Design Article For WOOD Magazine

/

The October 2013 issue of WOOD Magazine is now on the stands and inside you will find my latest article. 

One of the most frequent questions I receive is how do I get inspiration for my designs. This is also a topic the editors at WOOD Magazine get requests for, so they asked if I would share a page on how I get inspiration for design. 

Design Inspiration Article for Oct 2013 Issue of WOOD Magazine p.22

The topic of design and getting inspiration can actually become a pretty lengthy topic and a very complex one which can easily fill a book. But we boiled it down to some simple take-away points that you can apply to your routine.

If you think getting inspiration and designing has to be complicated and requires a formal education, I challenge you to think again. I have no formal training and am self-taught. I think that many things come down to not what you are looking at but rather how you are looking at them. I also think there are some habits you can develop that will help you hold onto your ideas for immediate development and for use in the future.  

So be sure to check out my latest article in the October 2013 issue of WOOD Magazine for tips on getting inspiration. 

The current issue has two covers so it may not look like the one that I have. One of my friends sent me the cover image from the one he received so keep an eye out for either one.

The October issue of WOOD Magazine features 2 different covers so keep an eye for either one. 

I am pretty excited to share this article with everyone in the woodworking community. It is my 3rd woodworking article in less than one year with WOOD Magazine: November 2012, America's Best Home Workshops, and October 2013. I am on a roll!

3 articles of woodworking tips in less than one year with WOOD Magazine: Nov 2012, America's Best Home Workshops 2013, and Oct 2013.

Happy Designing!

Your friend in the shop- 

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love - Share the Knowledge

ACW Article in America's Best Workshops 2013

/

Exciting News!

The latest issue of America's Best Workshops 2013 hits the shelf on March 26, ​and the American Craftsman Workshop has been included!

Rather than being one of the featured shops, I actually have 4 pages of tips that other woodworkers might find helpful. The article is titled "Pro Ideas for Your Shop."

Images used with permission by WOOD Magazine & America's Best Home Workshops 2013

4 Gold Nuggets From The ACW

​In the article I share 4 things from my shop:

* My wall storage system for clamps. It is flexible mounting system, easily customized to your clamps, and it does a nice job of protecting the walls. Technical drawings included. 

* ​My Workbench - You don't have to build a traditional workbench to do great woodworking. This is the workbench I have been using for many years. It's flat, it's mobile, and has a very durable surface that you can use to write on. Technical drawing is included.

* How I converted my roller stands to a more usable indeed/outfeed and table system. A flexible support system that breaks down and stores away easily.

* And this one is GOLD! I share the miter saw table system that I use on job sites. WOOD Magazine has included my miter saw support table complete with technical drawings so you can make one too.

This miter saw table provides great support which is critical for accurate cuts on the job site and it will work great for the small shop too. It features a laminate top which you can jot notes & measurements on, then wipe clean. It sets up and breaks down easily. It stores well in my work van and it should in the small garage shop too. 

​

It's Always One Of My Favorite!​

Getting to look inside of other workshops is always fun for me, and that makes the annual "Best Workshops" issue one of my favorite magazines to pick up. 

Besides the pages of tips from the ACW, there are 18 shops featured that range in size from 112 to 1440 square feet. You get a good look inside the shops and will be able to pick up some great ideas for yours.  ​

Included in this issue is the Ideas Gallery on page 71, an ingenious knock-down bench on page 110, and ​an article on designing your shop with various layout software. There are many other great features in the 2013 issue of America's Best Home Workshops magazine, so you will have to pick up a copy and check it out for yourself. 

​Image used with permission by WOOD Magazine and America's Best Workshops 2013

You will also find my good friend and fellow woodworking blogger Marc Spagnuolo in this issue. He is a part of the shop design article starting on page 134. Great to share this issue with you Marc;)​

​America's Best Home Workshops hits the stands on March 26th and is only on display until June 24th. Be sure to check it out!

Your friend in the shop,​

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love-Share the Knowledge

​

​

New Site Is Up And Running!

/ ACW Journal Post/

Welcome To The New ACW Site

I am officially set up now on the new Squarespace 6 website platform. I have been ​playing around with the various templates over the last couple of days, and I am starting to get the hang of it. You will continue to see changes as I try the different templates and add galleries. 

​Squarespace 6 has a lot of new features and better functionality over version 5. I can see these helping me to connect with my woodworking audience, and to better share my experience and knowledge. 

The Bad News Is...​

​Sadly, my workshop gallery is down for the moment. The new template was incompatible with previous gallery, so I will have to completely repost the shop tour. I know by the website stats, the workshop tour is the most popular feature and the pictures are downloaded constantly. And that is OK, that is exactly what it is intended for, to share and inspire, that is what the ACW philosophy of "Share the Love-Share the Knowledge" is all about.

Due to the time consuming work of loading galleries, I will hold off until I determine which template I am going to settle on. Some features are specific to templates and that mostly applies to the way galleries are laid out and function. ​So I will need to make my final decision between the last 2 template finalists.

Woodworking in the ACW and streaming live video action!​

Stay Tuned-​

Stay tuned as you will see the changes taking place and more content being added.

I will continue tweaking the site, add the ACW Shop Tour back in, and get my portfolio gallery set up. I did not add my portfolio on the last site, but I will on this one. ​(It is partly due to just being plain time consuming and it is one area that I actually slacked on.)

So give the site a test drive on all your devices and let me know of any issues. I did let the developers know of a couple and I appreciate your feedback. ​

Well, I better get back out to the shop. So be sure to stop by the Shopcam page and see what I have going in my small pro shop. 

Your friend in the shop,​

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love-Share the Knowledge


​