Some Lessons to Learn from Today's Top Decorators.

THERE ARE SOME smart things being done today by successful interior decorators that should be noted by wood products manufacturers. Some of these things have or will have a profound impact on what we design and make, and how we go about developing these new products with valuable input from our top customers.

Before I go any further, I wish to to note that the trends I will identify are not necessarily brand new. They didn't just instantaneously pop up in a poof of smoke yesterday. But they are current and worthy of our attention.

Designer Touches

One thing I have noticed with interest is a wall treatment for apartments in which wood "slats" of varying widths extend about 2 feet to the ceiling. These slats are usually painted in a flat white, the same color as the wall below them. This effect is not only inexpensive to achieve, it is very low maintenance. It goes well with a beige or other light-colored carpet.

Whether the furniture is expensive or not, one of the best schemes I have noticed of late is the mixing of two different design groups that blend beautifully and add interest to each room. The finishes can be alike or be in contrast; either look can achieve interesting results. This mix and match trend is strongly evident in dining areas, where impervious table tops have become very important.

Moving to the bedroom, I've seen some interesting setups in which two chests of varying sizes are connected by a comer desk, bookshelf or combination desk and bookshelf.

TV Is King

One of the most influential components of modem day furniture design is the television set, followed by personal computers. Long gone are the days when we all huddled in the living room to watch our favorite shows. Today's homes often have three, four or more television sets and two or more computers all requiring some form of platform or storage to put them on or in.

In some cases the home entertainment units being built for the living room or den have a section for the family computer, plus storage for CDs, software, etc. But you are not going to put a home entertainment unit designed for a large living space into a kid's room. This requires something more compact and versatile, such as being able to double as a desk for homework.

Forward-thinking furniture designers and manufacturers are making furniture for one age bracket which can easily be replaced by furniture designed for older kids and that pretty much has the same footprint. Other manufacturers are making furniture that can easily be modified to "grow up" with a child. A good example is a dresser with a fold-down changing table that can be removed when the kid is no longer in diapers.

I hope this provides some food for thought. It does pay to think, right?

Honesty Is the Best Policy

Q We are more or less a custom outfit when it comes to manufacturing products. Currently, we have a very heavy backlog of orders and even with a lot of overtime hours being put in, it is obvious that we will not make some of the deadlines we promised to customers. How should we handle this? Thanks a lot. Mr. M.

A If your goal is to get repeat business and referrals, then it would be wise to personally call customers and apprise them of the situation. If any of them are adamant that you stick to the schedule, then you should either reprioritize your work schedule or partner with another qualified shop in your area to help with the overload. I trust you have also considered purchasing components from outsiders for some of your projects, manufactured to your specs and quality standards, of course. Whatever you do, if you wait for your customers to call and question you about where their order is, you'll be on the road to losing their future business.

Q We took up your advice about setting up a "library shelf" in the lunchroom and it's working great. In addition to current copies of Wood & Wood Products and other trade publications, we have a bunch of brochures that were picked up at a recent show, plus safety tips. Our people really seem to enjoy browsing through the literature -- and your column, of course. Now, our people talk more than sports during lunch. Thanks for the great idea. Mr. L.

A I hope a lot of readers see your note and do likewise. There's much to be gained at almost zero cost.

Q We are having trouble with discoloration and streaks in finishing maple. I suppose we could try bleach but the tine and expense of doing so seems to tell us that there must be a better, more efficient way. Our finishing materials supplier has not been able to offer a viable idea on this one. Can you? Thanks Mr. W.

A You have not done your homework, and worse yet, neither has your supplier. This column has on many occasions touched on these streaking problems. You need to incorporate a stain toner into your finishing procedure. See what your vendor thinks. If he remains perplexed, consider finding a new source. It will probably take a little experimenting to get the stain toner down, but once you have it, you'll be fine Good luck.

Q I am a new reader and realize that my question has probably come up before. Would it help to use gluesize on endwood, such as on the 1/4-inch panel sample with one troublesome side that I sent you? Thanks. Mr. K.

A Gluesize is the best thing to use in handling rough spots on endwood. Do a little experimenting as to the amount to use. By the way, the panel you sent me is of unbalanced construction. The back was very soft and tore easily. Always use a reject veneer for the back that is the same species as the face.

Q How do you measure moisture so that the plant's relative humidity is as close to 35% as possible? By the way, I'm using gluesize on all rough surfaces with great success. Thanks for the tip. Mr. P.

A Purchase a good humidistat and place it in the center of your manufacturing operation. Keep a close eye on it for fluctuations.

Q We are going to make cabinet doors that feature butt-jointed mouldings. We are doing a first-class job but still wonder if we might be overlooking something. Any special thoughts? Many thanks. Mr. S.

A Be sure that your customers will accept butt joints in place of mitre joints. If you need help with the mitres, I m your answer man.

Q I know you constantly preach that in making solid panels that we not edge glue strips more than 3 inches wide. Because we thought using such narrow strips for a large door looked bad, we bucked your advice and paid the price. We thought we could get away by putting a long strip of wood on the back for support, but it didn't help. The door panels bowed and we ate the job. Are you mad at us? Mr. V.

A I'm more ashamed than angry. You know the rules and now you know firsthand that when you try to bend them they usually come back to punish you. Right?

Q We need to add some moisture to our plant's very dry atmosphere. We don't have a lot of spare money to spend on a humidification system. What else might you suggest? Many thanks for the column. Mr. N.

A Placing a 55-gallon barrel of water in each corner of a plant as small as yours should do the trick. If it does not, add one or two more drums in between.

Q Call me old-fashioned, but I am concerned about women running some of the equipment in our plant. Should I be worried? Thanks. Mr. E.

A In my hey day at Metz Furniture, more than half of my production employees were female. Regardless of gender, you can tell within a day or two whether an individual is cut out for a particular task. In any case, emphasize safety over all else in your training program.

Q Considering the varying degrees of quality we're receiving from our veneered panel sources, I'm ready to begin making them ourselves. Is this a big, tricky thing? Is it something we can learn and master in a hurry? I can't believe it would be all that tough. Thanks a lot. Mr. G.

A The main equipment you will need includes a glue spreader and a press. The most important thing you will need though is an experienced foreman. If you can't find someone who knows the craft, then keep searching for sources who will supply you with the products.

Q We make oval and round picture frames. We recently received a large order on a relatively low margin. In order to make money on this job I know that we will really have to cut down on waste, especially in making the oval frames, What do you think about our idea of edge gluing six pieces into an oval blank to be machined on a CNC router? I hope you can help us with this. Your column is great! Thanks. Mr. W.

A Two piece I can understand, but not six piece. A Think of the number of joints that could fail and variation in character of the wood, etc. I don't think your customer would go for that! If you can't make money using your normal method of manufacture, either go back and try to redo the deal or find someone better equipped to make the ovals at the price you need to come in at.

Q I sent you a complete resume of my experiences. There is hardly a woodworking machine that's been invented that I can't run and I can make the most complex of pieces from rough lumber, panels, you name it. As I have gotten older, I have had a few ailments that put me in the hospital. I think this is what is preventing companies from hiring me. They don't want to put a guy my age with preexisting health conditions on their insurance rolls. I don't want to retire, but I also don't want to accept a job that belittles my abilities in duties or pay. What should I do? Thanks. Mr. G.

A Your story is a sad indictment about work and healthcare in the 1990s. On the one hand, woodworking companies are dying to find skilled people such as yourself. On the other, they fret that hiring you, and your preexisting medical conditions, will shoot their already high insurance premiums through the roof. One possibility would be for you to work part-time, but at a high rate of compensation. Someone might be more apt to hire you if the question of benefits is no longer an issue. You might even consider forming your own company as a consultant to shops in your area. You could assist with training, sample making, etc. In any event, I wish you the best of luck.

Q As you know, we manufacture wood tool chests. Because they are often sold for use in non-air conditioned areas, we use an all-weather adhesive. The downside for us is that this special adhesive adds to our clamping time. Does a less time-consuming alternative come to mind? Also, do you think we are better using tongue and groove or butt joints in making our products? Look forward to your reply. Mr. C.

A It's obvious to me that you have not made good A friends with your adhesive supplier. Ask them to send someone out to look over your manufacturing setup and assess your gluing needs. I'm confident your supplier can help you select a glue that will give you the all-weather characteristics you need and quicker dry times. Don't be surprised if the alternative that is recommended is more expensive than the adhesive you are currently using. In this event, you'll have to factor the time savings in your clamping operation to determine if this is the route to go.

In answer to your second question, I rank the use of double dowel construction number one, tongue and groove number two and butt jointing number three. Keep in touch.

Q I sent you some fancy panels that we recently made and though we took extreme care in the process, the checking is obvious. I know you have covered similar situations in your past columns. Where do you think we erred? We await your kind reply. Mr. T.

A You are right, I have made many mentions of this over the years--almost as often as I have discussed the use of gluesize! Fancy woods require a two-ply construction for panels such as yours. If your crew isn't up to this, then job it out to a specialist.

Q Have you ever used Santa Maria wood? What is it for? Thanks. Mr. H.

A It is a Mexican or South American wood. It is sort of reddish in color and used a lot in flooring.

Q I am new to this industry and! appreciate your column and the articles in Wood & Wood Products. is there any way that / can get some back issues? Can you recommend any wood industry "bibles?" Anything else you can think of that I should read? Thanks in advance. Mr. G.

A Welcome to the industry. You can phone the offices of Vance Publishing at [phone] and ask for circulation fulfillment to inquire about the availability of back issues of W&WP. One book that I highly recommend is 'The Business of Woodwork" by Bill Norlin. Great sources of technical info include the Forest Products Lab in Madison, WI, and the video series produced by North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.

Q Although I am a new reader, I have learned much from your column and the magazine. Thanks for the tips on gluesize and mitre joints. Now / know where to go when I have a problem. Thanks a bunch. Mr. F.

A Hopefully you won't have cause to contact me too A soon. But if you get into a jam, you know how to reach me.

Q First, I must thank you for your advice to meter boards for moisture when they are delivered. Even our supplier was amazed at how many boards were being shipped well above our 6.5 to 7.5 percent moisture target. Now to my question. What is padru? Thanks. Mr. J.

A Glad to hear your putting your moisture meter to use. Padru is a lot like paduk wood. There's not much more I can tell you since I have never worked with it.