Where have all the sawdust makers gone?

[poolhound]

I have been in the UK for the last 2 weeks so not much woodworking from me of course. I did visit a really cool sawmill and woodshop while on my travels, I would have liked to buy some native English hardwoods that we just can't get on our side of the Atlantic but alas the excess baggage charges might have been a bit excessive. I did buy 10 pen blanks though ☺

This thread has stimulated some good discussion and I agree that the one thing that forums do best is create community, friendships and an interactive place where we can share and discuss our love for woodworking and associated topics.

I would also like to add my thanks to all the admins and developers and say how m uch I appreciate the work yout do. This thread was never intended to imply any criticism but b simply to see if I could take the pulse of the members. I do think some of the points raised may warrant further discussion and I am not sure how that should be done. E.g.I do think we could look at the various forum buckets and also try and add some new site help content with common issues e.g. posting photos.

I do hope to be posting some new project work over the coming months as I am working on a plan for semi retirement and am experimenting with a variety of smaller items that I can sell online and at local craft fairs.

[capncarl]

One thing that I noticed in this thread that could merit some though would be to make it easier to start a new thread. Example, air conditioning was mentioned, Im guilty, I think I started it, and there was several replys to different posts on that subject. Rather than hijack the thread another post should have been created about shop air conditioning. If nothing else would come from it, maybe if you could figure out how to search back posts so you could read about shop air conditioning!

[LCHIEN]

Well, I posted a couple of projects to see if that gets anything going.

On the new VB format, I really must say I feel like a fish out of water. I don't get the messaging. Trying to send a private message it ends up a visitor message with strange visibility on the forum posts list - ACK. I don't get the picture posting - I get errors when I insert the pictures.
I don't really even seem to get the moderation but muddle through somehow with trial and error.
I thought the old forum was perfectly functional. I really don't see any advantages of the new so far. Maybe from an administration point it helps, I sure hope it does. No offense I hope to the guys that did all the work, I know it was hard.

Sawdustzone vs. BT3Central, we changed the name, now we have to have some interesting content. Perhaps we should consider changing/refreshsing the forum topics - at the risk of alienating those long term dwellers here that would take away their last bit of familiarization. I'll think about forum topics.

How to get more interesting articles and content? I don't know. I come by sometimes every other day and there's only one or zero or two new posts. I n the old days I used to come by several times a day.

[leehljp]

One thing UNinteresting to me is the smallness of photos when we post them, and then have to double click to see them. Is there anyway (or simple instructions) to make them larger in the posts without the reader having to double click them? If anyone is going to read a thread, it seems obvious to me that any photos would be welcome to be seen without the double step of clicking again.

So, How do we post LARGE picts as in this post?:

http://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/project-related-discussions/826246-rainy-day-entertainment-center

But most are as in Loren's post - Small and you have to click on the picts to see them:

http://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/discussions/finished-projects/826641-another-quick-project-stepstool

[atgcpaul]

To be honest, I wouldn't have even found this thread if I hadn't clicked on Capncarl's avatar to see what it was. I would have thought this would be a Coffee pot discussion.. Anyway, my point is that there seems to be a lot of discussion sections--maybe too many.

I think this is our third software iteration, right? The one in the middle seemed to have come and gone very quickly. At first I didn't like this one, but now that I know how to post pics with this one, I actually like it. I like being able to scale my pics in the thread. Draft savings of threads is huge for me since I tend to ramble. There have been some quirks but compared to another forum I frequent, this transition was so much smoother.

I also spend a lot of time on YouTube for woodworking content. The WWers there don't always have interesting projects but I find them interesting. Even the long term YouTubers like the Wood Whisperer are seeming dated too me. Whereas the rising stars like Frank Howarth, Darbin Orvar (sp?), and the like have a "hook". I'm not sure what our hook is but that's what we need.

[capncarl]

I suspect that forums are like magazines, after you subscribe to a magazine for a while you discover that the content is just a re-run. I've changed all my magazine subscriptions becausd they became re-runs. Recently I picked up several boxes of 25 year old woodworking magazines and found that except for new tool offerings they have all of the same projects and articles as new magazines. This said, I don't think that we will have many projects posted here that are any different and will only interest those new to woodworking . Our only saving grace is the comradeship and sharing experiences and shop changes and modifications.
capncarl

[poolhound]

Hank and all, to add photos first click on the A symbol on the top right of the add new post dialogue. This will open a long toolbar and the 8th section has a 4 items the 3rd of which is the add photo button. click on this and it will let you upload a picture or supply a URL. it should then be reasonably familiar and intuitive. doing it this way. photos look like this and there is a little dialogue option that lets you resize it.

[LCHIEN]

That helped a lot - didn't know about the A for advanced.

[poolhound]

To be honest, I wouldn't have even found this thread if I hadn't clicked on Capncarl's avatar to see what it was. I would have thought this would be a Coffee pot discussion.. .

I thought i started it in coffee pot but it may have been moved by admin as discussion seemed to move towards site feedback.

[leehljp]

Hank and all, to add photos first click on the A symbol on the top right of the add new post dialogue. This will open a long toolbar and the 8th section has a 4 items the 3rd of which is the add photo button. click on this and it will let you upload a picture or supply a URL. it should then be reasonably familiar and intuitive. doing it this way. photos look like this and there is a little dialogue option that lets you resize it.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n826671[/ATTACH]

Ironwood? The smaller picture made me think of bacon!

Thanks for the information. After a couple of tries, it will become second nature. Thanks again

[poolhound]

Ironwood? The smaller picture made me think of bacon!

Sissoo or Indian Rosewood. Picked these slabs  up freshly cut a couple of months ago.
 

[capncarl]

I was just on one of my favorite boating sites and someone asked a question. Instead of the old coot saying this subject has already been discussed, someone wrote in "this was TOPIC 22736" . I Followed it and it was a good thread, but I can't find and index of these topics. Does the sawdust zone have such a file of topics for their threads?

[LCHIEN]

I was just on one of my favorite boating sites and someone asked a question. Instead of the old coot saying this subject has already been discussed, someone wrote in "this was TOPIC 22736" . I Followed it and it was a good thread, but I can't find and index of these topics. Does the sawdust zone have such a file of topics for their threads?

Reminds me of an old joke.
Guys are in long term lockup at the penetentiary, Many of them lifers or been there 20 years.
New guy comes in. That night they someone suggests some jokes. One guys says how about 21. They all crack up guffawing and laughing. Another guy says hey, 17... Again they crack up and have a hearty laught. The new guy asks his cell mate, what is this? The cell mate says, hey, we've all been here so long we just number the jokes!
The new guys says, hey how about number 9!... followed by dead silence.
What'd I do wrong he laments? His cell mate says, some guys can just tell a joke well, other guys don't have the timing.

[LinuxRandal]

On the new VB format, I really must say I feel like a fish out of water. I don't get the messaging. Trying to send a private message it ends up a visitor message with strange visibility on the forum posts list

Sawdustzone vs. BT3Central, we changed the name, now we have to have some interesting content. Perhaps we should consider changing/refreshsing the forum topics - at the risk of alienating those long term dwellers here that would take away their last bit of familiarization. I'll think about forum topics.

I am similar, in that I don't get why pm's show up in recent posts. The first time I realized it was a pm, was when I clicked on what I thought was a new subject, without a thread title.

I have yet to use the new name to get here. On top of that, due to heat, my work schedule (others medical issues driving it), and the number of other projects, it has been about 4 years, since I have done any woodworking. Heck I looked at CL and saw two bt's for sale and am watching them, considering selling mine, and when I get time to get back into it, getting the portable Bosch Reaxx. For anything quick, (house type projects) I have used my EZ system now.

[dbhost]

Some of this is my fault. I know I am usually a chatterbox, but I have been concentrating on video as of late, and out of necessity, working on automotive projects. I have a cabinet repair job I need to work here shortly that will probably get posted up here, but it's not really much to talk about.

Life has been biting at my hind quarters more or less.

[capncarl]

Some forums have good attendance. I lurk at THEHULLTRUTH (boating site) forum occasionally, one topic had OVER 1000 pages, that's right, pages, not just posts. That count was months 6 months ago, I lost interest and don't check that post any more.