"April showers bring May flowers" -- oh wait, that would be for GardenTenders! Well, anyway, here we are in the month of April and the LumberJocks are busy building and blogging!

Speaking of blogs, I feel the need to step up onto a soapbox for a moment. Social networking, including blogs, is perhaps what our era will be remembered for. It is a fascinating world as people let others know what they are working on, doing, thinking about, and so on. What many people often forget to take into consideration, however, is that they are also telling the world what kind of person they are.

Reading some postings and comments makes me cringe. Not only do I find some of them offensive, personally, but all I can think of is that everything a person posts online is part of a business advertisement, a job interview, a first date, and a general statement of one's character.

I was told recently by a fellow LumberJock that people need to remember that online messages are the same as standing up on a stage with thousands of people in front of you listening to you speak. It is not the same as hanging out in your living room where the conversations can take on a different "flare" let's say and are private. A very good point.

Before, stepping back off the soapbox I just want to suggest that, before you click that button to post something, re-read what you have typed and ask yourself if the words correctly portray to the world the image of yourself that you want to be known for. Your prospective client is watching.

Now, back to woodworking. I hope you enjoy this issue of our eMag. As always I would love to hear your comments about the content. You can post your feedback here.
~Debbie

Last month we partnered up with Rockler for a fun challenge to create a short video showing different uses for the versatile Rockler Bench Cookies.

Through a random process eleven winners were selected.
Check out the blog here for a list of all the winners.

Nothing New Except the Glue
In partnership with Gorilla Glue, we have a new challenge!

Gorilla Glue products, t-shirts and the grand prize of $200 - now that's a sweet motivation to participate in this fun challenge. All you have to do is "create something unique by reusing and recycling old materials… the only thing new will be the glue."

Read more about this LumberJocks' Challenge.
(Deadline to enter: Friday May 7th)

This month we meet with Thos. Angle and learn a bit about his woodworking journey.

1. How did you find LumberJocks and why did you join?

First, let me say what an honor it is to be asked to do this interview. I can't remember how I found Lumber Jocks. Maybe from Fine Woodworking Magazine. I know I instantly joined and felt at home.

2. You are known as our LumberJock cowboy but we also know you as the woodworker who is a master craftsman when it comes to leather work. Tell us a bit about your woodworking journey and how the leather work fits in.

For Thos.' response and the rest of the interview, check out the blog, here.

For many of us, our outdoor areas are treasured places. They are a place for enjoying Mother Nature, for relaxing, and for gathering family and friends together for social events.

Our garden areas also seem to always be in a stage of transition, with furniture being changed, added or moved, for example. Of course, with inspirations such as posted here at LumberJocks.com there is always some idea that entices us to enhance our garden space.

For inspiration, check out these projects tagged as "garden". And don't forget our sister site, GardenTenders.com - that is definitely inspirational!

Standard Garden Projects

The Shop of ryno101

This month I was invited to the shop of ryno101.

This shop represents so many woodworking spaces around the world in that the basement workshop is multi-purposed and in this case houses the home's washer and dryer.

I asked ryno101 what he would change about the shop and the reply was: "Besides the size? ...the laundry area means that what I'd really change about my shop is dust collection. If I had it to do all over again, I'd invest in a larger DC, put it in the garage, and run duct-work throughout. The biggest "chip" on my wife's shoulder about my woodworking is the dust... just glad that she seems to believe my rationales when I tell her I "need" a new tool."

Speaking of tools, what is the favourite tool in the space? "Gotta be the table saw... When I upgraded from a smaller, portable contractors saw, I immediately noticed an improvement in my work. It was the first tool I owned that I could confidently set to a measurement by simply lining up on a scale, locking it down, and I just KNOW that it was going to be consistently accurate no matter how many times I made a cut."

And what about tips for woodworkers building their first shops?
"I made a couple of mistakes with early tool purchases. ...the things I thought were important in a table saw turned out to be way less important than the basics - an accurate fence and a standard-sized miter gauge. So ASK QUESTIONS!!! Talk to other woodworkers, and [...] ask the kind folks at LumberJocks!"

"Secondly, don't make anything a permanent install. I've gone through so many different layouts trying to maximize my space, it's ridiculous. As you spend more time in your shop, you'll start to get a "flow"... don't constrain yourself from not being able to move x tool to y spot because you've bolted something permanently to the wall or floor over there."

Read more about ryno101's shop here.

Here we are (again) at our last Fox Chapel Book Draw. Wasn't it a great surprise to have that one extra free draw to enter?
A big thank you to Fox Chapel Publishing for this opportunity!

And the winner of the "Wooden Clocks" book is: dustygirl

GardenTenders.com

No room for a tree in your yard? What about putting it into a movable bucket? Check out this self-watering system for raspberry canes posted here !

HomeRefurbers.com

HomeRefurbers members not only "refurb" but build from scratch as well! Check out this mini-house (aka playhouse). I want to live there!