e-fg-zine
the newsletter for wood crafters on-line
 Issue
#5
September 2003
 Hello to everyone!
Despite continuing havoc on the home-front, I've managed to come up with a couple of new things that
I want to let you know about.
There's a new quiz up on my website. Have some fun testing out your knowledge of
decorative painting
brushes, or brush up on some basics.
(P.S. The quiz has a few *gotchas* -- can you spot them?)
This issue's project is inspired by our new family member, *Bunny*. (There's even a
picture of the little one up on the pattern page.) She's a cutey, but dangerous to electrical and
phone cords, and, well, clean-up, well, that's
a story better left untold. ;-)
Keep smiling, and having fun with your wood crafting adventures,
Wendy Maki,
Faux Grain.
You cannot depend on your eyes when
your imagination is out of focus.
--Mark Twain
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
Article: Quick Saw Blade Basics
Tip: Dry Hands? Watch Out For Your Wood!
Recommended books & links: New? *New*
and Newer!
Marketing your crafts on-line: Lessons
From The "You've Got To Be Kidding" Files
Quick Saw Blade Basics
by Wendy Maki
Saws are designed to cut on either the push stroke or the pull stroke. Japanese saws, in particular, are
designed to cut on the pull stroke.
The stroke in one direction makes the cut, while the stroke in the opposite
direction clears the sawdust out of the cut.
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Kerf
The saw kerf is the width of cut that a blade makes in a material. The kerf is usually wider than the
blade itself because the teeth of most saw blades are *set* (ie. bent) to the right and/or left. The
kerf provides clearance for the blade, so the blade won't jam in the cut.
Mis-understanding the saw kerf is a common cause of mistakes in cutting
measurements. The width of the kerf of the actual blade used needs to be
considered when making measured cuts, especially when measurements are critical.
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Shape of the Saw Teeth
Rip teeth are designed for cutting *with* the grain. They chomp into the wood like a chisel to cut it.
Crosscut teeth are designed for cutting *across* the grain without tearing. They cut into the wood by
scoring the wood first like a knife.
There are also other shapes of saw teeth, including combination teeth which both rip and crosscut.
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Saw Blade Specifications
TPI (Teeth Per Inch) is the number of teeth that fit into one inch of the saw blade, measured from
the base of one tooth to the next.
PPI (Points Per Inch) is the number of points that fit into one inch of the saw blade, measured from
point to point. There is always one more point per inch than there are teeth.
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As a rule of thumb, the larger the teeth, the faster (and coarser) the cut; the smaller the teeth, the
finer the cut, but slower.
Wet, resinous, or green woods require larger teeth, with good spaces between the teeth. Otherwise, the
sawdust will clog up the blade and the kerf.
Choose saws and/or blades, as indicated by the manufacturer, according to the material
to be cut. (eg. thick or thin wood, soft or hard wood, wet or dry wood, plastic, metal, etc.)
Tip: Dry Hands? Watch Out For Your Wood!
Many of us suffer from dry hands, especially as we settle into the
forced-air-heated environments of our workshops in the winter. Worse, wood dust (and paper)
can really suck the rest of the moisture right out of our skin.
The first impulse is usually to pick up the nearest bottle of hand cream and slather it on as fast as
possible. Right?
Before you do that, take a closer look at the bottle or tube first.
The vast majority of creams contain at least one, if not all, of the following:
oil, wax, and silicon.
(Of course, the ingredients don't list them that way. They appear as
multi-syllabic mystery words that I don't try to remember or pronounce.)
Oil, wax, and silicon. These substances will all leave finger-prints on your wood or paper projects.
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So, what to do? There are three main choices. Quitting
woodworking isn't really a choice, is it? ;-)
-
Slather on the hand-creams at times when you're not going to touch your woods, like at bedtime.
-
Wear gloves to cover up the cream.
-
Find a moisturizer that doesn't have any oil, wax, or silicon. Easier said than done, but possible. The
one I use contains hyaluronic acid, as an alternative, and specifically does *not* use the other ingredients.
Just remember that it isn't just our natural skin oils that can damage a project or its finish, but
it's also what we put onto our skin.
Recommended books & links: New? *New* and Newer!
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*New* again...
Arts and Crafts Stencilling.
By W. G. Sutherland.
Gibbs Smith. March 2003.
ISBN: 1586852523
These designs were first published in 1910. The Arts & Crafts stencil patterns, turn-of-the century
methods, and trade secrets were originally intended for the professional decorator, but with
changed times are now accessible to the do-it-yourselfer.
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*New* in paperback format...
Period Finishes and Effects.
By Judith Miller, Martin Miller.
Rizzoli International. April 2003.
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| New!...
How to Design Your Own Painting Projects.
By Michelle Temares.
F & W Publications, Incorporated. January 2003.
ISBN: 1581802633
This book shows decorative painters and artists how to transform their own design ideas into
dynamic compositions in seven easy steps. Comprehensive instruction from inspiration
through designing to final project. Color photos and good/bad comparisons illustrate each lesson. Final chapters present three complete decorative
painting projects. |
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Marketing Your Crafts On-line: Lessons From The "You've Got To Be Kidding" Files
By Wendy Maki
"You've got to be kidding" #1
This past month, as new viruses raged across the internet, I received a biz
newsletter on the subject of protecting yourself from them. In it, the writer
more-or-less admitted to *not* having a firewall on his computer system, and possibly less-than-adequate
virus protection.
Many well-meaning people rush into business on the internet, and forget
common-sense basics.
Who would open a brick-and-mortar store in the *real* world, and then not
install locks on the doors? And, yet, there are people who do exactly that online.
Little businesses are especially prone to this.
However, it's not just little guys that need to be reminded.... In recent news here, a major Canadian
bank was selling its used hard drives, complete with
sensitive data, on E-bay! They got them back in the nick of time, fortunately. (Shame on them.)
Lesson #1:
If you do *any* kind of business on the internet, virus protection, firewalls, and any other security
measures, are a MUST. And don't forget to *completely* and *permanently* erase old hard drives *before* you
dispose of them! Same goes for disks....
(Sidenote/Quick Tip: I personally chose PayPal to do my online transactions because they do *not*
give me anyone's valuable financial data. I think that the fewer places that info ends up, the better
for everyone.)
Whatever can destroy a business off-line can destroy it on-line just as easily... and sometimes even
faster...just see #2...
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"You've got to be kidding" #2
Recently, I watched as two internet marketers engaged in a virtual slug-fest on public forums.
I couldn't help watching, it was fascinating... sort of the way you can't help but look at a traffic
accident.
There were public temper tantrums, accusations, name-calling, demands,
threats, you name it. In short, some very un-business-like behaviour in front of customers, which also offended many
business partners.
One of the fellows, with a brilliant future, put a future worth many multiples of the disputed amount
into jeopardy, simply through bad behavior. Foolish.
Lesson #2:
If you are in *any* business online, reputation is not just everything. It is the *only* thing.
Sitting alone at a keyboard, some individuals *forget* that unprofessional lapses could be seen by anyone with
a computer. The entire world! It's a sobering thought. It doesn't matter whether it's an email, on web pages,
in a chat room, blog, or on a forum.
One click of one finger, and it's all public.
In the *real* world, a single episode of unprofessional, unbusinesslike behaviour might hurt a business (word
gets around), but online the damage is multiplied by thousands. It's not always so dramatic as this
example, but, online, staying professional and businesslike is an absolute must, *all* of the time.
And, then... there are those... uhm... *businesses*? online
that don't care a fig about reputation...
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"You've got to be kidding" #3
No doubt you've received some of those un-asked-for emails that use deceptive subject lines that get you
to open them, only to discover yet another pitch for something to improve your, well, I won't say what...
Lately, I've been getting ones with *Tech Ticket* in the subject line. Who are they kidding? *Pretending*
to be an important technical support communication.
So who buys from people who are dishonest right from their opening words anyways?
(*Somebody* keeps them *in business.*) I just don't *get* it. Maybe *business* isn't the right word to describe
what those mysterious people with fake names are doing. I can think of a few better words... ;-)
Reputation isn't much of an issue if no one will ever hear from you again... but, if you do have a
genuine *business* and a *real* identity...
Lesson #3:
Business principle 101: Tell the truth. Always.
And be *worthy* of trust.
Multiply by 100 online.
Go back to lessons #1 and #2.
Lather, rinse, and repeat.
...and don't forget the smile... :-)
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