Will Sampson's Page

We have a new poll up and we decided to ask the $64,000 question: When do you think the recession will end? So, get out your crystal balls and make a prediction. And while you are doing that, you can check out a story about a noted economist who spoke at the Stiles Executive Breifing conference and made his predictions for the woodworking industry. This is from someone who predicted the recession, so at least he has a track record, which

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I hope you've noticed that we've added a weekly opinion poll to Sawdust Soup. If you haven't seen it yet, look for it on the lower left-hand side of the main page. Every week we plan to post a new question. Last week's question probed issues of business challenges in the current economy. Lack of work and a need for marketing was at the top of most people's lists. This week we're taking that a step farther with a question about what kinds of marketing tools you find most effective.

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You only need to take a quick spin in the video section here on Sawdust Soup to see that there's lots of creativity in woodworking related videos. We want to reward that effort, so we've launched a new video contest at CabinetMaker+FDM. We have categories for everyone, including best marketing video, best shop tour, best training video, and most entertaining video. You can read the rules and download an entry form. You can also

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We reviewed Rockler's innovative Bench Cookies in CabinetMaker+FDM magazine, and you can see our video review on our website. From the first time we saw this clever work support devices, we were enthralled with the possibilities, many of which go beyond woodworking. For example, I use a set in the office to lift up my laptop computer and allow more air circulation for cooling. But t… Continue

The current issue of Wired magazine has a fascinating feature on dynamic changes to how manufacturing gets done. While most of us in woodworking think of full scale manufacturing as requiring large plants (here or abroad) and huge startup costs, this article explores how new technology is actually removing the barriers to entry for inventive manufacturers. Today, there is no need for the factory, the workers, or… Continue