After some investigation there were three glues readily available that would do the job: Polyurethane Glue (aka. Gorilla Glue), 2-part epoxy, and hot-melt glue. Regular wood glue simply would not work because it is designed to bond wood to wood, and not much else.

Polyurethane Glue

The polyurethane glue did a fabulous job at bonding the aluminum bar to the wood it is inserted into, and allowing plenty of open time to assemble the components, but its drawbacks proved to much.

Here is a view of a .75″ aluminum bar glued into a .75″ hole. The joint is tight enough that no glue was able to expands out of the hole.  But, the joint was also so tight that the bar had to be pounded in with a dead blow hammer.  This presented issues on very hard woods like the bubinga and the oak, and on the more fragile components like the wishbone stringer on the cocktail table.  So we solved this problem by drilling a .781″ hole for the .75″ bar to go into.  The ensuing problem is shown below.

Since polyurethane glue foams as it cures, the glue expanded right out of the slack in the hole.  All of this extra glue had to be cut away and the metal and wood re-sanded and cleaned up.  Also, since the polyurethane foams as it cures, all the bars had to be clamped in place to keep from being pushed out of the hole.  This meant that each piece in the furniture line would take 2-3 days to assemble and would need extra labor to clean up the glue that foamed out of each joint.

2-Part Epoxy

The next candidate was an epoxy made up of two parts, a resin and a hardener, which are mixed together in equal parts prior to use.

The epoxy worked great at binding the metal bar and the wood, but the mixing of the two parts can get quite time consuming and monotonous, and it was only available from Home Depot in two 4 ounce bottles, which doesn’t last very long when there are a lot of furniture pieces to build. Also, the working time is quite high, anywhere from 2-6 hours.

The epoxy dried completely clear, and after it was fully cured, removing any excess was a simple task with a sharp chisel.

Hot-Melt Glue System

The next glue we tried was a hot-melt glue system from the makers of the Titebond wood glues. This particular glue system uses a metal glue cartridge that is inserted into a glue gun, which once placed into the electrified base for 15 minutes, melts the glue inside the metal tube allowing you to use the glue.  There are two glues made for the gun that bond metal to wood, one cures in 1.5 minutes and the other one has a slightly longer cure time of 5 minutes.  We thought this was going to be our saving grace. A glue that bonded metal to wood and cured in 5 minutes? Awesome!

We purchased the system, plugged the base in, inserted the glue cartridge, placed the gun in the base, waited 15 minutes for it to heat up, and then used it. This was pretty much your moms hot glue gun on steroids! The glue easily bonded the metal to the wood and easily cured in the advertised 5 minutes.  Once the glue was fully cured it looked and felt like the plastic used to make milk jugs.  The gun did exactly what it was advertised to do. It actually cured a bit too fast for us.  The downsides we discovered were that the glue was not quite liquid enough to ooze out and around the sides of the bars and out of the hole, which is kind of critical for a strong, long-term hold.

So, after using all three glues and weighing their benefits and drawbacks, we have decided to use the 2-part epoxy system.  Not the stuff from Home Depot but rather an even better industrial grade Loctite epoxy we found from Fastenal that uses cartridges and a glue gun with applicator tips that mix the two parts as they are squeezed out.  Therefore we threw out the hassle of having to mix and smear the epoxy where we want it, and we still get to enjoy all the benefits.

Three weeks ago we had an interior designer from San Francisco contact us regarding our ebonized oak bench he found on our Etsy page.  He had a client that was interested in having one 12″ shorter in length, made out of Bubinga.  So that is exactly what we did.

The bench top was shortened by 12″ from 56″ in length to 44″ in length.  The long stringer was shortened by 8″ and each of the the bench top overhangs were shortened by 2″.  All other design elements remained the same.

The finished bench, with three coats of tung oil, came out absolutely gorgeous!  After allowing the oil to fully cure, we crated it up and sent it off to FedEx for shipment.  This was the first furniture line piece to be shipped of to an out-of-town customer, with many more to follow!

We needed to design a TV stand to hold their large flat screen TV, a receiver, satellite box, VCR/DVD combo, and DVD’s & CD’s.  The clients wanted it to work around the constraints of this little corner space and wanted it to match the rest of their furniture in the room.

Currently, the clients are setting the DVD player, satellite box, and TV on top of an end table, while all the space to the left, on the hearth, is being unused.

The design allows for all the components to be stacked together and placed in the left most compartment, while the two drawers are deep enough to hold CD’s and DVD’s on end, and the door below will hide anything the clients decide needs to be stored away.

The first step was to mill the quarter-sawn white oak to 7/8″ and glue up the top and sides to the main cabinet.  Fairly simple and straightforward.  Culls were used to help flatten the centers of the glue-ups.

Once the sides and top were cut to length and sanded flat, we used a router and fence attachment to cut the stopped dados in the underside of the top which will accept the mortise that we cut in one end of each side.

Here is a shot of the two sides and the top with all the dados, stopped dados, and mortises routed out.

Once we routed all the dados and sanded all the surfaces we began buiding the main cabinet base.

Once the base was dry, we flipped the unit upside down and, using 11 clamps to hold every joint secure, finished assembling the rest of the cabinet.

The next morning we focused on building the two drawers and door, milled the drawer fronts, attached the drawer slides, and nailed on the trim around the base of the cabinet.

Once we dry fit the drawers and door, we gave the unit a final sanding and sent it off to the finishing room where we wiped on a coat of Fruitwood stain and sprayed on three coats of conversion varnish.

Final pictures to follow in a few days.

Well, that requires a two part answer.

The answer to the first question, without getting all philosophical on you is because I have designs in my head that have to take shape.  It is not enough for me to just draw or sketch the design on a piece of paper or in SketchUp, and it is not enough for me to just build furniture from a pre-designed template.  I love beginning with an idea in my head, flushing out all the various aspects of the piece in the design process, further refining the details in the milling and assembly stages, and finally being able to take a step back and admire a piece of furniture that you created from start to finish.

The answer to the second question is because with the slowing economy, my custom work has slowed as well, and like all good companies which desire to be around for many years to come, it became time to innovate and branch out into other areas of the furniture market.

To launch any furniture line one must have prototypes of the desired product, and in order to make prototypes, one should have a collection of designs to work off.  So, that is where I started when I decided to create a furniture line.

The furniture line really began about 12 months ago when I designed this coffee table for the 2008 Chair Affair furniture competition:

I learned about the competition about two months before it was scheduled to take place and used it as an excuse to design and build a fully custom piece that I had been working on in my head for quite a while.

It is hard to describe the feelings I get when I set out to design furniture that has to appeal to absolutely nobody other than me.  It is a mixture of incredible freedom, liberation, and one of sensory overload, akin to a kid in a candy shop.  The world of furniture is my oyster.  There were no fences, no constraints, and because of that, there was no starting point for this coffee table.

I did have a few ideas that I wanted to incorporate.  I wanted all the parts (legs, tabletop, etc.) to be thick and substantial with long graceful and sweeping curves.  I wanted all the joints to be connected with metal connecting rods, giving the entire piece a lightweight, airy feeling.  Really juxtaposing the weighty, solid feel of the wooden parts with the lightweight, floating feel of the joinery.  I also did not want to use any stains in the finishing process, just a few coats of oil to really make the beauty of the wood take center stage.

The Capulus coffee table was the end result of that designing and building brainstorm session last March, and in the next post, we will look at the design process of the other seven pieces in the line.

Darla Cole
Cole + Company, Inc.
Interior Planning & Design

Boise, ID – May 2008

What an amazing feeling it is to finally have those designs that have been bouncing around in my head for so many months finally take shape.

The line includes a coffee table, hall table, end table, cocktail table, bench, mirror, lamp, and a candle holder.  Each piece is available in ten different wood species and many of them are available in multiple sizes.

Click HERE to see the furniture line page.

The furniture line was officially launched with a party held last Friday evening at one of the Vertex live/work condos in the Waterfront District in Garden City, courtesy of the amazing people at the Urban Agent Real Estate team.  Thank you so much Nick, Jen, and Lindsay. The turnout was good and everyone enjoyed good conversation and the amazing food prepared by my wonderful wife.  Thank you so much my love!

Keep your eye out for the line in local furniture stores and, if all goes well, stores and web sites all across the US.

No matter how good you think your business may be, there are always techniques and strategies that can be implemented to improve efficiency.

A just-in-time delivery of inventory reduces storage costs and minimizes the risk of having raw material that may become obsolete or out-of-date on the shelves.  Set-up a manufacturing facility with a cellular based layout, grouping like tasks together, thereby decreasing the distance a product travels and placing workers close to those who are directly above and below them in the production flow. Source your products from local suppliers and save money on shipping and handling costs.

Consider outsourcing parts of your business that are repetitive, high-volume, and have a low level of specialization, or, if you want to keep everything in-house, consider saving money by automating these kinds of tasks.    Solicit employees for ideas, input, and advice.  Many companies look to managers and supervisors for all the answers when, often times, the average worker will have a far greater understanding of the daily workings of the business and how to optimize processes and implement changes that can save the company money.

Here at J. Alexander, even though we are small, we are able to use some of these same techniques to be more efficient and save money.  Our shop has a cellular layout (milling, cutting, assembly, finishing), preventing us from having to haul a project all over the shop and decreasing the risk of damage.  We only order the necessary material for the work that is in process or is scheduled to begin, thereby eliminating lumber and storage racks, and it is ordered from three local suppliers, saving us tons of money on shipping and handling.

Invest in Marketing and Sales

Many small shops and companies get by in the good times with a very passive marketing plan, but once the market tightens up, ie. right now, those companies tend to lose sales much quicker.  Whether you are individually pushing your product, or whether you have an entire marketing and sales team, actively marketing and selling your product to new customers and markets is a must.

While we are not eshewing the value of word-of-mouth marketing, we believe our marketing approach will help separate us from many of the other woodworking companies in our region.  We have invested a fair amount of time and money in designing and creating professional marketing material (web site, business cards, brochures, newsletters).  We also focusing on being active in the local business community and continually meeting and networking with new people, businesses.

Appeal to Patriotism and Environmental Concerns

While this is not a silver bullet for being successful and making sales, the “Buy Local”, “Made in the USA”, “Go Green” campaigns are growing and helping local businesses distinguish themselves from their global, faceless competitors.

We strive to buy all of our products from local suppliers, whether it be our lumber, hardware, or finishing materials, thereby supporting the community and city we love and, at the same time, reducing our carbon footprint, even if ever so slightly.

Take Advantage of Trade Organizations

Trade organizations and networking groups are an incredibly effective way to meet fellow business people, get your name out, and generate business leads.  A good question to ask yourself before jumping to headlong into these networking groups: “Am I here to make a sale, or to develop a relationship?”  It had better be the latter or else you will crash and burn.

We keep our networking schedule somewhat limited, because just like anything else, it can take over your entire day if you allow it to.  So far we are part of the local interior designers trade group and are involved with the networking events put on by the local Twitter business community.  To be honest, meeting other local business people on Twitter is what kicked this whole networking think off for us.

Check out the previous installments to this series: Part 1 & Part 2

Leighann Morzano – Boise, ID – June, 2008

Part 1 is HERE.

Know Your Market and Stay Out Front

Never let yourself fall into a rut.  Always be looking for additional ways to expand your customer base, meet new clients, differentiate yourself from your current competitors or potential future competitors, and ways to serve your past and current clients even better.  Analyze your competition, always looking for things to do better than them.  What are they not doing?  Why are they not doing it?  It could be because it’s a poor business practice, but it could also be because they have become lazy and complacent.  Look for a service that is not being done and start offering it.  Better yet, look for a product or service that is not being offered very well, and do it better than the other guy.  Think about how many of the industry leading companies were the ones to perfect a product or service, not to invent it (Google, Toyota, Dell).

Network with other local business people.  No one understands what the small business owner goes through better than another small business owner.  They are a wealth of information, tips, and referrals.  Use Facebook, Twitter, your local chamber of commerce, and industry groups.

Visit any trade shows or business conventions that are happening near you.  Scope out which competitors are there and what they are doing.

Read some of your industry’s publications to learn about trends and breakthroughs in the industry.

Stay Flexible and Innovate Often

If your lead times are long, work on streamlining your production model to shorten them.  If your inventory is high, work on designing and implementing a just-in-time manufacturing model.  Offer your customers options and services that are not and cannot be offered by the larger, global companies.  These are just some areas in which your smaller size is an asset to you, not a liability.

Manage Your Labor Cost

Always look for ways to cut labor costs, which tends to be the largest cost to a company.  Like mentioned above, work on making your production line more efficient by implementing a cellular layout, a just-in-time inventory system, and a pull rather than a push production model.   Seek out the most qualified labor in your area, not the cheapest.  Zappos, the shoe retailer, offers to pay a new hire in their first month of employment $2,000 to quit their job.  The rational; Zappos wants employees dedicated to their job and the company, not just to a paycheck.  Turnover can cost a company huge amounts of money in lost productivity, the cost of training, and lower quality.  Hire talented labor, pay them a good wage, and your bottom line may just benefit.

Part 3 to come in a few days.  Part 1 can be found here.

Find the High End Niche, Don’t Compete on Price

This is a critical thing for a business like mine.  We build custom furniture and custom furniture by its very nature is going to be in the upper end of the price spectrum.  There is absolutely no way that we could compete with the furniture prices of companies like Pottery Barn and that’s OK, we’re not Pottery Barn.  We build high quality, one-of-a-kind pieces, not 100,000 medium-quality pieces.

We differentiate ourselves by offering incredible quality, absolute customization, impeccable service, and that hand-made, locally produced touch.  Our challenge is to find the 20% of the population that wants our product and serve them tirelessly, not cry over how the other 80% buy from a catalog rather than from us.

Emphasize Quality

No matter how quality a mass produced piece of furniture is, it will never be as good as a piece that is produced by a craftsman.  On the assembly line, joints are not as tight as they could be, tolerances, clearances, and spacings are necessarily sloppy, and details in the finishing stages are over-looked.

Every detail in our furniture is important: the mortise-and-tenon joint must have a snug, precise fit, the dovetail drawer must withstand tens of thousands of openings and closings over the next hundred years, the glue joints between boards should be so good that they seem to mold together to form one cohesive unit, and most importantly, the finish on the piece should make people stop dead in their tracks when they see it.  These are all things we focus on, and things that are passed over on an assembly line.

Capitalize on Long Lead Times and Slow Turnaround Times

This is one area which we have already taken advantage of to gain sales.  We strive to have the shortest lead times possible.  We built and installed one entertainment center in a short time period to make sure all the installation commotion was over by the time the clients baby was born (we finished the day before!).   Another project was completed in three weeks and installed while the clients were on vacation.

The point is, go the extra mile and offer such individualized service to your clients that you blow them away.  When you do that, they won’t be able to help but tell their friends about you.

We will continue this discussion in the next entry.