[CharlieK]

An Interesting Time...

I started my website and posted my first YouTube video about 7 years ago. Over that time I did what I could to maintain them and keep them fresh, but there are only so many hours in the day. Consequently,I maintained the site fairly well, but I didn't do much on YouTube. Honestly, I didn't get in the shop as much I wanted to either.

I recently retired from my job of 31 years. Now I finally have more time, there is STILL never enough time, but I do have more time for some of the things that I really WANT to do! A few of the things that I really want to do are to spend more time in the shop and to add more content to my YouTube channel.

Lumberjocks is such a great community of woodworkers and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I will still post entries and videos about projects, tools, workbenches, and other things wood. The intention of this particular blog series is to post entries about the trials, the struggles, and the successes of my life as a woodworker, a YouTuber, and a guy running a very small woodworking business.

A while ago I decided to conduct a series of face to face video interviews with prominent woodworkers. So far
I have interviewed George Vondriska of the Woodworkers' Guild of America. George is a great guy and I spent an entire afternoon with him. We did three separate interview videos, one shop tour of his 3000+ square foot shop, and we also did a video where he talks briefly about workbenches. George likes ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT WORKBENCHES, he likes them so much that he has THREE of them! The ones that he has are different, and honestly not as nice, as the one that I designed but he really likes the ability to adjust them.

I am very slow with the video editing process and I only have one of the George Vondriska Videos on line so far.

I also interviewed Tom Caspar. Tom is another great guy! He was editor of American Woodworker magazine for many years and he was also the editor of Woodwork magazine for a few years. Tom is also a woodworking instructor and he teaches at the Center for Craftsmanship in Maine. Unfortunately, I had problems with my microphones and was unable to use any of the footage.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say!

Another guy I interviewed was Matt Cremona. Matt is fairly prominent on YouTube and he also does online woodworking classes for the Wood Whisperers Guild.

Right now I am on my way to Reno, California, Vegas, and Denver to interview more people! This is turning out to be quite an adventure!

Here is a Shop Update Video that I recently posted. Let me know how you like the video and what you think of this blog series.

Thanks!!
Charlie

View on YouTube

 

[Reaperwoodworks]

An Interesting Time...

I started my website and posted my first YouTube video about 7 years ago. Over that time I did what I could to maintain them and keep them fresh, but there are only so many hours in the day. Consequently,I maintained the site fairly well, but I didn't do much on YouTube. Honestly, I didn't get in the shop as much I wanted to either.

I recently retired from my job of 31 years. Now I finally have more time, there is STILL never enough time, but I do have more time for some of the things that I really WANT to do! A few of the things that I really want to do are to spend more time in the shop and to add more content to my YouTube channel.

Lumberjocks is such a great community of woodworkers and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I will still post entries and videos about projects, tools, workbenches, and other things wood. The intention of this particular blog series is to post entries about the trials, the struggles, and the successes of my life as a woodworker, a YouTuber, and a guy running a very small woodworking business.

A while ago I decided to conduct a series of face to face video interviews with prominent woodworkers. So far
I have interviewed George Vondriska of the Woodworkers' Guild of America. George is a great guy and I spent an entire afternoon with him. We did three separate interview videos, one shop tour of his 3000+ square foot shop, and we also did a video where he talks briefly about workbenches. George likes ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT WORKBENCHES, he likes them so much that he has THREE of them! The ones that he has are different, and honestly not as nice, as the one that I designed but he really likes the ability to adjust them.

I am very slow with the video editing process and I only have one of the George Vondriska Videos on line so far.

I also interviewed Tom Caspar. Tom is another great guy! He was editor of American Woodworker magazine for many years and he was also the editor of Woodwork magazine for a few years. Tom is also a woodworking instructor and he teaches at the Center for Craftsmanship in Maine. Unfortunately, I had problems with my microphones and was unable to use any of the footage.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say!

Another guy I interviewed was Matt Cremona. Matt is fairly prominent on YouTube and he also does online woodworking classes for the Wood Whisperers Guild.

Right now I am on my way to Reno, California, Vegas, and Denver to interview more people! This is turning out to be quite an adventure!

Here is a Shop Update Video that I recently posted. Let me know how you like the video and what you think of this blog series.

Thanks!!
Charlie

View on YouTube

Good stuff Charlie! I'm looking forward to watching all your interviews. I subscribed to your Youtube channel. I just recently started my own channel as well. I'm confident as I continue, I'll get better at it. The editing is causing me troubles at the moment and I have ok and better days at it. It's a learning process, and I think that's what makes it so fun. Different! Keep on posting content!

 

[CharlieK]

An Interesting Time...

I started my website and posted my first YouTube video about 7 years ago. Over that time I did what I could to maintain them and keep them fresh, but there are only so many hours in the day. Consequently,I maintained the site fairly well, but I didn't do much on YouTube. Honestly, I didn't get in the shop as much I wanted to either.

I recently retired from my job of 31 years. Now I finally have more time, there is STILL never enough time, but I do have more time for some of the things that I really WANT to do! A few of the things that I really want to do are to spend more time in the shop and to add more content to my YouTube channel.

Lumberjocks is such a great community of woodworkers and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I will still post entries and videos about projects, tools, workbenches, and other things wood. The intention of this particular blog series is to post entries about the trials, the struggles, and the successes of my life as a woodworker, a YouTuber, and a guy running a very small woodworking business.

A while ago I decided to conduct a series of face to face video interviews with prominent woodworkers. So far
I have interviewed George Vondriska of the Woodworkers' Guild of America. George is a great guy and I spent an entire afternoon with him. We did three separate interview videos, one shop tour of his 3000+ square foot shop, and we also did a video where he talks briefly about workbenches. George likes ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT WORKBENCHES, he likes them so much that he has THREE of them! The ones that he has are different, and honestly not as nice, as the one that I designed but he really likes the ability to adjust them.

I am very slow with the video editing process and I only have one of the George Vondriska Videos on line so far.

I also interviewed Tom Caspar. Tom is another great guy! He was editor of American Woodworker magazine for many years and he was also the editor of Woodwork magazine for a few years. Tom is also a woodworking instructor and he teaches at the Center for Craftsmanship in Maine. Unfortunately, I had problems with my microphones and was unable to use any of the footage.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say!

Another guy I interviewed was Matt Cremona. Matt is fairly prominent on YouTube and he also does online woodworking classes for the Wood Whisperers Guild.

Right now I am on my way to Reno, California, Vegas, and Denver to interview more people! This is turning out to be quite an adventure!

Here is a Shop Update Video that I recently posted. Let me know how you like the video and what you think of this blog series.

Thanks!!
Charlie

View on YouTube

It is tough to get started but it looks like you are doing a great job.

What kinds of problems are you having with the editing?

I use Power Director and for the most part I like it. I had tremendous problems with audio and microphones. I think I have much better handle on that now, but I still have my fingers crossed.

Other than that it is just getting past the steep learning curve with this kind of software. It helps to have a good computer, oh and LOTS of time.

I am on my way to Reno now to meet with Zac Higgins. This is shaping up to be quite an adventure.

 

[doubleDD]

An Interesting Time...

I started my website and posted my first YouTube video about 7 years ago. Over that time I did what I could to maintain them and keep them fresh, but there are only so many hours in the day. Consequently,I maintained the site fairly well, but I didn't do much on YouTube. Honestly, I didn't get in the shop as much I wanted to either.

I recently retired from my job of 31 years. Now I finally have more time, there is STILL never enough time, but I do have more time for some of the things that I really WANT to do! A few of the things that I really want to do are to spend more time in the shop and to add more content to my YouTube channel.

Lumberjocks is such a great community of woodworkers and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I will still post entries and videos about projects, tools, workbenches, and other things wood. The intention of this particular blog series is to post entries about the trials, the struggles, and the successes of my life as a woodworker, a YouTuber, and a guy running a very small woodworking business.

A while ago I decided to conduct a series of face to face video interviews with prominent woodworkers. So far
I have interviewed George Vondriska of the Woodworkers' Guild of America. George is a great guy and I spent an entire afternoon with him. We did three separate interview videos, one shop tour of his 3000+ square foot shop, and we also did a video where he talks briefly about workbenches. George likes ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT WORKBENCHES, he likes them so much that he has THREE of them! The ones that he has are different, and honestly not as nice, as the one that I designed but he really likes the ability to adjust them.

I am very slow with the video editing process and I only have one of the George Vondriska Videos on line so far.

I also interviewed Tom Caspar. Tom is another great guy! He was editor of American Woodworker magazine for many years and he was also the editor of Woodwork magazine for a few years. Tom is also a woodworking instructor and he teaches at the Center for Craftsmanship in Maine. Unfortunately, I had problems with my microphones and was unable to use any of the footage.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say!

Another guy I interviewed was Matt Cremona. Matt is fairly prominent on YouTube and he also does online woodworking classes for the Wood Whisperers Guild.

Right now I am on my way to Reno, California, Vegas, and Denver to interview more people! This is turning out to be quite an adventure!

Here is a Shop Update Video that I recently posted. Let me know how you like the video and what you think of this blog series.

Thanks!!
Charlie

View on YouTube

Charlie, I guess if you're going to make pictures, California is one of the places to go. ha ha. Retirement is a wonderful thing. You can do a lot more of what interests you. Of course there is still never enough time. Keep us posted of your travels and keep finding new techniques.

 

[CharlieK]

An Interesting Time...

I started my website and posted my first YouTube video about 7 years ago. Over that time I did what I could to maintain them and keep them fresh, but there are only so many hours in the day. Consequently,I maintained the site fairly well, but I didn't do much on YouTube. Honestly, I didn't get in the shop as much I wanted to either.

I recently retired from my job of 31 years. Now I finally have more time, there is STILL never enough time, but I do have more time for some of the things that I really WANT to do! A few of the things that I really want to do are to spend more time in the shop and to add more content to my YouTube channel.

Lumberjocks is such a great community of woodworkers and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I will still post entries and videos about projects, tools, workbenches, and other things wood. The intention of this particular blog series is to post entries about the trials, the struggles, and the successes of my life as a woodworker, a YouTuber, and a guy running a very small woodworking business.

A while ago I decided to conduct a series of face to face video interviews with prominent woodworkers. So far
I have interviewed George Vondriska of the Woodworkers' Guild of America. George is a great guy and I spent an entire afternoon with him. We did three separate interview videos, one shop tour of his 3000+ square foot shop, and we also did a video where he talks briefly about workbenches. George likes ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT WORKBENCHES, he likes them so much that he has THREE of them! The ones that he has are different, and honestly not as nice, as the one that I designed but he really likes the ability to adjust them.

I am very slow with the video editing process and I only have one of the George Vondriska Videos on line so far.

I also interviewed Tom Caspar. Tom is another great guy! He was editor of American Woodworker magazine for many years and he was also the editor of Woodwork magazine for a few years. Tom is also a woodworking instructor and he teaches at the Center for Craftsmanship in Maine. Unfortunately, I had problems with my microphones and was unable to use any of the footage.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say!

Another guy I interviewed was Matt Cremona. Matt is fairly prominent on YouTube and he also does online woodworking classes for the Wood Whisperers Guild.

Right now I am on my way to Reno, California, Vegas, and Denver to interview more people! This is turning out to be quite an adventure!

Here is a Shop Update Video that I recently posted. Let me know how you like the video and what you think of this blog series.

Thanks!!
Charlie

View on YouTube

Thanks Dave!

 

[Reaperwoodworks]

An Interesting Time...

I started my website and posted my first YouTube video about 7 years ago. Over that time I did what I could to maintain them and keep them fresh, but there are only so many hours in the day. Consequently,I maintained the site fairly well, but I didn't do much on YouTube. Honestly, I didn't get in the shop as much I wanted to either.

I recently retired from my job of 31 years. Now I finally have more time, there is STILL never enough time, but I do have more time for some of the things that I really WANT to do! A few of the things that I really want to do are to spend more time in the shop and to add more content to my YouTube channel.

Lumberjocks is such a great community of woodworkers and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I will still post entries and videos about projects, tools, workbenches, and other things wood. The intention of this particular blog series is to post entries about the trials, the struggles, and the successes of my life as a woodworker, a YouTuber, and a guy running a very small woodworking business.

A while ago I decided to conduct a series of face to face video interviews with prominent woodworkers. So far
I have interviewed George Vondriska of the Woodworkers' Guild of America. George is a great guy and I spent an entire afternoon with him. We did three separate interview videos, one shop tour of his 3000+ square foot shop, and we also did a video where he talks briefly about workbenches. George likes ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT WORKBENCHES, he likes them so much that he has THREE of them! The ones that he has are different, and honestly not as nice, as the one that I designed but he really likes the ability to adjust them.

I am very slow with the video editing process and I only have one of the George Vondriska Videos on line so far.

I also interviewed Tom Caspar. Tom is another great guy! He was editor of American Woodworker magazine for many years and he was also the editor of Woodwork magazine for a few years. Tom is also a woodworking instructor and he teaches at the Center for Craftsmanship in Maine. Unfortunately, I had problems with my microphones and was unable to use any of the footage.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say!

Another guy I interviewed was Matt Cremona. Matt is fairly prominent on YouTube and he also does online woodworking classes for the Wood Whisperers Guild.

Right now I am on my way to Reno, California, Vegas, and Denver to interview more people! This is turning out to be quite an adventure!

Here is a Shop Update Video that I recently posted. Let me know how you like the video and what you think of this blog series.

Thanks!!
Charlie

View on YouTube

What kinds of problems are you having with the editing?

I use Power Director
- CharlieK

I'm using Sony Vegas for editing. Mostly just learning the software and figuring stuff out inside of it. My last video, I tried my hand at some simple stop animation. While I was editing, I had sped up that section of the plat back to make all the (what seemed like thousands) of pictures to look like the item was moving. However, after it rendered, it wasn't sped up, so it (I) looked dumb. Ha. I'll figure it out.

I bought a really cheap lapel mic (sony brand) off of Amazon, and a simple Sony (am I a Sony fan boy!?) to go with it. I record all my audio that way, then just sync it to the video. This became a lot easier when I used the "clap" method, start your camera, start your audio recording, then CLAP in front of the camera, sync up the noise and the motion, boom, off to the races. Made a huge difference for me audio wise. My last video I didn't have my mic on, completely forgot it, so went with the audio from the camera, yuck. Oh well, live and learn!

 

[CharlieK]

An Interesting Time...

I started my website and posted my first YouTube video about 7 years ago. Over that time I did what I could to maintain them and keep them fresh, but there are only so many hours in the day. Consequently,I maintained the site fairly well, but I didn't do much on YouTube. Honestly, I didn't get in the shop as much I wanted to either.

I recently retired from my job of 31 years. Now I finally have more time, there is STILL never enough time, but I do have more time for some of the things that I really WANT to do! A few of the things that I really want to do are to spend more time in the shop and to add more content to my YouTube channel.

Lumberjocks is such a great community of woodworkers and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I will still post entries and videos about projects, tools, workbenches, and other things wood. The intention of this particular blog series is to post entries about the trials, the struggles, and the successes of my life as a woodworker, a YouTuber, and a guy running a very small woodworking business.

A while ago I decided to conduct a series of face to face video interviews with prominent woodworkers. So far
I have interviewed George Vondriska of the Woodworkers' Guild of America. George is a great guy and I spent an entire afternoon with him. We did three separate interview videos, one shop tour of his 3000+ square foot shop, and we also did a video where he talks briefly about workbenches. George likes ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT WORKBENCHES, he likes them so much that he has THREE of them! The ones that he has are different, and honestly not as nice, as the one that I designed but he really likes the ability to adjust them.

I am very slow with the video editing process and I only have one of the George Vondriska Videos on line so far.

I also interviewed Tom Caspar. Tom is another great guy! He was editor of American Woodworker magazine for many years and he was also the editor of Woodwork magazine for a few years. Tom is also a woodworking instructor and he teaches at the Center for Craftsmanship in Maine. Unfortunately, I had problems with my microphones and was unable to use any of the footage.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say!

Another guy I interviewed was Matt Cremona. Matt is fairly prominent on YouTube and he also does online woodworking classes for the Wood Whisperers Guild.

Right now I am on my way to Reno, California, Vegas, and Denver to interview more people! This is turning out to be quite an adventure!

Here is a Shop Update Video that I recently posted. Let me know how you like the video and what you think of this blog series.

Thanks!!
Charlie

View on YouTube

Oh yeah, live and learn all right. Once or twice I forgot to turn the mic on. Whoops.

I like the Sony video cameras. I started out with the camera mic, then went to Adzen wireless lavalieres. The Adzen's worked great until I moved around or got more than 12 feet from the receiver. Then I bought the Rode Pro shotgun mic. I wasn't sure if would work for two people and I ordered two sennheiser lavalier microphones. The senheisers are good, but maybe overkill and I am not sure yet if they actually sound any better than the Rode. It sounds like you are doing well with the Sony mic, but if you ever want to switch then I would recommend the Rode shotgun.

 

[Reaperwoodworks]

An Interesting Time...

I started my website and posted my first YouTube video about 7 years ago. Over that time I did what I could to maintain them and keep them fresh, but there are only so many hours in the day. Consequently,I maintained the site fairly well, but I didn't do much on YouTube. Honestly, I didn't get in the shop as much I wanted to either.

I recently retired from my job of 31 years. Now I finally have more time, there is STILL never enough time, but I do have more time for some of the things that I really WANT to do! A few of the things that I really want to do are to spend more time in the shop and to add more content to my YouTube channel.

Lumberjocks is such a great community of woodworkers and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I will still post entries and videos about projects, tools, workbenches, and other things wood. The intention of this particular blog series is to post entries about the trials, the struggles, and the successes of my life as a woodworker, a YouTuber, and a guy running a very small woodworking business.

A while ago I decided to conduct a series of face to face video interviews with prominent woodworkers. So far
I have interviewed George Vondriska of the Woodworkers' Guild of America. George is a great guy and I spent an entire afternoon with him. We did three separate interview videos, one shop tour of his 3000+ square foot shop, and we also did a video where he talks briefly about workbenches. George likes ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT WORKBENCHES, he likes them so much that he has THREE of them! The ones that he has are different, and honestly not as nice, as the one that I designed but he really likes the ability to adjust them.

I am very slow with the video editing process and I only have one of the George Vondriska Videos on line so far.

I also interviewed Tom Caspar. Tom is another great guy! He was editor of American Woodworker magazine for many years and he was also the editor of Woodwork magazine for a few years. Tom is also a woodworking instructor and he teaches at the Center for Craftsmanship in Maine. Unfortunately, I had problems with my microphones and was unable to use any of the footage.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say!

Another guy I interviewed was Matt Cremona. Matt is fairly prominent on YouTube and he also does online woodworking classes for the Wood Whisperers Guild.

Right now I am on my way to Reno, California, Vegas, and Denver to interview more people! This is turning out to be quite an adventure!

Here is a Shop Update Video that I recently posted. Let me know how you like the video and what you think of this blog series.

Thanks!!
Charlie

View on YouTube

The next purchase I make for Youtube is going to be a good DSLR camera. I'm leaning towards a Cannon T3i (I think thats the model). Looks like I can get a used one on Ebay for about 350.00. I need to hammer out some little crafty items and make a little cash to pay for it.

 

[CharlieK]

An Interesting Time...

I started my website and posted my first YouTube video about 7 years ago. Over that time I did what I could to maintain them and keep them fresh, but there are only so many hours in the day. Consequently,I maintained the site fairly well, but I didn't do much on YouTube. Honestly, I didn't get in the shop as much I wanted to either.

I recently retired from my job of 31 years. Now I finally have more time, there is STILL never enough time, but I do have more time for some of the things that I really WANT to do! A few of the things that I really want to do are to spend more time in the shop and to add more content to my YouTube channel.

Lumberjocks is such a great community of woodworkers and I am so happy to be a part of it!

I will still post entries and videos about projects, tools, workbenches, and other things wood. The intention of this particular blog series is to post entries about the trials, the struggles, and the successes of my life as a woodworker, a YouTuber, and a guy running a very small woodworking business.

A while ago I decided to conduct a series of face to face video interviews with prominent woodworkers. So far
I have interviewed George Vondriska of the Woodworkers' Guild of America. George is a great guy and I spent an entire afternoon with him. We did three separate interview videos, one shop tour of his 3000+ square foot shop, and we also did a video where he talks briefly about workbenches. George likes ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT WORKBENCHES, he likes them so much that he has THREE of them! The ones that he has are different, and honestly not as nice, as the one that I designed but he really likes the ability to adjust them.

I am very slow with the video editing process and I only have one of the George Vondriska Videos on line so far.

I also interviewed Tom Caspar. Tom is another great guy! He was editor of American Woodworker magazine for many years and he was also the editor of Woodwork magazine for a few years. Tom is also a woodworking instructor and he teaches at the Center for Craftsmanship in Maine. Unfortunately, I had problems with my microphones and was unable to use any of the footage.

Wow, I didn't know I had so much to say!

Another guy I interviewed was Matt Cremona. Matt is fairly prominent on YouTube and he also does online woodworking classes for the Wood Whisperers Guild.

Right now I am on my way to Reno, California, Vegas, and Denver to interview more people! This is turning out to be quite an adventure!

Here is a Shop Update Video that I recently posted. Let me know how you like the video and what you think of this blog series.

Thanks!!
Charlie

View on YouTube

I think the T3i is a popular camera with YouTubers.

 

[CharlieK]

Travelling to Reno

I am really excited about my my trip to conduct interviews with prominent woodworkers!

I wanted to leave Minneapolis early on Monday, but I didn't get on the road until after 4PM. I have been behind the wheel ever since, but I did take a few pictures along the way. I had always heard of the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD so when I realized that I happened to be right there I had to stop and take a few pictures.

They take their corn very seriously in South Dakota!!

I also got a few Corn Palace souvenirs.

The next day I found myself driving right past Mt. Rushmore, so of course I had to stop there, too!

Currently, I am in Elko, NV and should arrive in Reno tomorrow to interview Zac Higgins.

After that it is on to Sacramento to interview Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop.

After Sacramento it's on to the the Bay area to interview the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper.

I am meeting with many others along my route and I will let you know more about them when I get closer.

 

[Reaperwoodworks]

Travelling to Reno

I am really excited about my my trip to conduct interviews with prominent woodworkers!

I wanted to leave Minneapolis early on Monday, but I didn't get on the road until after 4PM. I have been behind the wheel ever since, but I did take a few pictures along the way. I had always heard of the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD so when I realized that I happened to be right there I had to stop and take a few pictures.

They take their corn very seriously in South Dakota!!

I also got a few Corn Palace souvenirs.

The next day I found myself driving right past Mt. Rushmore, so of course I had to stop there, too!

Currently, I am in Elko, NV and should arrive in Reno tomorrow to interview Zac Higgins.

After that it is on to Sacramento to interview Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop.

After Sacramento it's on to the the Bay area to interview the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper.

I am meeting with many others along my route and I will let you know more about them when I get closer.

What a fantastic adventure! Keep sharing, this is awesome.

 

[doubleDD]

Travelling to Reno

I am really excited about my my trip to conduct interviews with prominent woodworkers!

I wanted to leave Minneapolis early on Monday, but I didn't get on the road until after 4PM. I have been behind the wheel ever since, but I did take a few pictures along the way. I had always heard of the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD so when I realized that I happened to be right there I had to stop and take a few pictures.

They take their corn very seriously in South Dakota!!

I also got a few Corn Palace souvenirs.

The next day I found myself driving right past Mt. Rushmore, so of course I had to stop there, too!

Currently, I am in Elko, NV and should arrive in Reno tomorrow to interview Zac Higgins.

After that it is on to Sacramento to interview Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop.

After Sacramento it's on to the the Bay area to interview the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper.

I am meeting with many others along my route and I will let you know more about them when I get closer.

Good scoop. I almost feel like I am on vacation.

 

[DocSavage45]

Travelling to Reno

I am really excited about my my trip to conduct interviews with prominent woodworkers!

I wanted to leave Minneapolis early on Monday, but I didn't get on the road until after 4PM. I have been behind the wheel ever since, but I did take a few pictures along the way. I had always heard of the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD so when I realized that I happened to be right there I had to stop and take a few pictures.

They take their corn very seriously in South Dakota!!

I also got a few Corn Palace souvenirs.

The next day I found myself driving right past Mt. Rushmore, so of course I had to stop there, too!

Currently, I am in Elko, NV and should arrive in Reno tomorrow to interview Zac Higgins.

After that it is on to Sacramento to interview Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop.

After Sacramento it's on to the the Bay area to interview the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper.

I am meeting with many others along my route and I will let you know more about them when I get closer.

Have fun, take your time and enjoy!

 

[CharlieK]

I made it to Reno......and Beyond!

The first leg of my trip was driving from Minneapolis to Reno so that I could interview Zac Higgins.

Me and Zac Higgins

The drive was long, but pleasant. I haven't been in the mountains for a few years and the scenery through Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada was beautiful!

There was a long stretch outside of Casper WY where the sky was bright and sunny, and the surface of the snow was crystallized. For miles and miles, the snow looked like it was coated with bright shimmering diamonds. The word "awesome" is overused, but it was just that.

Reno is a special place for me because I lived here when I was younger. I attended elementary, middle, and high school here, but this is the first time I have been back since I was 17 years old! I really looked forward to seeing how it has changed and I was surprised by how familiar was to me. I recognized all the major streets and had no trouble finding my way around. I drove past my old schools and the places where I had lived and was very surprised to see that they are still there.

Reno is a nice town and the one thing that did surprise me was how close and how big the mountains are! I guess since I grew up there I didn't recognize how special that really is.
Unfortunately, downtown Reno does struggle with some of the same problems that other cities struggle with.

In the stairwell of the downtown parking ramp:

But I digress.

One of my best memories from growing up in Reno was visiting the Harrah's Automobile Collection. In its day this was the largest and probably the best automobile collection in the world, really! At one time the collection contained 1400 cars! It is not that big anymore and it is now called the National Automobile Museum, but there was no way I was going to pass on a chance to stop in and look around!

John Wayne's 1953 Corvette

1936 Mercedes

OK, back to woodworking!

I met Zac Higgins at his shop in Carson City, NV. He shares a 4000 sq. ft. space with his father. His father is a pretty cool guy, too!

Zac and I spent several hours together and I did both an interview and shop tour with him. Zac has a full woodshop and lots of cool lumber, but his main focus right now is casting specialized pen blanks. Zac has spent a lot of time honing his craft and I am quite impressed with his methodical and disciplined approach. I will say more about this when the videos are ready, but suffice it to say that if you are at all interested in specialized pen blanks then you owe it to yourself to check out his web site http://nvwoodwerks.com/ and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaiEQvv5CgXjk1qN7qevQUQ

Zac has zillions of ideas for pen blanks! His most popular blanks are inspired by college and sports team colors.

This is his Saints pen blank.

Zac is not too happy with this bandsaw!

My next stops are:
Sacramento to visit Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop

Sebastapol CA to visit the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper

Santa Rosa to visit Peter Brown

Los Angeles to visit Matthew Morris

Las Vegas to visit Braxton Wirthlin

Denver to interview Andrew Klein

I will definitely let you know how it goes!

Charlie

 

[DocSavage45]

I made it to Reno......and Beyond!

The first leg of my trip was driving from Minneapolis to Reno so that I could interview Zac Higgins.

Me and Zac Higgins

The drive was long, but pleasant. I haven't been in the mountains for a few years and the scenery through Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada was beautiful!

There was a long stretch outside of Casper WY where the sky was bright and sunny, and the surface of the snow was crystallized. For miles and miles, the snow looked like it was coated with bright shimmering diamonds. The word "awesome" is overused, but it was just that.

Reno is a special place for me because I lived here when I was younger. I attended elementary, middle, and high school here, but this is the first time I have been back since I was 17 years old! I really looked forward to seeing how it has changed and I was surprised by how familiar was to me. I recognized all the major streets and had no trouble finding my way around. I drove past my old schools and the places where I had lived and was very surprised to see that they are still there.

Reno is a nice town and the one thing that did surprise me was how close and how big the mountains are! I guess since I grew up there I didn't recognize how special that really is.
Unfortunately, downtown Reno does struggle with some of the same problems that other cities struggle with.

In the stairwell of the downtown parking ramp:

But I digress.

One of my best memories from growing up in Reno was visiting the Harrah's Automobile Collection. In its day this was the largest and probably the best automobile collection in the world, really! At one time the collection contained 1400 cars! It is not that big anymore and it is now called the National Automobile Museum, but there was no way I was going to pass on a chance to stop in and look around!

John Wayne's 1953 Corvette

1936 Mercedes

OK, back to woodworking!

I met Zac Higgins at his shop in Carson City, NV. He shares a 4000 sq. ft. space with his father. His father is a pretty cool guy, too!

Zac and I spent several hours together and I did both an interview and shop tour with him. Zac has a full woodshop and lots of cool lumber, but his main focus right now is casting specialized pen blanks. Zac has spent a lot of time honing his craft and I am quite impressed with his methodical and disciplined approach. I will say more about this when the videos are ready, but suffice it to say that if you are at all interested in specialized pen blanks then you owe it to yourself to check out his web site http://nvwoodwerks.com/ and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaiEQvv5CgXjk1qN7qevQUQ

Zac has zillions of ideas for pen blanks! His most popular blanks are inspired by college and sports team colors.

This is his Saints pen blank.

Zac is not too happy with this bandsaw!

My next stops are:
Sacramento to visit Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop

Sebastapol CA to visit the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper

Santa Rosa to visit Peter Brown

Los Angeles to visit Matthew Morris

Las Vegas to visit Braxton Wirthlin

Denver to interview Andrew Klein

I will definitely let you know how it goes!

Charlie

Charlie,

I learned something that I didn't know about you. You aren't a Minnesotan original. Like me you are a transplant. You left at a good time. MN winter. LOL! Looks like your having a great and wonderful ride. I'm envious! LOL!

Casper Wyoming is only a place I can dream about.

Looking forward to your new career.

 

[CharlieK]

I made it to Reno......and Beyond!

The first leg of my trip was driving from Minneapolis to Reno so that I could interview Zac Higgins.

Me and Zac Higgins

The drive was long, but pleasant. I haven't been in the mountains for a few years and the scenery through Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada was beautiful!

There was a long stretch outside of Casper WY where the sky was bright and sunny, and the surface of the snow was crystallized. For miles and miles, the snow looked like it was coated with bright shimmering diamonds. The word "awesome" is overused, but it was just that.

Reno is a special place for me because I lived here when I was younger. I attended elementary, middle, and high school here, but this is the first time I have been back since I was 17 years old! I really looked forward to seeing how it has changed and I was surprised by how familiar was to me. I recognized all the major streets and had no trouble finding my way around. I drove past my old schools and the places where I had lived and was very surprised to see that they are still there.

Reno is a nice town and the one thing that did surprise me was how close and how big the mountains are! I guess since I grew up there I didn't recognize how special that really is.
Unfortunately, downtown Reno does struggle with some of the same problems that other cities struggle with.

In the stairwell of the downtown parking ramp:

But I digress.

One of my best memories from growing up in Reno was visiting the Harrah's Automobile Collection. In its day this was the largest and probably the best automobile collection in the world, really! At one time the collection contained 1400 cars! It is not that big anymore and it is now called the National Automobile Museum, but there was no way I was going to pass on a chance to stop in and look around!

John Wayne's 1953 Corvette

1936 Mercedes

OK, back to woodworking!

I met Zac Higgins at his shop in Carson City, NV. He shares a 4000 sq. ft. space with his father. His father is a pretty cool guy, too!

Zac and I spent several hours together and I did both an interview and shop tour with him. Zac has a full woodshop and lots of cool lumber, but his main focus right now is casting specialized pen blanks. Zac has spent a lot of time honing his craft and I am quite impressed with his methodical and disciplined approach. I will say more about this when the videos are ready, but suffice it to say that if you are at all interested in specialized pen blanks then you owe it to yourself to check out his web site http://nvwoodwerks.com/ and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaiEQvv5CgXjk1qN7qevQUQ

Zac has zillions of ideas for pen blanks! His most popular blanks are inspired by college and sports team colors.

This is his Saints pen blank.

Zac is not too happy with this bandsaw!

My next stops are:
Sacramento to visit Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop

Sebastapol CA to visit the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper

Santa Rosa to visit Peter Brown

Los Angeles to visit Matthew Morris

Las Vegas to visit Braxton Wirthlin

Denver to interview Andrew Klein

I will definitely let you know how it goes!

Charlie

Thanks Tom. It looks like I got out in the nick of time!

 

[DocSavage45]

I made it to Reno......and Beyond!

The first leg of my trip was driving from Minneapolis to Reno so that I could interview Zac Higgins.

Me and Zac Higgins

The drive was long, but pleasant. I haven't been in the mountains for a few years and the scenery through Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada was beautiful!

There was a long stretch outside of Casper WY where the sky was bright and sunny, and the surface of the snow was crystallized. For miles and miles, the snow looked like it was coated with bright shimmering diamonds. The word "awesome" is overused, but it was just that.

Reno is a special place for me because I lived here when I was younger. I attended elementary, middle, and high school here, but this is the first time I have been back since I was 17 years old! I really looked forward to seeing how it has changed and I was surprised by how familiar was to me. I recognized all the major streets and had no trouble finding my way around. I drove past my old schools and the places where I had lived and was very surprised to see that they are still there.

Reno is a nice town and the one thing that did surprise me was how close and how big the mountains are! I guess since I grew up there I didn't recognize how special that really is.
Unfortunately, downtown Reno does struggle with some of the same problems that other cities struggle with.

In the stairwell of the downtown parking ramp:

But I digress.

One of my best memories from growing up in Reno was visiting the Harrah's Automobile Collection. In its day this was the largest and probably the best automobile collection in the world, really! At one time the collection contained 1400 cars! It is not that big anymore and it is now called the National Automobile Museum, but there was no way I was going to pass on a chance to stop in and look around!

John Wayne's 1953 Corvette

1936 Mercedes

OK, back to woodworking!

I met Zac Higgins at his shop in Carson City, NV. He shares a 4000 sq. ft. space with his father. His father is a pretty cool guy, too!

Zac and I spent several hours together and I did both an interview and shop tour with him. Zac has a full woodshop and lots of cool lumber, but his main focus right now is casting specialized pen blanks. Zac has spent a lot of time honing his craft and I am quite impressed with his methodical and disciplined approach. I will say more about this when the videos are ready, but suffice it to say that if you are at all interested in specialized pen blanks then you owe it to yourself to check out his web site http://nvwoodwerks.com/ and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaiEQvv5CgXjk1qN7qevQUQ

Zac has zillions of ideas for pen blanks! His most popular blanks are inspired by college and sports team colors.

This is his Saints pen blank.

Zac is not too happy with this bandsaw!

My next stops are:
Sacramento to visit Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop

Sebastapol CA to visit the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper

Santa Rosa to visit Peter Brown

Los Angeles to visit Matthew Morris

Las Vegas to visit Braxton Wirthlin

Denver to interview Andrew Klein

I will definitely let you know how it goes!

Charlie

"You Betcha!" LOL!

 

[MLWilson]

I made it to Reno......and Beyond!

The first leg of my trip was driving from Minneapolis to Reno so that I could interview Zac Higgins.

Me and Zac Higgins

The drive was long, but pleasant. I haven't been in the mountains for a few years and the scenery through Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada was beautiful!

There was a long stretch outside of Casper WY where the sky was bright and sunny, and the surface of the snow was crystallized. For miles and miles, the snow looked like it was coated with bright shimmering diamonds. The word "awesome" is overused, but it was just that.

Reno is a special place for me because I lived here when I was younger. I attended elementary, middle, and high school here, but this is the first time I have been back since I was 17 years old! I really looked forward to seeing how it has changed and I was surprised by how familiar was to me. I recognized all the major streets and had no trouble finding my way around. I drove past my old schools and the places where I had lived and was very surprised to see that they are still there.

Reno is a nice town and the one thing that did surprise me was how close and how big the mountains are! I guess since I grew up there I didn't recognize how special that really is.
Unfortunately, downtown Reno does struggle with some of the same problems that other cities struggle with.

In the stairwell of the downtown parking ramp:

But I digress.

One of my best memories from growing up in Reno was visiting the Harrah's Automobile Collection. In its day this was the largest and probably the best automobile collection in the world, really! At one time the collection contained 1400 cars! It is not that big anymore and it is now called the National Automobile Museum, but there was no way I was going to pass on a chance to stop in and look around!

John Wayne's 1953 Corvette

1936 Mercedes

OK, back to woodworking!

I met Zac Higgins at his shop in Carson City, NV. He shares a 4000 sq. ft. space with his father. His father is a pretty cool guy, too!

Zac and I spent several hours together and I did both an interview and shop tour with him. Zac has a full woodshop and lots of cool lumber, but his main focus right now is casting specialized pen blanks. Zac has spent a lot of time honing his craft and I am quite impressed with his methodical and disciplined approach. I will say more about this when the videos are ready, but suffice it to say that if you are at all interested in specialized pen blanks then you owe it to yourself to check out his web site http://nvwoodwerks.com/ and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaiEQvv5CgXjk1qN7qevQUQ

Zac has zillions of ideas for pen blanks! His most popular blanks are inspired by college and sports team colors.

This is his Saints pen blank.

Zac is not too happy with this bandsaw!

My next stops are:
Sacramento to visit Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop

Sebastapol CA to visit the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper

Santa Rosa to visit Peter Brown

Los Angeles to visit Matthew Morris

Las Vegas to visit Braxton Wirthlin

Denver to interview Andrew Klein

I will definitely let you know how it goes!

Charlie

Matthew Morris is in L.A.? Didn't know that. That's my area. Speaking of the area: You're into car museums, are you, Charlie? Google this - http://www.nethercuttcollection.org/. It's in Sylmar. (NE end of the Valley.) Been there a couple times. Really enjoyed it. Would go there often, if it weren't fifty miles from Whittier, through some of the Southland's nastiest traffic. Not just a car collection. It's a feast for the fancy wood aficionado's eyes, as well. And, it's free. They require reservations for the full tour, but the main car collection is open every day. See the website.
Oh, if interviewing the masters is what this trip is about, know this: Boris Khechoyan (LJs "Borchik - http://woodcarver4u.com/) is in Anaheim. I'm sure that you, being a master-planner, built flexibility into your itinerary.

 

[CharlieK]

I made it to Reno......and Beyond!

The first leg of my trip was driving from Minneapolis to Reno so that I could interview Zac Higgins.

Me and Zac Higgins

The drive was long, but pleasant. I haven't been in the mountains for a few years and the scenery through Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada was beautiful!

There was a long stretch outside of Casper WY where the sky was bright and sunny, and the surface of the snow was crystallized. For miles and miles, the snow looked like it was coated with bright shimmering diamonds. The word "awesome" is overused, but it was just that.

Reno is a special place for me because I lived here when I was younger. I attended elementary, middle, and high school here, but this is the first time I have been back since I was 17 years old! I really looked forward to seeing how it has changed and I was surprised by how familiar was to me. I recognized all the major streets and had no trouble finding my way around. I drove past my old schools and the places where I had lived and was very surprised to see that they are still there.

Reno is a nice town and the one thing that did surprise me was how close and how big the mountains are! I guess since I grew up there I didn't recognize how special that really is.
Unfortunately, downtown Reno does struggle with some of the same problems that other cities struggle with.

In the stairwell of the downtown parking ramp:

But I digress.

One of my best memories from growing up in Reno was visiting the Harrah's Automobile Collection. In its day this was the largest and probably the best automobile collection in the world, really! At one time the collection contained 1400 cars! It is not that big anymore and it is now called the National Automobile Museum, but there was no way I was going to pass on a chance to stop in and look around!

John Wayne's 1953 Corvette

1936 Mercedes

OK, back to woodworking!

I met Zac Higgins at his shop in Carson City, NV. He shares a 4000 sq. ft. space with his father. His father is a pretty cool guy, too!

Zac and I spent several hours together and I did both an interview and shop tour with him. Zac has a full woodshop and lots of cool lumber, but his main focus right now is casting specialized pen blanks. Zac has spent a lot of time honing his craft and I am quite impressed with his methodical and disciplined approach. I will say more about this when the videos are ready, but suffice it to say that if you are at all interested in specialized pen blanks then you owe it to yourself to check out his web site http://nvwoodwerks.com/ and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaiEQvv5CgXjk1qN7qevQUQ

Zac has zillions of ideas for pen blanks! His most popular blanks are inspired by college and sports team colors.

This is his Saints pen blank.

Zac is not too happy with this bandsaw!

My next stops are:
Sacramento to visit Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop

Sebastapol CA to visit the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper

Santa Rosa to visit Peter Brown

Los Angeles to visit Matthew Morris

Las Vegas to visit Braxton Wirthlin

Denver to interview Andrew Klein

I will definitely let you know how it goes!

Charlie

That car museum looks fantastic! If I can work it into my "flexible" schedule then I will go. Boris seems familiar to me, but I don't know from where. Does he teach at Marc Adams school?

 

[mattcremona]

I made it to Reno......and Beyond!

The first leg of my trip was driving from Minneapolis to Reno so that I could interview Zac Higgins.

Me and Zac Higgins

The drive was long, but pleasant. I haven't been in the mountains for a few years and the scenery through Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada was beautiful!

There was a long stretch outside of Casper WY where the sky was bright and sunny, and the surface of the snow was crystallized. For miles and miles, the snow looked like it was coated with bright shimmering diamonds. The word "awesome" is overused, but it was just that.

Reno is a special place for me because I lived here when I was younger. I attended elementary, middle, and high school here, but this is the first time I have been back since I was 17 years old! I really looked forward to seeing how it has changed and I was surprised by how familiar was to me. I recognized all the major streets and had no trouble finding my way around. I drove past my old schools and the places where I had lived and was very surprised to see that they are still there.

Reno is a nice town and the one thing that did surprise me was how close and how big the mountains are! I guess since I grew up there I didn't recognize how special that really is.
Unfortunately, downtown Reno does struggle with some of the same problems that other cities struggle with.

In the stairwell of the downtown parking ramp:

But I digress.

One of my best memories from growing up in Reno was visiting the Harrah's Automobile Collection. In its day this was the largest and probably the best automobile collection in the world, really! At one time the collection contained 1400 cars! It is not that big anymore and it is now called the National Automobile Museum, but there was no way I was going to pass on a chance to stop in and look around!

John Wayne's 1953 Corvette

1936 Mercedes

OK, back to woodworking!

I met Zac Higgins at his shop in Carson City, NV. He shares a 4000 sq. ft. space with his father. His father is a pretty cool guy, too!

Zac and I spent several hours together and I did both an interview and shop tour with him. Zac has a full woodshop and lots of cool lumber, but his main focus right now is casting specialized pen blanks. Zac has spent a lot of time honing his craft and I am quite impressed with his methodical and disciplined approach. I will say more about this when the videos are ready, but suffice it to say that if you are at all interested in specialized pen blanks then you owe it to yourself to check out his web site http://nvwoodwerks.com/ and YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaiEQvv5CgXjk1qN7qevQUQ

Zac has zillions of ideas for pen blanks! His most popular blanks are inspired by college and sports team colors.

This is his Saints pen blank.

Zac is not too happy with this bandsaw!

My next stops are:
Sacramento to visit Ray Mowder of TabLeft Workshop

Sebastapol CA to visit the great wood sculptor, Michael Cooper

Santa Rosa to visit Peter Brown

Los Angeles to visit Matthew Morris

Las Vegas to visit Braxton Wirthlin

Denver to interview Andrew Klein

I will definitely let you know how it goes!

Charlie

Looks like you're having a blast, Charlie! Enjoy the rest of the trip!