Last August we built our first showroom, where we are displaying posts and carvings along the walls, and bun feet on shelving that we built here. We wanted a table that was around 42″ off the ground and not very deep, to place literature on for folks that came in, so we designed a tall foyer table with a bottom shelf to the exact fit that we needed. We also decided to built it out of Rustic Cherry wood, as we now offer this as a custom wood type.
Tim Smith, our resident woodworking expert and creator of our E-Wood newsletter, created this table and outlined his steps in his most recent E-Wood mailing. The finished table is pictured below, and we invite you to leave feedback about it.
How do you like the design of the piece?
Was the wood too knotty and distressed?
What do you think about the notched legs?
Do you like the baskets, or would you rather it have wooden drawers?
Today I received some pictures of our Husky Farm Dining Leg in my email from a man named Carl Kemp. For the record, finished pictures are my favorite thing to receive in my email. I love seeing the ingenuity and craftsmanship of our customers at work! Carl called us with a dilemma, just after Thanksgiving. He was building a Cypress table, but could not find legs in Cypress anywhere. I very sadly informed him that we do not carry Cypress, either, but we could turn Cypress blanks if he could provide them. Well, he had the boards for his table, but nothing more.
Carl sent me some pictures of the Cypress boards he had, and I saw a lot of (beautiful) color variation. Ultimately I was thinking there was no way we could match this. I saw the color and texture of Alder with the distinct grain patterns of Oak, and failed to think of a wood type that would combine the two. So, I called our good friends in the warehouse and had them bring to me the leg in question. He was looking for our Husky Farm Table Leg, part number 1121. I asked them to bring it to me in Alder and in Oak. I took pictures. Lots of pictures. I sent the pictures to Carl and asked him to choose between the two. He enlisted the help of his wife, Jane, and together they chose the Alder. A coworker of mine who shall remain nameless commented upon seeing the pictures, “I think they should have gone with the Oak.”
Well, after receving the pictures, I have one thing to say: Carl and Jane chose very well.
They sent me these beautiful pictures, and the pictures showed two things very clearly: 1) the wood was a perfect match, and 2) Carl is quite the craftsman. The legs do match the wood type well, but the finish on them is a significant part of that, and Carl chose the finish well and did a fine job constructing this table.
Also, the Husky Farm leg was a perfect fit for this table. With the length giving it a slender appearance and the width giving it substance for a nice sturdy table that looks simple, but not at all plain. Not lacking in beauty, the rich colors and the glossy finish contribute even more to the overall look.
Without further delay, here are the pictures!
I just love warmth and the depth of these colors!
The spool here, just below the top block, is my favorite part of this turning; it is detailed, but not overdone.
Again I was really amazed at the match. These two wood types look like they were meant to go together!
Here, you get a taste of what I meant when I was talking about the dimensions. The slender turning adds length to the leg, keeping it from looking stocky. At the same time, its width helps to make a very secure foundation for this table. Of course, Carl’s tenoning here is also a very secure construction (the first thing Mr. Osborne noted when I showed him these pictures!). How securely the skirt assembly is done has a direct impact on how sturdy the table will be.
Carl and Jane, thank you for sharing your pictures with us. The table is gorgeous, and we are pleased and proud to be a part of it! Many blessings to you both.
Right before things started winding down for Christmas, we began an exciting new endeavor here at Osborne Wood Products, Inc.: Lean Management. On December 16th and 17th, the members of our shipping and production teams took some time to learn about this vital management philosophy.
Lean Management can be simply described as, “the approach in which we are constantly making efforts, creating ideas, and crafting methods to reduce waste,” in all conceivable areas of our business processes. It is as grand scale an effort as making sure that the inventory we keep is both efficient and practical, and as minute a process as reducing the number of unnecessary steps the members of our shipping department might take on a day to day basis.
Two phrases may come to mind when a person thinks of Lean Management. The first is “Waste not, want not.” The idea is, make use of everything you can possibly make use of. If anything that might be considered waste or extra can be helpful in getting another process done more quickly or efficiently, put it to use. Putting that adage together with “Time is money,” the principles of lean management come into focus. When we think of time as this abstract thing we have endless amounts of, it is very easy to waste time. Lean management principles are used to help us see time as more than just “time,” but as a resource we need to manage wisely.
There are many areas of the job where waste can be found (and eliminated), such as defects, overproduction, inventory, any time spent waiting, transportation, extra processing, any motion not going towards product transformation, and unused ideas (which aren’t necessarily bad, but do end up being waste).
Our shipping and production crews were able to engage in projects together during the seminar, such as producing a paper airplane on an assembly line. The process was then examined to increase production and quality. Then time was spent taking from this model and applying to our actual production and warehousing technique. Reducing the number of unnecessary steps taken in a day, learning how to make the most of all the materials at hand, and how to produce more in less time; these are all the exciting benefits of the lean management program that we are striving to implement here.
Lean management is not just good for the company; it is good for the customers, too. As we learn how to refine our processes, our customers get a better product in less time. When we can produce more with less, we can keep costs down and that carries over to the customer, too. Of course, strategies like this may take some time to implement, but the end result is more than worth the effort!
Here are some pictures from the seminar:
Top: Our crew sits and listens as Bill Ritsch teaches them about lean management.
Middle and Bottom: Different groups discussing and working on one of the projects.
