​5 degrees last night and 42 degrees coming in a couple of days it's fun, but you
get used to it living up north during the winter time and trust me when I tell 
you wood movement is alive and doing quite well. 
Having spent most of my adult life here I'm used to it and the only thing that I 
really fight with is the ability to heat my shop consistently through out the 
winter seasons. My general rule is if the temperature is below 30 degrees
it's a good day for me to stay in the house and do a thing, but once 
the temperature gets over 30 it's game on.
In Minnesota we can get weeks at a time where the temperatures may linger
below 30 degrees, and if I'm in the middle of a project guess what I'm not
doing during it. So something that might take me a week to build during the 
summer has taken me sometimes over a month to complete during the
winter, but I've always been aware enough to never put myself in a situation 
that the time frame has been an issue with what ever project I may be building 
or undertaking. 
My current project is feeling the restrictions put on me by the temperatures we
are having right now, and it shows with my posts in social media. But that's 
okay because I never approach any thing I build with a thought of how fast I can 
do it, I would rather take a year to build something than slam a thing together 
anyways. So this weather just helps me to take that time and not rush something 
that will leave me less then proud of it once it's built.

 
   

The heart of any wood shop is the work bench It's the place where every project comes to life, and in the world of social media the popularity of it is almost over whelming.
The problem for someone researching the subject is the amount of information out there that they have to sift through. Then it's who do you listen to ?   
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I think a work bench is a personal thing that can only be decided on by the person using it, and only after years of developing your craft can you truly know what does or doesn't work for you. Because just maybe a moxon vise is all you really need, especially if your just after a way to secure stock while cutting joinery.    

​My best advise is to take in as much  information as you can find, looking at established woodworkers whos styles of work you are influenced by and see what they are using committing yourself to understanding why they use what they use.
For now just get your self a couple of saw horses with a piece of ply board across the top and start woodworking. Because only after you progress in your craft and gain some knowledge can you make an honest, informed and educated decision on what will work for you.   
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What is a good first time woodworking project ? It's a great question and honestly the best project to start out with is the first one you build. A bird house, a box, or maybe an end table, it really doesn't matter what you build first, it only matters that you start.
I have never bought into the idea that you have to build this or do that when you start woodworking your craft will evolve with each projects you build. And in ten years both your knowledge and skill will be greater then today. But as you go through this progression of projects always try to push yourself to do something that will test your abilities, a new joinery technique, or even a different finish, this is how you will grow as a woodworker. In this day and age you can find good free project plans online, just stay to sites that are reputable like Fine Woodworking, or Popular woodworking for example. These are all great sources for detailed plans. Places like you tube I think are bad for a beginner, and before you get upset hear me out. While there are makers there who get it right and you should listen to them, there is also a lot of misinformation that is scary at best. And when you are just starting to learn something you really don't know who to listen to, making it really easy to be misguided. So I would avoid social media places like this, or any google search that claims to have an abundance of free woodworking plans with titles like Ted's for example. The best advise I can pass on to anyone who is just starting out is one word, " Patience ". Because without it that's when we rush ourselves and or make mistakes doing things that are subpar. After all master pieces aren't built over night.   

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First I apply tape to the mating surfaces of both the template and the material I am going to create my curve in.
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​One of the biggest advantages I have found with this technique is that after you have finished routing, the template comes off without much fuss and the tape peels off easy leaving no residue behind. Now I am pretty certain that if I know about this technique you probably do too, but if you did not I hope this helps you out. 
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The age old question. " I want to get into woodworking, but what tools do I need to get started ? "  And as I go back through everything I have published I quickly realize I have never addressed this question before, so here's my two sense. 
​I can understand how it could be intimidating when you walk into the shop of someone who has been woodworking for years. All the power tools, the hand tools, the jigs, and the walls covered with everything from clamps to templates, it's a lot to take in for sure. 
But I think the intimidation comes from the simple over sight that you are standing in a shop that is built from years of various projects, filled with the tools collected to complete each one of those projects.  With this in mind my best advise is to decide what you want to build, then it's just a question of what tools do you need to build that project and that's where the tool buying should start and your tools and shop will grow from there with each project you undertake.

With the holiday season upon us we find ourselves seeing all kinds of sales, 
and for a woodworker we look forward to this time of the year. A chance to stock up on 
things, or maybe it's that new tool purchase we just can't pass up because the deal is too good. It's easy to know what you do or do not want, and we always know the make, model and even the color of it we want if there's ever the option. But if you're not a woodworker it can be a challenge to buy a gift for someone who is, and in searching the internet for ideas there are plenty to be had. From the ever famous top ten must have tools, to the ever insightful what the pro use. But the reality is, no two people work the same way so a good tool for one person might be the worst for another, not to mention most of this information usually comes from a sponsor deal or peddling something of their own. But shopping for a woodworker can be easy, because there are a couple of things we all need that are inexpensive and we're always happy to get. The first one that come to mind is glue, stop by your local box store and grab a bottle of Tite Bond, and trust me it will get used. Another great option is acid brushes. You can buy these in bulk from places like amazon for just a few dollars, and they work great for spreading glue. My final pick would be sandpaper.  You can buy this in multiple sheet packs, and if you get two twenty grit you have a winner they will certainly use. Now these may seem like really cheap gifts, and you might be right in the sense of the cost. But the truth is if you feel this way about giving any one of these as a gift, then give them all three. 
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​If you want to learn how to do something, we have the internet. A new cookie receipt,  how to fix a broken thing, or how to build that project you're excited to undertake, the internet is a vault of information. 
Recently I was asked who I enjoy watching or who I follow in the woodworking / maker community, and while I understand the question and the curiosity behind it I also think it creates a king of the hill effect, a suggestion that there could be that one person better than all. For this reason I have always found it to bother me when I see articles or videos about the top ten woodworkers or the best makers you must watch or follow.  
My honest answer to this question is I enjoy everyone, and watch or follow as many people as I can. Especially in social media platforms like YouTube where it has grown to be a huge melting pot of creation and ideas. If you want to understand this just look up how to make a coffee table, there are literally hundreds of videos with all different levels of craftsmanship and creativity and just when you think it's over, a new video comes out with an even greater idea. For me personally I enjoy all video creators and content producers. I think it's the appreciation for the effort they put in it, but also the creativity and craftsmanship they share with all of us that makes me appreciate and enjoy everyone that contributes to this community.  

​With age comes habits, some good and some bad. My bad habit is not measuring
things when I'm building a project, avoiding a tape measurer or ruler as much as I can.
Story sticks have been my building process for as long as I can remember, I mark it
out in the being of a project and never look back with any doubt or wondering if boards 
are the same size or second guessing joinery locations. 
My first job in woodworking was in a cabinet shop were they built custom cabinets. 
Gluing up panels for whatever the project was is where it all started. Eventually I
was constructing cases and during this time period is where I learned about 
story sticks, there really were not many tape measures if any to be found. There
was a wall in the back of the shop with measurements laid out on it and from this
story sticks were made for the various projects. Looking back I realize how
great of a system this was and think about doing something like this in my own
shop if it were not for the lack of wall space I have in my little shop so I tend to use
a yard stick to lay out my story sticks.
Ultimately do what works for you or or whatever you're comfortable with, for me I will
be using story sticks probably till the day leave this place.