the router out of metal. So,
drawing on his high school drafting
experience, he made some blueprints and
submitted them to a local machinist. The metal
worker told him that it looked like a simple
project, but he asked him "Don't you have any
friends?" — because once the machine was set
up, making a dozen of these jigs would cost
just about the same as making the two that
David had requested. He did have some friends
in the Balinas Craftsman Guild, and so the first
run turned out 16 prototype dovetail router
jigs.
Not a Marketing Guy
While there were a lot of blind dovetail jigs available, this was the first "through"
dovetail jig that anyone knew of. The design included a bearing for the shaft of the
bit, and that was another first. Later, as David continued to receive input and
improvements from friends and customers, he helped design the first pattern router
bits. When customers started requesting more jigs than furniture, and after a lot of
encouragement during the Los Angeles Machinery Show, he said, "Well, it looks
like a business."
It's a business that David has had an uneasy alliance with. For the most part, he's
really loved building jigs that help woodworkers cut perfect dovetails easily. A few
years back, however, he was feeling a little burned out on the whole thing and
wondered to himself why he was spending so much time and energy telling
woodworkers what they should buy. It felt artificial to be selling woodworking tools.
He was himself, after all, just a woodworker. He wasn't a marketing guy.
Before he decided to chuck it all, however, he went to one last trade show with the
mission of just listening to customers. What he heard was inspiring. Customers
would tell him how his jig was their favorite tool, how it was the most used tool in
their shop and how cool it was that the tool did precisely what it claimed it would do.
"My sense about tools is that tools have to do what they say they are going to do and
then get out of the way — so working with the tools is essentially transparent," says
David. Listening to customers about his jigs was enough to keep him going.
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9. Woodworkers Journal eZine
Are We Losing Focus?
There are, however, issues in the woodworking industry that continue to bother him.
He's very concerned that, since the blossoming of the hobbyist woodworker, the
woodworking community has lost its focus. He goes to shows and sees "a parade of
tools and devices and jigs and fixtures, some of which have been useful, some of
which are somebody's eccentric solution to a universal problem, and then there's lots
of things that are just being marketed as toys," says David.
"a parade of tools
and devices and jigs
and fixtures ... and
then there's lots of
things that are just
being marketed as
toys."
And a focus on the fundamentals of woodworking — in favor of gee-whiz gadgets
— is declining, according to David. In the past, he would get a call every three or
four months from a woodworker who was having dovetails break off because he was
cutting them cross-grain. Now the same call happens every three to four weeks. And
the woodworkers don't understand what he means when he uses terms like "cross
grain." The focus should be, he says, on four questions:
1. What am I doing?
2. How can I do it more effectively?
3. How can I learn to do it better?
4. How can I learn to do it and have fun?
He is very concerned that woodworking skills and knowledge are falling prey to an
emphasis on the tools themselves instead of the woodworking tasks that need to be
accomplished. "The fascination with the tool market has really distorted how
woodworking is paid attention to and supported," says David. Combine that with the
decline in high school shop classes and parent-to-child woodworking knowledge
transfer and, he says, there are many reasons to be concerned about the future of
woodworking.
And the first step to changing that trend, he says, is admitting what we don't know
and what we need to learn. "We're in this to learn and to do better jobs and do better
woodworking, and the only way to do that is admit what you don't know," says
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10. Woodworkers Journal eZine
David.
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11. Woodworkers Journal eZine
Archive
Reader's
Response
September 12-26,
2000
Vol. 1 No.
11
Today's Woodworker
Virtual Visits with Real Woodworkers
Once in a Lifetime: Michael Waldchen Makes the Most of a
Great Piece of Wood
By Bob Filipczak
When Michael Waldchen ordered a piece
of exotic bubinga a few years back, he
wasn't prepared for what he got. The
beautiful, highly figured piece that
arrived was 2 inches thick, 48 inches
wide and 12 feet long. It took more than
four men to carry it. "When I first saw
that slab of wood, I bought two more
pieces just like it just to have it in my
stash. I think that's the kind of wood that
someone like me will only come across
once or twice in a lifetime."
Michael, the owner of Xylem Furniture
Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan, decided
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12. Woodworkers Journal eZine
The matching credenza Michael
made from the largest piece of exotic
wood he ever found.
to make the most of this opportunity and
turned this massive block of wood into
veneer, resawing it on his old industrial
band saw. He has built a writing desk
and matching credenza from this veneer
and the desk is still his favorite project.
"The reverence I have for something that
old and that huge," says Michael, "that
comes from some other part of the world
that I probably won't even be able to visit
— I was just amazed. I said to myself,
'this deserves to be treated with a great
deal of respect.' I think the idea of using
wood sparingly is a good way to respect
those resources and use them wisely."
Inspired by Queen Anne
Michael also remembers precisely when
he decided he wanted to be a
professional woodworker and
The chest of drawers Michael made with bird's
eye maple veneer
furniture maker. About 20
years ago, he was taking an
education course for
industrial arts so he could
become a shop teacher. One
of his fellow students made
a Queen Anne gateleg table
as his project, and when
Michael saw how beautiful
it was, he decided that one
day he would be able to
build a table just like it.
Shop teachers who knew the
building trades were in real
demand at the time, so he went off to get a couple of years of experience in
construction. He liked it so much, he never got around to going back and trying his
hand as a teacher. His career steered him toward more cabinet and stair work while
he built furniture in his spare time. Then one cold day in January, he quit his job as a
carpenter and locked himself in the shop. He told himself, "When I come out of
here, I'm going to have enough pieces built that I can put together a portfolio."
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13. Woodworkers Journal eZine
And that's what he did. He's now got a thriving
furniture making business and iscontemplating
his original plan to teach woodworking to
others. Now that he knows what he knows
about making furniture and running a business,
he's getting more interested in educating others.
"I'm becoming more interested in sharing what
I've learned and the joy I get from
woodworking with other people," says Michael.
Search the eZine
If you'd like to be considered as one of our featured woodworkers for this page,
please contact our online editor, Bob Filipczak, and include something about
yourself, your woodworking philosophy and an address for your web page (if you've
got one) so we can look at what you've done.
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14. Woodworkers Journal eZine
Archive
Reader's
Response
September 12-26,
2000
Vol. 1 No.
11
Questions & Answers
A forum where our experts take on some of the questions uppermost in your minds
Ebonizing
Moldy Wood Beams
Power Tool
Portability
Project Pricing
Search the eZine
Q. Ebonizing: what are some methods for ebonizing wood?
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15. Woodworkers Journal eZine
A. (Ellis Walentine) "Over the years, I've heard of a lot of different formulas for
'ebonizing' wood. The old-fashioned way is to soak a piece of rusted steel wool or
some rusty nails in vinegar for a few days, then strain the resulting black liquid and
use it as a dye stain. My few attempts with this method resulted in a color
something less than black.
I've gotten the best results with Constantine's black NGR (non-grain-raising) stain.
I tried other brands of dye stain, but the Constantine's product has a cooler, more
neutral black color that's more like genuine ebony. I apply at least two or three
coats to assure good penetration and thorough coloring. Use rubber gloves when
staining, because the solvents in the NGR stain will dry out your hands mercilessly
— not to mention blacken them beyond recognition. Be sure to wait a day or two
for the stain to dry completely before applying a lacquer finish over it or you will
have problems with the finish drying properly."
A. (Michael Dresdner) "There are many, including some convoluted ones like iron
buff (a liquid extracted by filtering the results of rusted metal soaked in vinegar)
which work primarily on high tannin woods, and the usual run of dyes. None of
these work particularly well. By far the best and easiest is India ink. Unlike dyes,
which tend to show too much wood and end up looking either blue/black or green/
black, India ink, a pigment, is true black. It comes in oil or waterbased versions (I
prefer the waterbased) and will generally go full black in just one application.
However, because it is a pigment, you can let it dry and reapply for deeper black.
For more depth and a truly classic look, stain the wood first with India ink, then
add a small amount of black dye into each clear coat of finish that you apply."
Please add your comments, questions, answers and opinions on this issue by
joining other woodworkers online at our new woodworking forums.
Q. Mold on wood beams: a woodworker is renovating an old industrial building.
He's getting mold on the wood beams and, since the environment is pretty normal
in terms of humidity and temperature, he wants to know why the wood is getting
moldy so fast.
A. (Ian Kirby) "There is insufficient description of the mold to identify whether
it's a fungus that would cause decay or simply a stain on the beam. The problem
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16. Woodworkers Journal eZine
may be a carryover since it's a renovation — if the place had been closed and
unheated for a long period, then the fungal
infection may have developed at that time.
Find someone locally who can identify the
fungus. But take it seriously. Suppose it's dry
rot (serpula lacrymans)? Left alone, it will
eventually affect the load bearing strength of
the beam.
In the meantime, try this simple field test.
Using a probe — your Swiss Army marking
knife — check the soundness of the wood by
sticking the point of the blade into the beam. If
the knife goes in, even part way, with little or
no resistance, you have a problem. Get help. If
the wood is solid enough, then a thorough drying, with warm blown air, should
solve the problem. If it doesn't, it's time to go back and get help."
Please add your comments, questions, answers and opinions on this issue by
joining other woodworkers online at our new woodworking forums.
Q. Power tool portability: this woodworker doesn't have much room and wants to
mount a bunch of tools on bases that can be clamped to his workbench so he
doesn't have a bunch of free standing platforms for his tools. Any issues or trouble
with this plan?
A. (Rick White) "No problem that I can see. In fact, this would be a pretty good
solution as long as you use common sense in terms of clamping the tools securely."
A. (Ellis Walentine) "Space always seems to
be in short supply in workshops, even the
largest ones. I've heard of some very
innovative solutions for space saving, and
benchtop tools are a popular one. Some
hobbyists have even gone so far as to make
special tool-holding fixtures with a rib on the
bottom that can be clamped in a portable
"Workmate." The main downside of this
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strategy (assuming you make the benchtop stands large and sturdy enough to do the
job) is that you have to continually shuffle your tools in and out of storage and onto
your bench to use them. With heavier tools, such as some of the new benchtop
planers and router tables, this could grow old on you quickly. Another potential
problem is that some tools are more convenient (and possibly safer) to use at bench
height where your hands and elbows are in the optimum position for holding and
feeding stock. The upside, of course, is that you get to fill all that space you've
saved with more stuff!"
A. (Ian Kirby) "There is no problem inherent in your 'bases' idea. They must be
strong and lightweight — a good candidate for torsion box structures. I might
suggest a couple of rolling tables to go with the bases in order to transport them
hither and thither."
Please add your comments, questions, answers and opinions on this issue by
joining other woodworkers online at our new woodworking forums.
Q. Woodworking business: "I'd like to start charging for the projects I make. I'm
retired and don't need to make a living from this work, so how should I go about
pricing these projects (I'm a fairly accomplished woodworker)? Also, are there any
liability or insurance issues I should worry about?"
A. (Ellis Walentine) "This is a variation on a question that comes up all the time in
discussion forums and Q&A columns. Most hobbyists, at one time or another,
contemplate selling some of their work, whether or not they plan to make a living at
it — or even supplement their income.
If you don't need the money, your pricing strategy isn't critical. You don't need to
worry about calculating your overhead and hourly labor rates; instead, you can
price your work according to what you think the market will bear (what would a
buyer expect to pay for something similar?) and whether you really care if it sells.
If you haven't a clue as to the value of a piece, figure out your direct overhead
(materials and other expenses directly associated with this piece), then add in a
reasonable wage for yourself. Indirect overhead (utilities, insurance, rent, etc.) isn't
likely to be important to you if you're essentially an amateur working at home.
As we all know, we live in a litigious society, and liability could be an issue at any
time. If you sell your work, you cross the line into a murky area where your
homeowner's insurance may not cover you in liability cases. Your best bet is to
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18. Woodworkers Journal eZine
make sure the things you design and build meet established standards for safety. In
the case of children's toys, there are standards governing sizes of parts, sharp edges,
toxic finishes, etc. In the case of furniture, especially chairs, it's a good idea to over-
engineer. Try to anticipate the worst-case scenario and add a safety factor. For
example, you might want to build a chair that will support someone who weighs
twice as much as the average user.
Once you sell your work, your homeowner's policy might also refuse to cover your
tools, since technically they are being used for business purposes. Even if this isn't
the case, most homeowner's policies have a limit on the value of tools covered,
unless you pay a marginal premium for excess value."
A. (Ian Kirby) "You should charge based on materials plus an hourly rate or, in the
end, what the market will bear.
Once you charge for your work, you move from your amateur status to professional
— there isn't a separate category for anyone. So, all the laws of sale, resale and
product liability apply. Check with a CPA and an insurance agent."
A. (Rick White) "First of all, anyone can sue anybody else anytime and anywhere.
So, yes I would get extra coverage if you're going to sell your projects. It just
makes sense.
In terms of pricing, you should price your projects just like you would if it were a
business you depended on for income. Your time is worth it. Moreover, if you
underprice your projects, you hurt the professionals out there who must make a
living with their woodworking. So take the larger woodworking community into
account when pricing your work."
Please add your comments, questions, answers and opinions on this issue by
joining other woodworkers online at our new woodworking forums.
If you've got a woodworking question you would like us to address, please contact
our online editor, Bob Filipczak
Table of Contents
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