ACW T-Shirts Have Been Ordered!

The Order Has Been Placed!

Thanks to everyone that ordered the ACW t-shirts! I really appreciate all the support! 

I had to quit taking orders so that I could get my order in to the printer and get things moving. It looks like I will be shipping the shirts out right after Christmas. Everything will be shipped flate-rate priority to get it out fast.

The funny thing about trying to save a little money on shipping is this; by the time I pay for a package and then deal with the various shipping charges, there is not much of a savings and it takes a week or little more to reach it's destination. So I find that the flate-rate ends up working out better. 

If You Didn't Get An Order In...

At this point the order window for ACW shirts is closed. I think after this first order I will see how things go and take a look at the options. I can't really place a big order of shirts on spec hoping that they will sell, that would cost hundreds of dollars and I would be stuck with a lot of inventory. 

I might open the doors to taking orders again for a limited time like I did for this order, or I may get things set up with a print-on-demand service. I have barely looked into that, so I need to do more research. 

I knew that I wanted to get something going and out there, and I just had to move to make it happen. So I stopped into one of the local print/embroidery shops and had a small batch run to see how I liked them and decided to go for it. 

It's Not Just About the ACW...

Not only am I excited to see that people will be wearing the ACW logo, I think I am more excited to see people wearing my favorite motto, "Let Your Work Be Your Signature." 

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This motto was shared with me by a master trim carpenter years before I ever heard of the craftsman motto, "To The Best of My Ability" and it has been the single most valuable and influential piece of advice ever shared with me.

That is all for now from the ACW. Stay safe in the shop!

Your friend in the shop-

Todd A. Clippinger

Let Your Work Be Your Signature

How I Maintain My Air Compressors

I work around a lot of other contractors and shops. One thing I have observed is that air compressor maintenance is something that it is often overlooked. This is really surprising, because poor maintenance not only affects the compressor itself, but it also affects the tools that rely on it to operate, and poor air quality can really mess with your finishes if you have a spray system that runs off the compressor. 

This video is not intended to be the definitive "All About Air Compressors," rather, I am sharing my habits for maintaining the 3 air compressors that I have. I also think that what I do is very effective and it increases the miles I get from my equipment. Generally speaking, most of my equipment has served me well for a long time.

Let's face it, woodworking tools aren't cheap no matter if you do it as a hobby or as a professional and I need to make them last as long as possible. 

At the beginning of the video I put my new shop sticker collection on display in a unique manner. I hope you enjoy that:)

A big shout-out goes to Mike Kapotsy for getting me started on the sticker swap and for the t-shirt which I proudly wear in the video. You can check out his YouTube videos and follow him on Instagram.

Another shout-out to the SoCal Woodshop for sending me one of their logo t-shirts. They are a collective of woodworkers sharing a shop space, pooling their tools, and collaborating on projects for clients. They are a good follow at Instagram. 

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Here's the Feature Presentation: How I Maintain My Air Compressors. 

I hope you enjoy it as well as find it interesting and helpful. 

Your friend in the shop,

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love - Share the Knowledge

How Spring Joint Tension Releases

Have you ever considered how spring joints create tension in a glued up panel? And how that tension might be released if you cut into that panel?

In this video, my good friend Nick Pancheau explains how the tension in his conference table top reacts, as he cuts a long rectangle into it, to install an illuminated light panel. 

We did not figure that the top would move much, but the big concern was that the wood might pinch the blade since we were doing a plunge cut. The biggest issue here would be that the saw might kick up out of the cut and damage the top. 

I know there are other woodworkers that may have had this question in mind, and I thought that it would be a good time to share the information with you, using a live project. 

I hope you find the information in this video helpful in your woodworking journey. 

Thanks to Nick for sharing this project and experience with us!

Your friend in the shop-

Todd A. Clippinger

Share the Love-Share the Knowledge