Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-3, страница 10
The Woodworker's Journal Looking for woodworking bargains wherever I can find them. Are Woodworkers Recession-proof? Iwas raised in a blended family — my heritage is derived from a German Catholic mother and a Scottish Protestant father. As a result, my siblings and I were treated to a ground-floor view of a remarkable sociological experiment: discovering which of those two cultures valued thriftiness to a larger degree. Add to this cultural pressure cooker the fact that both of my parents were children of the Great Depression, and you can see that the skill of squeezing the most out of a dollar was honed to a razor-sharp edge in the world of my childhood. To this day, my siblings and I (there are five of us) exhibit a strange ritual when we gather as a family. We each, in a casual and offhand manner, manage to bring up in conversation how inexpensively we purchased, say, the clothing we're wearing: "I got this shirt for 50 cents at a thrift store," my eldest sister may start out. "Looks great, doesn't it?" With the drop of this gauntlet, our aggregate claims of money-stretching miracles begin to spin out of control. The folks who have married into this dysfunctional bluelight special of a family look baffled and confused at first, but they have learned over the years to simply get out of the way. This is no place for amateurs. I mention this only because I am also a member of another group — perhaps the only other group in the world — that can challenge my family when it comes to our thrifty nature: woodworkers. I love the fact that many woodworkers will spend days building a large, elaborate and complicated jig from scrap they have laying around the shop, rather than fork over $40 for a sleek manufactured model that does essentially the same thing. Why am I thinking about the thrifty nature of my family, friends and fellow woodworkers? It's because of the grave economic predictions I've been hearing from various sources — namely, fears of recession. If a recession rears its unwelcome head, I'm wondering how it will affect us woodworkers. Given our predilection for frugality, will we spend less on our hobby — or more? Will we use it to make a little money on the side, or stretch our home furnishing dollars further than usual? In previous downturns, we woodworkers didn't seem to flinch — our hobby doesn't "cost" money, it saves money, right? So I am curious ... let me know about your strategies for dealing with a recession. And if you try to impress me by bragging about a great bargain you've recently found, be forewarned ... I am no amateur. m~m JT VT Featured Author: Michael Dresdner_ As a contributing editor of Woodworker's Journal, Michael is our on-staff finishing guru. His "Finishing Hotline" column is one of the most-read sections of the magazine. What some print readers may not know is that Michael is also the editor of our online magazine Woodworker's Journal eZine. His books The New Wood Finishing Book and Wood Finishing Fixes are top sellers in the woodworking press. While finishing is his forte, Michael is a luthier and master woodworker as well. When not working on his various Journal projects, he can be found in the footlights of a local theater company. MAY/JUNE 2008 Volume 32, Number 3 ROB JOHNSTONE Editor in Chief JOANNA WERCH TAKES Senior Editor CHRIS MARSHALL Field Editor JEFF JACOBSON Senior Art Director JOEFAHEY Associate Art Director MATTHEW BECKER Content Coordinator LARRY N.STOIAKEN Publisher DANA SEVERSON Advertising Director ALYSSATAUER Advertising Operations MARY TZIMOKAS Circulation Director KELLY ROSAAEN Circulation Manager MEG CLARK Direct Mail Manager Founder and CEO ANN ROCKLER JACKSON Editorial Advisors NORTON ROCKLER JOHN KELLIHER Contributing Editors MICHAEL DRESDNER RICK WHITE GEORGE VONDRISKA ADVERTISING SALES J.F. Van Gilder Company 12740 Hillcrest Plaza Dr., Suite 120 Dallas, Texas 75230 DAVID BECKLER david@jvgco.com TERRI MATHIS terri@jvgco.com JIM VAN GILDER jim@jvgco.com Phone: (972) 392-1892 Fax: (972) 392-1893 Member ft Audit Bureau of Circulations EDITORIAL INQUIRIES ROB JOHNSTONE rjohnstone@wood\vorkersjourrial.com 763-478-8255 JOANNA WERCH TAKES jtakesSwoodv/orkersjournal.com 763-478-8303 CHRIS MARSHALL cmarshallQwoodworkersjournaLcom 614-746-2985 SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES (800) 765-4119 or www.woodworkersjournal.com. Write Woodworker's Journal, P.O. Box 56583, Boulder, CO 80322-6583. E-mail: woodworkersjourna'. ineodata.com. Include mailing label for renewals and address changes. For gift subscriptions, include your name and address and your gift recipient's. BOOK SALES AND BACK ISSUES Call: (800 J 610-0883 www. woodworkersjournal. com VISIT 00R HOME PAGE: ©2008 Rockier Press Inc. Printed in USA 10 |
