Dealing with Equipment Distributors Here's a long, lively, and sometimes contentious thread about the middleman's role in the machinery market. April 29, 2012
Technology, Process Improvement , and Management in the Woodshop A long, rich discussion about generating and applying good ideas, motivating and organizing people, choosing and using the right equipment, and keeping things simple in cabinet and furniture production. December 14, 2005
Shop lighting Best bulbs for brightness and efficiency. February 12, 2003
Cabinet doors: to build or to buy? A roundtable on making raised-panel doors for cabinets, versus "buying them out," opening onto a discussion of the larger issues of tooling and automation. July 18, 2000
Nested Base Versus Beam Saw and PTP A closet system fabricator and installer describes his journey through various shop equipment situations. May 26, 2014
Radios In The Shop A discussion with as many opinions as there are styles of music. February 25, 2005
Solar Power for a Wood Shop? Solar panels or a windmill can supplement your shop's electric usage, but you're not going to run big iron on it without the grid doing most of the work.. June 4, 2012
Outdoor wood furnaces Experiences with outdoor "water stove" heating systems. March 20, 2001
Downsizing your shop Businesses that have grown too fast or too big choose to cut back and go small. October 2, 2001
Speeding up the Work with a Value Stream Map Drawing a map to visualize the steps in the production process helps cabinet shops streamline their processes and focus on productive activities instead of on moving parts around. October 2, 2007
Chordal's Letters Considered by Today's Shop Men A discussion of a century-old book about shop craft, "Chordal's Letters" by James Waring See, available today as an on-line archive. February 6, 2010
Sizing Up a Shop That is For Sale Another worker ponders whether to buy a shop that's up and running, or set up his own from scratch. Lots of good angles considered in this long thread. July 2, 2008
Lean Production of Raised Panel Doors A discussion of tricks for evening out workflow, such as: to speed up the whole job, move labor to the bottleneck from downstream activities. June 28, 2013
New Shop Layout Efficient shop flow for increased profit. February 28, 2004
Understanding "Demand" and "Energy" Charges on Commercial Electric Bills Electric utility companies charge shops a fee for the power you might use (or your peak power draw), as well as for the juice you actually consume. Here, shop owners describe what that arrangement can do to your utility bill's bottom line. February 18, 2007
Doing the Front-End Math Jon Elvrum provides a process for making the transition to the 32mm system.
Finish room heating Safe systems for keeping you, your finishes and your spray equipment cozy. November 22, 2003
Shop Maintenance and Cleaning How to get your crew behind the idea that "a clean shop is a safe and happy shop." May 6, 2006
Radiant Floor Heating for a Small Shop Shop owners who have tried it recommend radiant floor heating, and offer tips for a good installation. April 24, 2006
Running a Second Shift Setting up a night shift at a busy shop can cause problems, and it can also supply solutions. A good supervisor is key to success. November 23, 2012
Training Workers The interviewing, hiring, and training process lays crucial groundwork that sets the tone for sound employee management. 1998.
Setting up a milling business How much land, what equipment is needed, and in what order, for a startup sawmill. April 24, 2002
Managers Versus Woodworkers Can a person with little woodworking experience manage a woodworking company? In some situations, maybe so. January 18, 2007
TOC and Complexity Is the "Theory of Constraints" of limited practicality because it focuses on simple, linear event chains with the assumption that there is only one limiting constraint? Woodweb goes fractal on the shop floor. November 15, 2010
Shop Floor Management Systems Woodshop owners discuss ways to improve the techniques they use to organize and run their operations. July 3, 2006
Computers on the Shop Floor Does a computer belong in the shop? Here's a debate about efficiency, workflow, dust control, and other aspects of shop computerization. April 24, 2006
Moving to Metric Tips on making the transition as smooth as possible. September 9, 2004
Three-phase electricity primer Pros and cons of three-phase electricity and static and rotary phase converters. November 21, 2000
Organizing Cabinet Door Production Cabinetmakers offer advice on how to set up the workflow for making doors in a three-man shop. October 13, 2008
Shop arrangement and setup Shop owners describe the best and worst aspects of their workspaces. March 21, 2002
Moving A Shop Plan ahead to manage the costs and hassles. April 10, 2005
1998-Rewarding your People Creating a productive, inclusive shop atmosphere, and rewarding employee initiative. 1998
Cabinet Assembler Productivity How many cabs should an assembler put together daily, assuming all the pieces are cut and ready? In this thread, bosses and workers offer their perspectives. November 12, 2005
Sharing a Shop Space Pros discuss the potential pitfalls of non-standard shop-sharing arrangements. July 3, 2006
Keeping Up with the CNC A cabinetmaker's new CNC will speed up only one part of his operation. Here, he gets advice on how to streamline the rest of the tasks in his process. May 6, 2007
Upgrading Fluorescent Shop Lighting Shop owners discuss the pros, cons, and practicalities of swapping out T12 fluorescent light units for T8 fixtures and lamps. October 26, 2013
Whether to Leave Equipment Running Here's a discussion of the cost, efficiency, and safety aspects of leaving equipment running for periods of time, versus shutting machinery down the moment it's not being actively used. September 15, 2011
Shop Productivity With a New CNC It seems more efficient to go on cutting parts manually than to program the CNC... what's missing? October 5, 2004
Think before you take the CNC plunge WOODWEB technical advisor Brian Personett offers some food for thought to those thinking about purchasing CNC equipment. November 15, 2000
Upgrading Office Computers Business owners suggest ways to improve the speed and power of your office computers, without switching platforms. April 19, 2015
Shop Layout Advice Here are some useful tips on making scale mockups of a shop floor plan, along with advice about how to best use the available space.July 8, 2014
Moving Up to Management Here's an interesting discussion about what it takes to step up to a more senior management role in a large woodworking company. September 7, 2013
Shop Floor Teamwork A sofa shop struggles with coordinating part production and assembly. March 17, 2005
Laying Out a New Shop So brilliant, it's simple: Use full-size cardboard cutouts to mock up your layout on the shop floor before you decide. February 1, 2011
Teamwork Versus Solo Work on the Shop Floor Cabinetmakers discuss efficiency on the shop floor. When should people work in pairs, and when should handle tasks alone? June 23, 2014
Equipment Auction Bidding Strategy A look at how online auctions work, and some discussion on wise bidding and buying strategies. December 24, 2012
Job Descriptions A shop owner with 20 employees gets advice on creating employee job descriptions. November 10, 2005
Idle-Time Transformer Power Consumption A shop owner tries to decide whether there are significant power savings to be achieved by turning a transformer off at night and on weekends. December 29, 2008
Rebuilding a Burnt-Down Shop A shop owner is making a fresh start after a fire, and he has questions about layout, ceiling height, square footage, et cetera. November 23, 2012
Three phase generator Running machinery off of a three-phase generator. September 2, 2002
Shop Security Advice on locks, cameras, watchdogs, security procedures, and staying within the law in protecting your shop and tools after closing. February 6, 2010
Steel Truss Roofs for Shop Buildings Business owners advise on choices involved in building a large clear-span steel truss-roofed shop. November 8, 2008
Sliding Cabinets Around in the Shop From glides to dollies to conveyor belts, cabinetmakers describe how they move cabinets around the shop during fabrication and finishing. July 18, 2013
Managing Battery Drills Useful thoughts on labeling and organizing multiple drill/drivers in the shop, plus an epiphany about turgid nomenclature. September 26, 2009
Laying out a new shop Advice on dust collection, electric, and general layout from those who have built their own shops. March 16, 2001
When to hire help? Considering all the financial aspects and adding up the figures--is it worth it to hire? February 7, 2001
Cabinet Shop Lighting Pros share advice on bulbs and fixtures for bright, even light. May 10, 2005
Shop flow Enhancing efficiency in the workplace by carefully planning shop layout. January 16, 2002
Color-Coding Tools Thoughts on paint, tape, markers, and other ways to color-code tools for shop organization. December 24, 2012
CNC industry pricing What goes into formulating your pricing system. September 2, 2002
Establishing a formal absenteeism policy Shop owners discuss policies they've adopted to ensure consistent employee attendance, and how those policies are administered. September 26, 2000
Lighting your sawmill Providing good light for your work on dark days and late nights. February 19, 2002
Fire Sprinkler Damage to Machinery Thoughts about the insurance claim issues and the practicality of repair or restoration of equipment after a small fire sets off the fire sprinklers in a shop. February 26, 2012
Replacing Electronics for Big Iron Here's a tip: shop around for parts or components before you buy a whole new touch screen, display, controller, or similar electronic element for shop machinery. You could save a bundle. January 2, 2012
Scheduling machinery maintenance Creating an equipment maintenance schedule to ensure that machines provide peak proformance. January 16, 2002
Efficiency Tips for a Too-Small Shop When you have plenty of work but not enough space to work in, how can you adapt until you're ready to move into a larger shop? May 15, 2014
Getting Rid of Scrap Laminate Suggestions for putting excess laminate into the hands of someone who might need it. September 17, 2014
Closing Shop for a Vacation Week Key people need a break. But how will clients feel when you shut down the whole operation for a week? February 27, 2013
Advice on a forklift purchase Is a 3000-pound capacity forklift enough? Not in the eyes of these forum visitors. January 31, 2001
Material Handling Basic descriptions of material handling equipment. November 11, 2008
Fork Lift Trucks Basic description of fork-lift equipment. November 11, 2008
3-phase to single phase Is it possible to convert 3-phase equipment to single-phase power? March 20, 2001
ITEMIZER - From R & R Drummond, Inc. Use your computer to generate efficient layouts for cutting sheet material into desired sizes (a link to a demo download is provided)1998
Backyard Shop Ideas Here's lots of advice for a first-time shop builder from cabinetmakers who have been there and done that (with a side discussion about relating to the neighbors). January 28, 2009
Production Tips, part three Part three of three from Woodworking International Magazine, offering proven ideas for increasing efficiency in production shops. 1998.
Production Tips, part two Part two of three from Woodworking International Magazine, offering proven ideas for increasing efficiency in production shops. 1998.
Production Management Software for a Woodshop Once you have your paper systems straight, what can a computer software package do for your materials and time tracking, labor productivity evaluations, et cetera? April 20, 2008
Building a Shop Cabinet shop owners converse about what they would do differently if they were to build their shop all over again, again. August 14, 2007
Production Tips, part one Part one of three from Woodworking International Magazine, offering proven ideas for increasing efficiency in production shops. 1998.
Planning for Workflow Improvements A manager of a large shop who's working on streamlining the machine layout and work process gets advice on how to look before he leaps. October 2, 2007
Words to Live By This long thread about quotable sayings generated a long list of pithy quotes you could post up on the wood shop wall. March 21, 2012
Work-Station Shop Organization Systems Thoughts on a shop setup that involves moving the workpiece from station to station, rather than moving pieces and tools onto and off of a single work bench.May 23, 2011
Cost of running a CNC router Choosing the right CNC machine based on projected capabilities and costs. November 29, 2000
Importing Machinery A woodshop owner takes a chance on importing his own machinery straight from Asia, takes a chance, and reports back on the results. August 19, 2008
Cabinet Shop Growing Pains A cabinet shop owner gets advice on expanding his production volume while integrating some complex new software into his workflow. July 12, 2008
Company sponsored, on-site drinking Legal implications of the Friday afternoon beer-drinking session, and off-site alternatives to it. November 7, 2000
Recovering from a Shop Fire Woodweb forum steps up with well-informed advice about how to cope with a catastrophic fire in the wood shop. April 16, 2009
Home Shop Pros and Cons Cabinetmakers describe what it's like to have your shop next to (or underneath) your house. April 13, 2012
Choosing New Shop Space Deciding about shop size, distance from home, and the pros and cons of "condo" arrangements when searching for a roomier workspace. February 6, 2010
Whether to Move the Shop Relocating to a different shop space can involve complicated pros and cons, including commute times, neighbor relations, marketing implications, and more. November 29, 2014
Considering Forklift Choices Shop owners discuss forklift capacity, tire type, propane versus electric, and related considerations. August 31, 2010
Buying at Online Auctions Tips on loading and delivery and on checking equipment value when you purchase used woodshop equipment from an online auctioneer. May 4, 2011
Keeping Track of Tools Tips and strategies for reducing the common tendency of shop tools to disappear throughout the year. July 12, 2008
Making Money with LEAN Systems A thread that starts out with a question about stock versus custom cabinetry turns into a lesson in LEAN systems. October 13, 2010
Cabinet Door Shop Set-Up Necessities Specializing in cabinet doors isn't a business you can easily jump into. Here's a lively discussion about "barriers to entry" — the minimum scale required for success, and the equipment you'll need to compete. December 14, 2009
Keeping Hinges Organized Advice on organizing hinge inventory, and making sure the correct hinges get installed. August 15, 2011
Setting Shop Temperature A long discussion about how warm (or cool) to keep a shop, whether to turn the heat down at night and over the weekend, and the effect on costs, productivity, and quality of different practices. December 24, 2012
Interviewing Potential Employees The interviewing, hiring, and training process lays crucial groundwork that sets the tone for sound employee management. 1998.
Managing a One-Man Shop for Income A solo operator's question about reasonable income expectations kicks off a long discussion of wise management practices. October 3, 2006
Metering Shared Electrical Service A woodworker who rents space and shares electrical service tries to learn how to separately keep track of his shop's power consumption. July 29, 2012
Time Tracking for Individual Tasks Various time tracking methods - from time clocks and paper forms to electronic devices which input to a computer. May 10, 2005
Fortune Teller: Making More Money in the Wood Industry Wood Doctor Gene Wengert makes some educated guesses about the near future in the wood products industry, and offers some advice about how wood-based businesses can profit from change. April 15, 2013
Taking it to the Bank One in a series, looking at the relationships between woodworking companies and the businesses they deal with. 1998.
Job-Costing in a Busy Shop How do you keep track of labor hours per job, when workers are always jumping around from project to project? October 25, 2006
New Equipment: Lease or Purchase? A shop owner is looking at a major investment in machinery. Should he consider leasing? Experienced business owners weigh in. July 24, 2005
Growing a business Keeping your mind on what matters in a healthy business, with a nod to Paul Hawken. May 19, 2003
Profit Percentages Here's a long and thoughtful discussion about profit — how much is typical in cabinetmaking, and how to go about increasing it. November 23, 2012
Project manager compensation A conversation about PM pay grows into a detailed look at the cost of doing business. December 17, 2003
Potential of a One-Man Shop Is it realistic to think a small shop owner can make a decent living? December 9, 2004
Buying Equipment Versus Leasing Comparing the advantages and disadvantages of leasing or purchasing shop equipment. February 6, 2010
Panel Processing Time with and without CNC A CNC shop and a cabinetmaker using conventional equipment compare the labor time used to cut up and bore an entire kitchen. January 1, 2012
Possible yearly earnings What kind of sales volume does it take to support a six-figure salary in a two-man shop? May 9, 2001
Heavy-duty CNC router recommendations Suggestions choosing for a good-quality CNC router, offering adequate tech support and training. February 28, 2001
Hours Worked Versus Hours on the Clock Thoughts on measuring how much of an employee's workday consists of actual work in the real world of the shop floor. November 5, 2013
Eyewitness: Injury Scary stories about careless acts and bad consequences. June 28, 2005
Increasing production flow Presenting to a boss the numbers that prove production flow could be improved. (Business Forum) May 17, 2003
Managing Growth as a Start-Up Cabinet Shop In its second year, this small shop owner's cabinet business is starting to take off. Here, he gets advice on his next steps.October 19, 2011
Installation scheduling When he can't keep up with the jobs the sales staff hands him, what's an installer to do? June 24, 2001