Random Acts of Woodworking!

One thing I've always enjoyed about woodworking is being able to make unique gifts for people.  I try to keep an eye out for opportunities to use my woodworking skills to do something nice for others.  I like to call these projects "Random Acts of Woodworking".  It's kind of like paying for the person's order behind you at the drive-thru, but woodworking style.

Step 1 is to identify someone whose day could be brightened a little by a random act of woodworking.  Facebook makes this really easy (lol).  Whether someone is celebrating or struggling, giving them a personalized handmade gift can be a very powerful thing.

Step 2 is to do a little research (aka snooping) and come up with an idea for something the person may like.  Look for something in their photos, likes, comments, hobbies, hometown, etc. that will trigger an idea.

Step 3 is to make something thoughtful out of wood and give it to them.  For someone who achieved something great, it could be a plaque, a picture frame, or something else to honor the achievement.  For someone who is going through a struggle, it could be as simple as cutting an inspirational word out of wood, like Hope, Strength, Courage, etc.  Using wood from a special location or object can personalize the project.

Try doing a random act of woodworking for someone.  I think you will find that no matter what you make for them, it will turn out to be one of your most enjoyable and memorable projects.  Here is one of mine, so please comment and let me know one of yours.

Make a Wooden Halloween Pumpkin!

I had the day off today and it's Halloween, so I decided to do a quick and easy Halloween project.  This Wooden Halloween Pumpkin is a great woodworking project for kids.  It's made from a 1"x6" pine board that is cut into six pieces and just glued together.  The tricky part is to cut a 60 degree pointed angle on one side of each board.  Check out the video of this project to see how I did it and try it yourself!  Stain it, paint it, or decorate it how you wish and have fun!  Happy Halloween!

My First Festival and Craft Fair Woodworking Booth!

Last weekend, I ventured out of the shop and set up my first woodworking booth at a Fall festival to try to sell some projects.  This was the first year of the festival so no one knew what to expect.  I had a great time, showed off my woodwork, met lots of great people, did some networking, ate some delicious food, hung out with my woodworking neighbor Rob, and promoted my YouTube channel, but I did not sell very many projects...and that was actually ok by me.

For my first festival, I had a great experience and I do plan to do it again sometime.  Here's a video showing some of the projects I made in the 2-3 weeks leading up to the festival, along with some tips for others who might like to venture out of the shop and "do" the festival or craft fair thing.

The Woodworking Shows are coming!

The Woodworking Shows just posted this video about the upcoming shows.  I'm looking forward to the show in Atlanta in March of 2014.  I'm sure our Gwinnett Woodworkers Association will have a booth again and I had a blast helping out in the booth last time.  As if the last show wasn't fun enough, they are making some more changes to improve the show. 

It's especially exciting to see increased focus on getting children involved in woodworking.  The project showcase is being changed to organize projects into different categories instead of lumping them all together which will be a nice touch.  If you have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend checking out The Woodworking Shows! 

Here are some highlights I captured at the last woodworking show in Atlanta.  If you attend the Atlanta show, be sure to look for me and say hello!