Random thoughts...

[TacomaDiver]

Very nice work. I've thought about getting into woodworking as a hobby when I retire, but who knows if I'll ever get around to it. I have a friend who's a retired union carpenter, and he has a garage full of tools he hasn't touched in years

It's a great hobby. I forget which podcast I heard it on, but the guest made a comment about those who work with their minds tend to relax with their hands (and vice versa) and I can definitely relate to that. I'm glad it's not a hobby where I stare at screens all day (like I do for work.)

Curious about these untouched tools! I need to find a guy like and help lessen the load of unused tools in their garages.

TacomaDiver Wow! That is impressive stuff and takes talent. Congrats.

Thank you! I don't toot my own horn like I should, but I'm pretty impressed with what I've done considering I took a woodshop course in highschool over 30 years ago, and have had to rely on the University of You Tube for everything else.

Very impressive, really beautiful boards — you’ve managed to garner some serious woodworking skills in a relatively short period of time.

Thank you!

I've done some other projects (like a drill press stand and an outfeed table) but they're not as fancy as cutting boards

Really nice work! My stepfather started dabbling in woodwork when he retired, and now he has a thriving little Etsy business selling cutting boards. He did local shows for 15 years or so selling handcrafted furniture and other extravagant stuff, but now he's online only. Your boards look a lot like his, so I know how much work, time, and trial and error go into creating cutting boards like that. Very impressive! (Jealous of those comic boxes! My collection is scattered among hundreds of boxes in my basement, lol.)

Thank you sir!

Even cheating on some of those boards and they're still a lot of work. I'm getting better though and that's what counts!

The comic drawers were quite the project. I need to find someone local who wants something like that so I can have another chance and doing them - if the wood wasn't so damn expensive, I'd be tempted to remake things just to improve.

[Dave1442397]

Very nice work. I've thought about getting into woodworking as a hobby when I retire, but who knows if I'll ever get around to it. I have a friend who's a retired union carpenter, and he has a garage full of tools he hasn't touched in years

[Ben Staad]

TacomaDiver Wow! That is impressive stuff and takes talent. Congrats.

[RonClinton]

Very impressive, really beautiful boards — you’ve managed to garner some serious woodworking skills in a relatively short period of time.

[dannyboy121070]

Really nice work! My stepfather started dabbling in woodwork when he retired, and now he has a thriving little Etsy business selling cutting boards. He did local shows for 15 years or so selling handcrafted furniture and other extravagant stuff, but now he's online only. Your boards look a lot like his, so I know how much work, time, and trial and error go into creating cutting boards like that. Very impressive! (Jealous of those comic boxes! My collection is scattered among hundreds of boxes in my basement, lol.)

[TacomaDiver]

I also made a small cutting board for another neighbor
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A co-worker of mine asked me if I would be willing to make her a cutting board - so this was my first official paid commission. The board is actually out for delivery at the moment, and I'm super nervous about it since the final design is a surprise and I put myself under so much pressure to do it well.
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Another big project I undertook last year, and honestly, this was was probably the most complicated one I've ever done, was to build my wife a cabinet system for all of her comic books. I learned a lot about a lot of different things while building this, specifically that drawers are a PITA and I wish I could go back in time and help past TacomaDiver with some things. I am very proud of how the fronts are all grain matched.

The drawer fronts have some obvious issues, but you know what, this this is SOLID, and it holds all of her comics books, and even some of mine. Each drawer is about the size of a short comic box.
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Thanks for tolerating all of my pictures!

And hey, if you want a cutting board, or maybe a full basement of bookshelves, I know a guy.

[TacomaDiver]

As posted somewhere in these forums, after I bought a house in 2023, I started dabbling with woodworking. Nothing too crazy, but I did build out all of the bookshelves in my basement to hold most of my book collection, along with some cabinetry in my home office.

Very early on, I did make some very simple cutting boards for family as presents in 2023, but I've progressed and made some, what I feel, are decent cutting boards, and thought I'd share them with you all (I need more friends obviously )

First up are some endgrain boards. Since I started to cook a ton more, I really wanted a nice cutting board, and decided to just make myself one. I decided on doing this brick pattern - walnut for the bricks; hard maple for the mortar.
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This was actually the second endgrain one I made - the first I assembled the bricks incorrectly. Learned a lot about making boards like this. I'll probably not attempt a brick pattern again because of how much of a pain it was.

The next one is a redo of the first one - this one is hard maple for the bricks and purpleheart for the mortar. I made this for one of my oldest and dearest friends.
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This year, well technically last year now I guess, I decided to make some charcuterie boards as presents for some of our friends and neighbors. I used walnut, cherry, hard maple, and padauk. I made six total. Sold two to some friends, and the other four were gifts. These were a little more complicated than I expected, specifically the handle.
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(Yes, I realize there are only four in this picture instead of six - those pictures are somewhere else apparently.)

[RonClinton]

Oh wow, hadn't heard about BLUE BUTTERFLY yet. Have to add that one for sure!

Yeah, still a year-and-a-half away, but I've no doubt it'll be worth the wait.

[sholloman81]

The Cutter and Hill books are on my radar, especially the latter. Maybe THE CARETAKER by Marcus Kliewer, even though I was a bit lukewarm on his WE USED TO LIVE HERE. One that just came out that sounds fun is BEST OFFER WINS by Marisa Kashino, if only because its satirical nature reminds me a bit of Donald Westlake's THE AX, which is a modern masterpiece. I still need to get Bentley Little's new one, CITY HALL. On a total tangent to the fiction usually discussed here, Mitch Albom's new one, TWICE, sounds like my kind of book, as I really dig time-travel / alternate fates themed books, even if they're about as mainstream as it gets. BOMBYX by Richard Christian Matheson is due out from PS soon. Fracassi's BLUE BUTTERFLY is Summer of 2027 is a Must-Have. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that leap to mind.

Oh wow, hadn't heard about BLUE BUTTERFLY yet. Have to add that one for sure!

[RonClinton]

Just wondering if there are any 2026 books that people are excited to see published? I was just perusing my Amazon cart to see what pre-orders are coming up that I want to grab and am excited by the books below. Would love for you to help expand my list!

The Dorians by Nick Cutter in May
Pictures of You by Josh Malerman in September
Hunger by Joe Hill, Abdication by jeff Vandermeer, and A Thrice Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman in October

And as a belated mention, I just picked-up Don Winslow's The Final Score, which was just released on Tuesday. if you care about crime fiction at all, you NEED this book!

The Cutter and Hill books are on my radar, especially the latter. Maybe THE CARETAKER by Marcus Kliewer, even though I was a bit lukewarm on his WE USED TO LIVE HERE. One that just came out that sounds fun is BEST OFFER WINS by Marisa Kashino, if only because its satirical nature reminds me a bit of Donald Westlake's THE AX, which is a modern masterpiece. I still need to get Bentley Little's new one, CITY HALL. On a total tangent to the fiction usually discussed here, Mitch Albom's new one, TWICE, sounds like my kind of book, as I really dig time-travel / alternate fates themed books, even if they're about as mainstream as it gets. BOMBYX by Richard Christian Matheson is due out from PS soon. Fracassi's BLUE BUTTERFLY is Summer of 2027 is a Must-Have. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that leap to mind.

[sholloman81]

I didn't know there was going to be two (!) more books in the Southern Reach series!

I also didn't either until very recently and am very excited as I love the Southern Reach books too!

[Sock Monkey]

Just wondering if there are any 2026 books that people are excited to see published? I was just perusing my Amazon cart to see what pre-orders are coming up that I want to grab and am excited by the books below. Would love for you to help expand my list!

The Dorians by Nick Cutter in May
Pictures of You by Josh Malerman in September
Hunger by Joe Hill, Abdication by jeff Vandermeer, and A Thrice Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman

And as a belated mention, I just picked-up Don Winslow's The Final Score, which was just released on Tuesday. if you care about crime fiction at all, you NEED this book!

I didn't know there was going to be two (!) more books in the Southern Reach series!

[sholloman81]

Just wondering if there are any 2026 books that people are excited to see published? I was just perusing my Amazon cart to see what pre-orders are coming up that I want to grab and am excited by the books below. Would love for you to help expand my list!

The Dorians by Nick Cutter in May
Pictures of You by Josh Malerman in September
Hunger by Joe Hill, Abdication by jeff Vandermeer, and A Thrice Bound Fool by Christopher Buehlman in October

And as a belated mention, I just picked-up Don Winslow's The Final Score, which was just released on Tuesday. if you care about crime fiction at all, you NEED this book!

[jeffingoff]

It's a publisher and you are right. Cancelling anything would only harm authors whose work I like and enjoy.

When I'm roaming the world of specialty press I am enjoying some escapism.

I don't want others opinions getting in the way of my escape.

I'm not going to name names.

Yeah, I hear you on having your escapism destroyed. Usually I don't feel like my escapism can be destroyed by a publisher. And unless the book itself feels agenda-driven or overly lecturing and didactic to the point of interfering with the story, I don't tend to care about the author's personal opinions. Just my take. I know enough to know I don't know enough.

[Ben Staad]

It's a publisher and you are right. Cancelling anything would only harm authors whose work I like and enjoy.

When I'm roaming the world of specialty press I am enjoying some escapism.

I don't want others opinions getting in the way of my escape.

I'm not going to name names.

I AM DYING TO KNOW. But also, if you liked the book or author enough to buy their work, then celebrate their work and put their personality/beliefs aside. Unless they victimized people or committed awful crimes, I won't abandon an author over their opinion/beliefs. Everyone is entitled to be wrong. And my opinions have changed so much over the years when new information becomes available that I really have no idea what to believe in anymore. Other than this world is effffffffed. Might as well read all the best books before they're burned through censorship or nukes.

Still, I want to know!