
L.L. JOHNSON LUMBER MFG. CO.	& JOHNSON'S WORKBENCH
EVERYTHING FOR THE	WOODWORKER

Birdseye View newsletters

2010

February:

2009

December:

October:

August:

June:

April:

February:

2008

December:
A Genuine Santa's Workshop
For many years we have been promotion responsible, sustainable forestry as well as woodworking. One way has been to support local and regional woodworking guilds and associations. An organization I would like to honor this season is the R.J. Scheffel Memorial Toy Project, www.scheffel-toys.org. R.J. Scheffel started a holiday tradition in 1958 building wooden toys for underprivileged children in his neighborhood...

A State Built on Wood
As L.L. Johnson Lumber Mfg. Co fast approaches 100 years in business, we remember, before Michigan's automotive legacy, it was the rich forest land that first brought jobs and wealth to the State. Michigan led the nation in lumber production during the second half of the 1800s...

Surviving Economic Recessions
During times of economic slow downs, we have learned there are 4 things to keep in front of us...

A Time-Honored Woodworking Tradition
"What is intriguing to craftsmen is the process by which an object is made. Process is an active thing. We copy the examples of the past -- after all, imitation is the highest form of compliment -- to develop our skill. A craftsman's work does not rest with duplication but extends it." says John Wilson (Shaker Legacy: Perspectives on an enduring Furniture Style, by Christan Becksvoort, John Sheldon, Taunton Press)...

Employee Spotlight
Meet John Brandt...

October:
IWF 2008 Highlights
The International Woodworking Fair (IWF), was held in Atlanta Georgia this past August 20th through 23rd. Nearly 1,000 exhibitors covered almost 800,000 square feet at the Georgia World Congress Center, attracting over 43,000 people traveling from over 80 countries, and representing every level of the industry. This show, occurring once every two years, is by far the largest collection of products and services for the woodworking industry in North America...

Fighting Fuel Costs
The effect of rising fuel costs is touching all of our lives. With the average cost of diesel increasing over 64% in the last 12 months, everyone is looking for ways to lessen the impact including traveling less, trading gas guzzlers for fuel efficient vehicles and looking for goods closer to home. In response to these historic fuel increases, companies are looking for creative ways to reduce the delivery cost of their products...

Proper Wood Drying Techniques
When wood is not properly dried, accelerated shrinking can occur. This stress can tear the wood fibers apart, causing internal defects in lumber such as checking, casehardening, and honeycomb...

Employee Spotlight: Meet Ron Campeau
I think many Americans were spending the long Labor Day weekend working around their yards and relaxing with family and friends. but not 63-year-old, semi-retired Ron Campeau, a valued employee of ours. An accomplished cyclist, Ron has participated in the Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinaw (DALMAC) bicycle tour for more than 15 years. This grueling 5-day, 330 mile bicycle ride from Lansing to Mackinaw Bridge requires riding distances between 50 - 100 miles a day...

Customer Spotlight
Lakeland Boatworks manufactures low-maintenance, wood and epoxy recreational boats from 16' to 32' in both power and sail models...

August:
Transform Your Cabinetry
Is your Cabinetry eligible for a new lease on life? Take the 'Candidate for Refinishing Test'...

Renewed Demand for Forestry Products
An interview with Anthony Weatherspoon, National President of the Forest Products Society.

Customer Spotlight
Balok Quality Carpentry and Millwork. Lynn Balok has been in business for thirty years. With an emphasis on quality, he has left lasting impressions...

Employee Profile
Meet Ted Johnson. It was an unusually cold December in 1954 when a 16 year old teenager, 'full of the dickens' according to his mother, was hired part-time...

June:
Keeping a Competitive Edge
"The demand for sustainable products is at an all-time high in the national and global marketplaces, and forest products firms seek certification, in part, to maintain their competitive advantage." An interview with George Berghorn of Michigan Forest Products Council.

Boosting Guild Membership
Finding out potential members' preferred method of communication is a changing target and a challenge shared by many woodworking guilds.

Employee Profile
Meet Jean Reid. Jean and her husband Tom made their home where the Buffalo roam. And where the Deer (but not the antelope) play. They raise Buffalo on their farm in nearby Nashville MI.

Product Review
Freud is continually adding revolutionary break-thru designs to their selection of World-Class Router Bits and Saw Blades.

April:
Forest Certification: What You Need to Know
We are seeing a growing interest from customers who want to know what FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is, how it works, and what costs and availability issues are associated with it.

Regaining Home Values
Now more than ever, homeowners should seize the opportunity to regain lost equity in their homes.

Customer Spotlight
Select Millwork manufactures over 120 different styles of doors as well as stock and custom moulding, flooring, mantles, stair casings, and more...

Employee Profile
Meet Joe Shumaker. Spending his childhood on a farm with eight siblings, Joe Shumaker learned first hand how a strong will, honesty, and hard work will reward you...

February:
Got Russian Birch?
An interview with Luke Wolstenholme of Wolstenholme International Ltd., one of the country's leading importers of hardwood plywood products from Russia, Europe, China, and South America.

Exotic Hardwood Decking Update
The demand for exotic hardwood decking has been increasing dramatically over the past few years.

Customer Spotlight
Hilpisch Family Boat Restoration...One Century at a Time.

Product Review
Steel City's New Hybrid 10" Table Saw
Steel City's 14" Band Saw with Granite Table and 6" Jointer.

A Walk Through The Woods in 1909
Tough and dangerous work, logging was a nomadic lifestyle at the turn of the century.