Are Words Enough? - Charles Neil Woodworking

No. 21 April 2009 

Welcome all New Subscribers! 

Are Words Enough? 

I have written about this before, but as 

we were doing the photo shoot for Fine 

Woodworking Magazine, I kept thinking 

we were showing “about” more than 

how. That isn’t a bad thing, many of us 

can read something and understand 

the concept, then by putting it into 

practice we achieve it. But many of us 

can’t and that is why we need photos or 

videos to show us. 

The written word can describe and 

record general idea and directions and 

if you add photos, much less needs to 

be written. Add moving pictures and 

some audio explanation and not much 

else is needed. 

The thing I find in written articles is that 

it leaves the details and pitfalls for you 

to experience or it might become 

rhetorical and boring. For me, writing is 

a challenge because my mind resorts to 

all of the implications of doing the 

subject of the piece and then I’m 

thinking of the successes and failures I 

have had and what was the noted 

difference. It’s like the “spline” thing to 

straighten a board that I wrote about 

recently in my blog. If all is well, it is not 

needed....but I know from many years 

of experience that all too often all is not 

well and in woodworking there are many 

variables. 

It’s often more a case of overcoming 

those variables that makes for success 

and therefore, now that technology has 

made it available for more of us 

common folk to explain things on video, 

the written word is becoming less useful. 

Let us hear what you think, join the 

forum or comment on the blog. 

We have just added a special section in the 

forum for making comments or asking 

questions about things you read in our monthly 

newsletters.

2 Monthly Newsletter April 2009 

My World 

Hard at it as always and liking it. My 

seeds are planted (inside) and my 

plants I ordered for my garden have 

arrived. I’m looking forward to the 

garden a lot. Funny how at the end of 

every gardening season I say I’m not 

going to do it the next year, but Spring 

comes along and I can’t wait to get 

started! My garden is an escape for me 

just like 

when I go 

on the road 

to meet the 

woodworki 

ng folks, I 

enjoy both. 

This past month has been a lot of tool 

testing, using and learning for me. 

That an be tough, I have had a lot of 

projects to get done and I have a lot 

more to do. There will be a lot of “Tool 

Crib” this month because I found a lot 

of stuff you might find worth taking a 

look at. 

Kinda funny, I got an email from the 

web master, Ken, who was in a 

Woodcraft store in Denver, CO. He 

said they were playing one of my 

DVDs. Ken made a comment to the 

guy that he did my “woodworking web 

site,” and the guy replied, “Some 

people shouldn’t get in front of a 

camera.” Now that’s funny! Maybe 

that is why I haven’t heard from 

Hollywood yet! 

There is a lot to that though, hey, they 

don’t like my hair, my clothes, my voice, 

my accent, you name it. Wonder why 

we sell so many DVDs? It is an 

amazing world we live in, but like I’ve 

told you before, I’m not out to impress 

anyone, just teach. Then again, just 

had another thought, “Why was the guy 

playing the DVD? 

Oh well, this happens a lot, and not just 

to me. A friend sent me an email the 

other day and told me to take a look at 

a video on youtube. Click Here if you 

want to check out something totally 

amazing. “Don’t judge what’s in a 

package by it’s wrapping!” 

My Daily Blog 

Stats are rising on the blog hits so it 

looks like many more of you are starting 

to check in every once in a while. Don’t 

be shy and feel free to post a comment 

or question at any time. 

This past month we’ve had a lot of 

woodworking and non-woodworking 

going on so not a lot of build blogs, but 

we did manage to get the Step Back 

and Slant Front Desk completed and in 

their new home. Yesterday we posted 

some photos on the blog of the pieces 

nested in their new home, check it out. 

th 

April 14 Blog - Home Sweet Home!


In My Opinion.... 

Water Based finishes and 

colorings are here, here to stay 

and....the finish of the future. 

Many states are lowering VOC 

requirements and a couple are 

looking to mandate water 

based finishes. 

The water base industry has come 

so far in product development and 

has proven the products to be 

comparable to solvent based 

products that it can now be 

mandated. In Europe, it is all 

water base coatings and is 

coming quickly to North 

America as well. 

The move toward water base is 

evidenced by the fact that every finish 

company is now offering a line of water 

based products. The companies who 

are totally water base are gaining some 

ground and the solvent bases are 

losing. 

In my opinion, there is just reason. 

Water based finishes are excellent. I 

actually NOW prefer them over solvent. 

(This was not the case 1 1/2 years ago 

when I was adamant that I would never 

go water base). 

I find that there seems to be a problem 

in that many are turning a blind eye to 

learning the advantages and taking the 

time to learn how to use the products. 

Hope they don’t get caught with their 

pants down! 

While doing the photo shoot, the 

gentleman from FWW and I had a 

conversation about this topic. It became 

apparent that there are certainly some 

misunderstandings of the products and 

their usage. He seemed to have a lot of 

faith in those who have written books on 

finishing. 

So I pondered....why has no one done a 

book on water base? The answer is 

simple....no one wants to take the time 

to research, test and learn the facts. 

Well, I know someone who has, so now 

I’m thinking, why not? and seriously 

thinking about a video companion on 

DVD. Nothing but water base finishes. 

It needs to be done and I’m about as 

armed to do it as anyone. 

I’ll keep on pondering, let me hear your 

thoughts. 

The Finish Line 

Shellac and Water Base 

We all know that 

shellac is compatible 

with all known 

finishes and in the 

case of water base it 

is often used as a 

bond coat between an oil based product 

and the water base finish. BUT, too 

much shellac can cause issues.


Shellac dries to a hard and glossy 

finish. Solvent based finishes like 

lacquer and shellac melt into each 

other creating a chemical bond. 

Polyurethane water base products DO 

NOT. While there is slight “burn in”, it 

is very slight. 

Have you every put 

latex paint over a 

glass window pane? 

Looks good and will 

endure for a time but 

eventually it peels 

off. Heavy coats of shellac will act like 

that glass. Applying two or three heavy 

coats of shellac and you have 

decreased your long term bond. One 

wet coat of a 2 lb. Cut is the most you 

want and 1 lb. is even better. 

The use of light coats will allow two 

things to happen. First, it is thin 

enough for the water base to bite in to 

and it also doesn’t fill the wood pores 

so the water base has a mechanical 

bite. 

I always lightly scuff the shellac coat 

using a synthetic steel wool or a fine 

Scotch Brite pad. I do it just enough to 

dull the finish a little and leave a 

scratch for the top coat to bite in to. 

It is the same with polyurethane 

whether water base or solvent. Polys, 

just like water base finishes, create 

single layer coats, meaning they stack 

one on top of the other. The issue then 

becomes the bond between the layers, 

again, a light scuff sanding with some 

320 grit on a full coat or some 600 grit 

or fine Scotch Brite on a thin coat. Like 

the shellac, it will insure the bond. 

The last point I want to make is that you 

need to allow any oil based product a 

full dry. Oils that are linseed based can 

take weeks. Oils like Waterlox, Seal-A- 

Cell and Arm-R-Seal take 2-3 days. 

Always try and stay with water base 

throughout your project, stains, glazes, 

etc. However, there are always those 

however(s)! If you want to pop the grain, 

nothing beats oil. Just use a good one 

that will dry. 

Oil Blotching 

I recently wrote about this subject in my 

blog. Often, we like to use oil as a base 

or as a finish on cherry. Nothing beats 

nicely colored cherry with a coat of Arm- 

R-Seal or Waterlox on it. The amber 

color of the oil really brings the color out 

as well as allowing it to darken on its 

own to that beautiful patina we all love. 

Oils also, because of the amber/honey 

color tend to warm the wood and add a 

depth. 

Here is where you may encounter a 

problem (if you want to call it that), is


that the oil will also be absorbed 

unevenly due to the hard and soft 

grains within the wood. Give it six 

months to age naturally or a few hours 

in the sun and it will mellow in and the 

color will even out. Another solution is 

to give it a coat or two of a hand wiped 

water base finish. It’s totally clear and 

will help to give you an equal density 

surface. 

Use lacquers or acrylics, a product like 

General Finishes Poly-Acrylic also 

works well. Always test a scrap. I 

apply it with a rag, wipe it on pressing 

firmly to get it in the wood, then light 

sand with some 320 grit. I apply a 

second coat if needed. When dry, 

another light scuff and then the oil. 

Absorption will not be as much as raw 

wood, but the oil will bond and color the 

wood. It has worked well for me 

through the years. 

If you like to use white maple or other 

white woods and do not want the 

amber coloring, again, go with the 

crystal clear water base finish and you 

will be very pleased. 

Craftsman Profile 

Jeff Fleischer 

I first met Jeff at the 

Washington 

Woodworker’s Guild 

and later found out 

he had retired and 

moved not far from 

my shop. Over the 

past year or so, Jeff and I have become 

good friends. He also took my Finishing 

Class. Jeff has shown that he is quite 

the woodworker....just excellent. For 

those of you who follow my blog, 

recently we tailed along with Jeff as he 

built a vanity for his bathroom remodel. 

Here’s a shot of the final piece. There 

are more photos in the forum, just look 

up chpcrvr. 

Jeff’s chip carving is 

out of this world. 

When I made the 

Sugar Chest Project 

DVD, Jeff came 

over and carved a 

‘rosette’ in the front 

of the old pine one, 

so many of you 

have met Jeff, you 

just didn’t know it. 

Jeff also likes tools and every time I get 

something or he does, we share info. 

His wife Ellen has sort of banned him 

from the shop from time to time as it 

seems when I get something new to test


or demo, well, you get the point. So 

here is Jeff’s story in his own words 

and just because he resembles Norm 

Abram, don’t hold that against him, he’s 

not really not fond of brad nailers. 

“Jeff, what’s your story?” 

I have the good fortune to live in the 

same town as Charles Neil, New 

Market, VA, in the Shenandoah Valley. 

I’ve known Charles as an instructor, 

mentor and now as a good friend. It 

has been a wonderful experience to be 

able to stop by his workshop and talk 

woodworking, play with the latest tools 

and discuss his favorite topic....politics! 

I started ‘serious’ woodworking in the 

mid-1990's as a woodcarver. I’ve done 

a variety of wood carvings but gradually 

began to focus on a specific style 

called chip carving. Chip carving is a 

decorative style of carving which, unlike 

carving caricatures or relief carving, 

needs something to carve onto. You will 

see chip carving embellishments on 

objects like wooden plates, jewelry 

boxes and furniture. 

Since chip carving is a decorative form 

of carving, you need something to 

carve. That is how I made the transition 

into woodworking. You can only buy so 

many basswood plates and boxes! As 

most woodworkers, I started my hobby 

with a shop in my basement in our home 

in Herndon, VA. Doesn’t everyone fill 

up a 10' x 10' area with a table saw, 

jointer, planer, drill press, lathe, etc., 

etc? It was fun to now create my own 

pieces that I could enhance with my chip 

carving. 

In 2006 I was able to retire and my wife 

and I moved to New Market. We had 

been coming to the Valley for 20-plus 

years while our kids were growing up. 

We sold our cabin in the woods and 

purchased a ‘full size’ retirement home 

with a beautiful view of the valley and 

mountains. Best of all is the 20' x 30' 

detached structure I can use as my 

shop. Plenty of space....right! There is 

a downside to knowing Charles....seeing 

more and more tools that I ‘need to buy!


I still build items for around the house 

and as gifts, but I am also trying to do 

word-of-mouth commission work. I 

continue to try to merge my carving 

with my woodworking designs and I’ve 

taken up wood turning over the past 

couple of years as well. My goal is to 

continue to merge the three mediums 

into my designs. 

I mentioned that I retired in 2006 and 

moved to New Market with my wife, 

Ellen. My formal education includes a 

MS degree in Photographic Science 

(the technical aspects of photography) 

from the Rochester Institute of 

Technology and a MS degree in 

Computer Science from George 

Washington University. I worked for 

the Central Intelligence Agency for 33 

years. My wife and I have two grown 

sons who also live in Virginia. 

I currently teach chip carving at the 

North Bennett Street School in Boston, 

MA and was one of twenty featured 

artists in Wayne Barton’s (the guru of 

chip carving in the US) book, The Art of 

Chip Carving. 

Based upon my teaching experiences, I 

developed and sell a chip carving kit for 

people wanting to learn how to chip 

carve. The kit is called, Stamp ‘n Chip, 

and contains a set of rubber stamps 

with the basic designs used to learn 

chip carving. An ink pad and a 26 page 

workbook. Chip carving is fun, relaxing 

and rewarding. 

The unique 

concept of using 

pre-made 

designs on 

rubber stamps 

makes it even 

more so for the beginner. Rubber 

stamps eliminate the time consuming 

and often frustrating process of drawing 

and re-drawing designs necessary for 

practice. The joy of carving is learning 

how to properly “chip” the pieces of 

wood. 

I would love for you to drop by my web 

site www.jeffswooddesigns.com and 

browse my picture gallery. You can also 

find information about my Stamp ‘n Chip 

Kit.


The Tool Crib 

This month I had the privilege of using 

four tools that I personally don’t think 

can be beat. In my world, a tool is just 

what it implies and it has to hold up. 

For me, that is sometimes not an easy 

task, all four of these items have done 

just that. Couldn’t ask for more from 

them. 

The Adria Dove Tail Saw 

I have four dove tail saws and they all 

needed sharpening, but I also have a 

lot of drawers to do so this was as good 

an excuse as I could find to get a new 

one. I had been eyeing this saw for 

some time, so I got it. 

You met Jeff Fleischer earlier, well, he 

had one and brought it into the shop 

and it was love at first cut. The 

balance, the kerf, the feel....and then 

the cut with the solid ridged 

blade....WOW! 

My other saws are good and while this 

one certainly isn’t inexpensive, couple 

of the other ones I own cost more. This 

little beauty surpassed them all....hands 

down. 

A great dove tail saw like this one will 

make hand cutting dove tails much 

easier. Most folks have trouble with 

flexing and then the cheaper saws tend 

to be dull and they have to ‘saw’ the 

dove tail. I can hand cut a dove tail with 

just a few quick slices with this saw and 

the task is finished. One impressive 

dove tail saw, this one. 

Bowclamps 

Bob Kloes (bigbob) found these. Now, 

Bob and I build a lot of cases and we 

have a lot of glue ups which always 

involve a ton of clamps. Dragging them 

out, adjusting, you know how it goes. 

The Bowclamp, while it looks simple to 

make, isn’t. It’s the right materials with 

the right arch that is needed to get the 

correct pressure while clamping. 

What they do is pretty simple - they 

distribute even pressure over a given 

distance using two clamps. I have now 

used them on several face frame glue


ups and they were SUPER! a real time 

saver. 

I can glue a cabinet together in 1/10th 

the time and not have it weigh 2 tons 

and I can access areas to clean glue 

squeeze out. 

Clamping a case side, where you want 

to get pressure in the middle of the 

panel - no issue. Using these over a 

‘caul’ for a veneer press - super slick. 

If you do case work, kitchen/bath 

cabinets or about anything else, 

including normal edge to edge glue 

ups, you would really enjoy having this 

tool in your shop. What a work saver. 

Now Craig of Bowclamps is lurking 

around out there on the forum, so if you 

run into him, feel free to ask him about 

these precision cauls. 

I’m impressed ---- Big Time 

Price Cutter Router Bit Set 

I have never been a fan of router bit 

sets, seems they always pawn off some 

bits you will never use, but the guys at 

Eagle America/Price Cutters cured that! 

As a lot of you know, I’ve been using a 

lot of the Price Cutter bits and can 

attest to the quality. I honestly don’t 

see any difference in performance over 

bits costing much more. 

This set blew me away when I opened 

the case. I actually took the time to go 

to my bit collection and I pulled out each 

and every one of them, bits I had 

purchased individually as I needed 

them. 

The set is 70 pieces, (click here to see 

a list of the bits included) and is 

available in 1/4" or ½" shank. The case 

can hang on a wall and has the photo of 

the profile, the radius and size so you 

never have to guess, as long as you put 

them back where they belong! 

Everyone who has seen this set at my 

shop has ordered one. Now, the other 

side is the cost, they state the bits would 

cost approximately $1200.00 if bought in 

singles, I did a little math and I have 

about $2500.00 or more in the bits I 

have that match this set. This is the 

best buy I have ever seen in router bits. 

This set also has every bit that I used to 

carve the table top in the Router DVD. 

The only exceptions I found to my 

frequently used bits is the ‘rail and stile’


and the crown bits, other than that, my 

staple bits are in this set. I couldn’t 

have put a better set together if they 

had asked me to make a list. 

Fluting Jig 

In the Router DVD I showed several 

ways to rout flutes, set ups, jigs, etc. 

Here is a simple jig (available at Eagle 

America). 

A fluting bit is typically a small, round 

nose bit and these bits notoriously can 

track off so you want to guide it from 

both sides on your stock so it doesn’t 

wander and this jig does just that. It 

can also be used as a standard edge 

guide. 

The other thing I really liked is that I 

can use the extended width to attach 

scrap blocks for to prevent tilting 

especially on narrow stock. Also great 

for routing out the glass track on the 

mullions of a glass pane door where 

the extra base gives me a lot of support 

to span the opening. 

This jig is simple to set up and use and 

is a very effective jig and I probably 

haven’t even touched on all the tasks it 

will be used for. 

Hey, think we might be able to drill it, 

add a couple of bearings and maybe get 

the “Thing-a-ma-Jig” from the router 

DVD? 

The Weather Report 

Patience is a virtue and I’m not feeling 

very virtuous. Temperatures are in the 

50's and 60's, some days 70's and a 75 

here and there, but some of you guys 

are still getting snow and nasty stuff. So 

far we have been fortunate but I’m ready 

for some nice warm days , planting my 

garden and so forth and I know you are 

too. My patience has ran out on the up 

and down temperatures, guess I got a 

bad case of Spring Fever! 

I love having the doors open to my shop 

and wearing my beloved cut off shorts 

and sleeveless shirts. I asked 

Woodcraft to send me a Woodcraft shirt 

to wear in the videos I filmed for them, it 

arrived with a note, DO NOT CUT OUT 

SLEEVES! 

Here’s a tip, band saws aren’t just for 

wood, keep the fabric pulled tight and 

avoid zippers and buttons and in just a 

few seconds, a new sleeveless shirt!


On-Line Project Videos 

The Hancock Shaker Clock 

Well, this video is 

complete and is being 

posted on the web site 

(under project videos), 

one episode a day is 

being posted until all 

are broadcast. The 

pdf reference guide is 

available which gives 

you a ‘ROUGH’ cut list 

as well as listing other materials and 

where you can purchase them. These 

clocks are a great project. If you have 

questions along the way, don’t hesitate 

to email or call me. 

Remember that the project videos are 

as much about basic woodworking 

techniques as they are about the 

project itself, in this project, we 

intentionally keyed toward a beginner 

but you more advanced woodworkers 

will enjoy it as well as you add your own 

flavor and building skills. 

Don’t forget to thank our sponsors for 

allowing us the opportunity to bring you 

these complete project videos. You 

don’t have to make a purchase to tell 

them thank you but please keep them 

in mind when you do need something 

for your shop or a project that you are 

working on. You can find links to our 

sponsors on our newly activated 

‘Woodworking Links’ page at our web 

site. 

Bob Kloes has put together a ‘wood kit,’ 

offering tiger maple, cherry and regular 

maple. If you are interested, email Bob 

for specifics and pricing. For those of 

you who need wood processed to 

thickness, Bob can do that as well. 

The next project we will be doing the 

Colonial Hanging Cupboard. Not 

complicated and an 

easy build, it looks 

harder than it is 

which is why we are 

doing it as a project 

video, it is the 

perfect example of 

breaking a project 

down into smaller 

pieces to 

accomplish the end 

result. We’re 

looking forward to this one and if all 

goes well you won’t be waiting as long 

for this one to come out. 

After that, I am 

contemplating doing 

a Hanging Corner 

Cabinet with glass 

pane doors which will 

introduce a new 

technique in door 

making as well as 

making a corner 

cabinet. We’ll continue to ponder our 

line-up.


It is What It Is.... 

I have often said that my scrap box is 

the most useful tool I have when it 

comes to getting precise 

measurements of parts and pieces 

when working on any project. 

No matter how hard 

you try, no matter 

how much time you 

spend setting up your 

tools, it is extremely 

frustrating when you 

go to make something and it seems 

that it is a bit too long or worse yet, a 

bit too short....longer is better than 

shorter. 

We all know about using the same tape 

measure throughout a project to insure 

consistent measurement accuracy, and 

we all know to set our various pieces of 

equipment to insure consistency from 

one to another, but no matter what, 

when using a tape measure, slight 

variances may occur. 

That’s why I say that my scrap box is 

the most useful tool I have. That is 

also why when doing a project I offer 

approximate measurements in the cut 

list. 

The Step Back that I just completed is 

a perfect piece to explain how I 

measure. I first built the case based on 

the dimensions I was to build to. Then 

I laid out the side pieces (stiles) of the 

face frame on either side of the case. 

Next, I took the rail (cross piece) 

measurement. I then set my miter saw 

/miter slide on the table saw to that 

measurement and used a piece of scrap 

and I cut it to length and confirmed the 

setting by placing the piece of scrap 

between the stiles and checked for the 

fit I needed. Sounds elementary but all 

too often I find a slight adjustment is 

needed. Small variations can occur as 

a result of tightening a stop block down 

or a slight bow in a tape measure, the 

point is, to insure accuracy, cut a test 

piece. 

In assembly, the use of scrap sticks to 

position the center rail at the top and 

bottom prevents any chance of being off 

center. 

When making drawer openings I use 

plywood scraps the size of the opening 

and place them in the open space to 

insure that they are correct. It helps me 

avoid mistakes. I leave these scraps in 

place during 

glue ups which 

helps to keep 

everything 

square and 

aligned. It’s 

just a way that 

I have found to 

help me be as 

perfect as possible when building. 

Just remember, ‘supposed to be’ and 

‘is’ are two different animals. “Length is 

a hard thing to Master!”


CLASSES - LAST CALL 

The class schedule has been up for 

sometime now and just as we feared, 

the economy has affected registration. 

We know that it is a bundle of money 

and we try to keep costs down as best 

we can. We love the interaction with 

students but this is just one area that 

we cannot do if there is not enough 

interest to fill the classes. We limit the 

number of students in our classes to 

insure the best attention for each 

student, the downside to that is that it 

also prohibits us from holding classes 

that are not full, we have had to cancel 

the Woodworking 201 Class scheduled 

th 

for the week of May 18 and will make 

th 

one last call for the week of May 11 as 

there are two openings. If you find that 

this is a class you are interested in 

please email us as soon as possible to 

let us know of your interest, perhaps 

the finances of the class may be 

worked out. If you know a friend who 

would like to take the class with you 

please pass along the information. For 

the June and September classes, we 

will continue to keep registration open, 

none of the classes are full. 

There are three classes to choose 

from, Woodworking 101, 

Woodworking 201 and Finishing A to 

Z. Synopsis of the classes are posted 

on our web site with the registration 

information but if you have any 

questions, please email. 

Click Here to See Class Details and 

Register. 

Sherri’s Update 

Trudging along with the new web site 

and working on new features as time 

allows, please continue to send me your 

feedback and suggestions. Love to 

hear from you and you can email me at 

sherri@charlesneilwoodworking.com 

We are working hard to bring you the 

best woodworking information we can 

so here are some different areas you 

might want to check out from our web 

site. 

Our Monthly Newsletter 

Charles’ Daily Blog 

Our Woodworker’s Forum 

The Video of the Day 

Our Video Tip/Technique Player 

Woodworking Links and 

Our Weekly Contest 

Speaking of our weekly contest, each 

week we give away a really neat prize 

from one of our sponsors, but 

remember, you can’t win if you don’t 

enter! Here are some upcoming prizes: 

4/20 to 4/26 - 9" Crown 

Rosewood/Brass 

Torpedo Level from 

Woodcraft


5/4 to 5/10 - a 4- 

Drawer Shop 

Organizer from 

Woodcraft 

4/27 to 5/3 - Set of 3 

Dead Blow Mallets from 

Woodcraft 

You can visit any of the sponsors web 

sites to find out more about these 

prizes. For contest details each week, 

just visit our web site. 

My DVD Library 

I’m quite pleased with our DVD sales, 

they have been far greater than 

expected and the “Doors and Drawers” 

set is getting out as I write. 

My next DVD is going to be about 

cases. Maybe ‘Cases and Bases’ 

which will include making feet. I will be 

showing how I made the bombe, a lot 

have asked about that and as a throw 

in, I’m going to do the bonnet top as 

well. So between the ‘Doors and 

Drawers’ and the ‘Cases and Bases’ 

you will get the whole bombe! 

The cases set will include standard 

cases for cupboards and dressers as 

well as corner cupboards and 

kitchen/bath cabinets. I plan to cover 

all styles of feet (bracket, federal, bunn) 

and scrolled bases and we will also look 

at how to design a nice chest. 

Down the road we are going to do one 

on Tables, all shapes, sizes and more. 

We’ll keep you posted on that one. 

I got a few emails and was told that we 

are doing them faster than you can 

watch them and perhaps so, but I’m 

trying to get them done so we can get 

the library as complete as possible and 

then we’ll focus on other things. 

To Each His Own 

As most of you know, we have worked 

very hard and diligently to get our web 

site, free video going and the forum as 

well as the blog and this newsletter. 

That all takes a ton of man hours, well in 

this case, girl hours, and then we have 

Ken who has a ton of man hours. The 

point being that it really does take a 

dedication and tremendous effort. 

I’ve addressed this topic before and 

what prompts me to mention it again is 

that we have received a considerable 

amount of emails about more and more 

of the woodworking web sites going 

Pay-to-View, and that is fine. 

I understand the need to get paid for the 

time and effort, not to mention getting 

paid for the value of your knowledge 

and sad to say, many do not see that as 

justifiable, but it is. Doctors, Lawyers, 

Nurses, all get paid not only for what


they do, but what they know and no - 

woodworkers do not have degrees or a 

PhD. But I will tell you this, the 

education to be proficient isn’t learned 

in 4, 6 or 8 years. 

The guys who have the web sites have 

to eat as well and so they have to get 

paid to be able to continue to provide 

the service. That’s just how it is. 

But, to answer the 

emails we are getting, 

NO - we are not going 

to pay-to-view. Just 

like a lot of my 

woodworking 

techniques, I guess we 

just continue to do 

things differently. 

Yes, we put in as much time and effort 

in our videos and web site as the others 

and yes, we have to make a living, but 

our’s is made building furniture. The 

DVD sales pay for themselves and the 

equipment and time it takes to produce 

them. The sponsors offset our free 

stuff, we have no contracts with them, 

just good relationships and we work 

together to educate more woodworkers. 

None of the above are big profit 

centers but they have thus far 

sustained themselves and so it goes. 

“Give and you shall receive.” I know 

this to be true. I know that God gave 

me a talent and the ability to improve 

that talent, but it’s not worth a whole lot 

unless it is shared. 

My furniture business is up, the recent 

video release was far beyond our 

expectations, the membership on our 

forum grows daily and there are new 

subscribers from all over the world to 

our newsletter and our youtube videos. 

The friendships we have made around 

the world through this web site astounds 

us and has blessed us because we are 

willing to give of what we have been 

given. Our plate is full, we thank God 

for these blessings and we attribute all 

our success to what we can give others, 

just the way it is. 

I also see that the folks like the simpler, 

traditional styles. I have told you this 

many times. When times get tough, it 

always survives. I was speaking with a 

friend and his furniture sales are up as 

well and that’s the giving thing. 

So, two points I wanted to make here, 

First, we are not going to Pay-to-View. 

We believe give with one hand and 

receive in the other, not to say there 

aren’t times that you will question, but it 

has never failed in the end. Secondly, 

sticking with the basics and not 

wandering all over the place looking for 

a magic formula is sustaining. 

Help Your Neighbor 

I know there are a lot of you out there 

that cannot afford our DVDs but would 

learn from them if you had them, if you 

find yourself in this spot, please email 

me, we will see what we can do.


Some of you may look at this and 

question my business sense and think 

that I’m nuts, well that’s a given but my 

faith in honesty and integrity is great 

and my need to help others where I can 

is just as great. 

Benefit Auction for Tim Rinehart 

The first of May we will be traveling to 

Parkersburg, WV, home of Woodcraft 

attending a very special Benefit Auction 

for Tim Rinehart, a true gentleman who 

holds a special place in our hearts. 

Tim was diagnosed with cancer in 

2008. All proceeds of this auction will 

go to Tim and his family to assist with 

medical bills. Cash donations are being 

accepted as well and checks should be 

made payable to the Tim Rinehart 

Benefit Fund and may be sent to: 

Woodcraft Supply LLC 

Attn: Kim Winans 

PO Box 1686 

Parkersburg, WV 26102 

There is a flyer at the end of the 

newsletter with auction details. Please 

keep Tim and his family in your 

thoughts and prayers. 

Catch Ya Later! 

PS. Buy something you normally 

wouldn’t, WE ARE the ECONOMY! 

Buying products stimulates it, think on it! 

We found a passion for woodworking a very long time 

ago and now have pointed that passion toward 

woodworking education based on our experience. We 

try to simplify woodworking so that even the novice may 

enjoy the hobby and be proud of their achievement and 

accomplishments in woodworking. 

As we have grown over the past 24 months, there have 

been so many people, like you, and companies that have 

supported our endeavor and continue to do so. I have 

never wavered from giving you the truth about everything 

I do and will continue to do so. When a product or 

company is written about in my articles, it is because I 

have a loyalty to a good product or business, but....it is 

not a loyalty that is paid for, so please, never be 

confused on that.

17 Monthly Newsletter April 2009

Are Words Enough? - Charles Neil Woodworking

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