CWB February 2010

I just finished re-reading my editorial column from last January. It was entitled, “Looking Ahead,” and I wanted to remember what I said.

Over the years that I have been writing this column, I have recommended only a few books about management. Truth be told, I consider just one of them required reading for anybody who is serious about making their business go: “Up the Organization,” by Robert Townsend.

WOODWORKER: Tortorelli Creations Inc., Colton, CA; tortorelli.com

One of the biggest challenges for businesses today is finding and keeping qualified employees. In most parts of the country, woodworking companies are facing a skills crisis. A couple of years ago, a group of associations, organizations and dedicated volunteers joined together to form the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA), a nonprofit organization, to address these challenges. Among its goals is to promote a skilled workforce for the advanced woodworking industry to ensure a workforce prepared for the challenges of the 21st Century. It will do this by developing:

As far as niche markets go, Mt. Clemens, MI-based JB Cutting Inc. has certainly found an unusual and virtually untapped one.

People who purchase custom furniture oftentimes are seeking a personal experience. As one furnituremaker, Steve Holman, so aptly says, “They are buying me as much as they are buying the piece of furniture I make for them.” So when a custom woodworker wins a contest, it becomes one more attribute that says to a potential customer, “Here is a winner.”

In the past year, we have certainly seen some incredible and daunting changes come over the face of our industry, indeed, the face of the world’s economies. As a result, I feel most woodworking companies have been embracing a “bunker mentality.”

Wood finishing is really not difficult or complex when you break down the components. There are four basic techniques to the art: Colored wood toners, stains, glazes and shading stains. Although there are many other techniques that make up the complete spectrum of wood finishing, this article focuses on these four basic coloring techniques, on which many others are based.

See the woodworking equipment and wood working machines that were featured in the February 2010 issue of Custom Woodworking Business magazine.