Tim’s Hurry Up Pew Stain Job

Staining Techniques

This was a fun little video to make. You can see all the energy and movement required to stain a piece of furniture. To get great stain work you have to be careful and thorough.

There are a variety of techniques to use when applying stains.

Sometimes we brush on the stain and do not back wipe it at all. In that case the brush out of the wood stain must be meticulously even. You cannot leave visible brush marks but you are trying to leave a thin layer of stain laying on the surface of the wood.

Other times we wipe or brush the stain on and then use a rag to rub down the surface. This lightens the surface to a more glowing presentation. Stains can be intermixed to obtain the color you want and they can be thinned to reduce pigment concentration as well. Just thin with whatever the can says to use for that purpose – paint thinner for oil based stains and water for latex stains.

I do not recommend dye stains for amateur use.

Cutting Custom Architectural Moldings

Tools for Making Moldings

When I first bought this molder/planer the idea of making moldings seemed interesting. I had no idea how to get started. But like many skills we have learned we simply needed a little push. When I was asked to make moldings for a local restoration project I simply said ‘yes’ figuring I would just have to learn.

Custom Cutters

It was actually not difficult to get the custom cutters made and to create the moldings. To get the correct cutters for various shapes I traced the ends of the desired molding on a piece of white paper. Then I added measurements and dimensions. My wife makes the drawings into a computer file I can forward to the moldings knife maker. We pay by debit card. The custom knives show up in the mail about ten days later. Custom moldings, voila!

Learning the Quirks of New Tools

If you are thinking about making custom, architectural, moldings there are a number of things you need to figure out, or at least try to figure out. One thing I discovered with my first order is that with these planer/molders in the planer mode the cutter head has three blades. In the molder mode you normally have only one cutter with two counter balances to make the cutter head run smoothly. The point of all this is to note that you will have to feed the materials through the machine at about 1/3 speed to get good surfaces on your wood moldings. If you want to run materials through the machine at full speed then you need to buy three matched blades for that particular molding. For small runs the cost of buying three matched blades is prohibitive.

Staining a Curio Cabinet Darker

Curio Cabinet Quandaries

Staining Furniture Darker

Refinishing furniture is a big part of what we do. With this curio cabinet the owners wanted the wood to be darker. We can almost always make wood darker. Making wood lighter is another situation. Typically, dark wood has been coated with oil stain that is soaked into, not unto, the wood surface. Once saturated with the dark color it is nearly impossible to remove that dark stain. I never guarantee we can lighten a dark piece.

Be Careful with the Glass!

An unrelated danger with refinishing a piece like this is the possibility that you might crack or break one of the several curved glass panels. Those panels will be expensive to replace. You have to figure the cost to replace even a small curved glass panel will be upwards of $500 with larger panels being substantially more. We have recently decided to refuse work on any piece of furniture with curved glass panels or doors.

As with any business there are plenty of land mines to avoid and lessons to learn. We do, however, know we are blessed to work on the many and varied projects people bring us. We refinish and repair a great many pieces every year. In the process I try to instill excellent skills and Christian ethics in my apprentice(s). I want them to be skilled, honest, and wise workers in an old fashioned trade.

Custom Door System for a Greek Revival House Restoration

Restoration Greek Revival Project—Custom Doors

One of the worrisome issues about contracting restoration work is that we may lack the tools or skills to reproduce the details needed. Architectural trims and designs can be complex and often were made with equipment we simply do not have today.

Energy Efficiency

The entry ways for this house are additionally complicated by the need to make them energy efficient with good door thresholds and weather stripping. Those needs forced us to do significant adaptation, melding the new with the old designs.

Restoring and Rebuilding Historic Details

When it comes to matching the historic details we find there is a little room for changes. It is not, however, acceptable to build what we would like to see instead of what the architect and owner have ordered. With restoration projects we are more copy cats then designers. We work with the architect and owner to produce a style-consistent project. We sort of re-invent the project with as many authentic architectural moldings and details as we possibly can, on the equipment we own (which is substantial).

We also invent or substitute style consistent details as needed. For instance, on this entry way the original glass was held in with glazing putty. Glazing putty can do a great job but the look tends to be undesirable on many projects. Hence we created a stop for the glass that is so consistent with the original details that even the best trained architectural moldings expert would never detect that a change has been made. The project is more beautiful while retaining design integrity. If you want to tackle custom moldings there is plenty to learn, but these little paragraphs are all I can write today.

Is it Time to Hire Apprentice #2?

Letting Go of the One-Man-Show

I run a small business here. A tiny business might be a more accurate description. Maybe that is what you do too? I know how it is. Everything is your responsibility. You have to keep materials in stock, pay the bills, straighten out employee errors, supply quality control among other duties every day. So the last thing you (we) need is to cause ourselves extra headaches by bringing a bad choice into our line-up of workers.

In the shop there are only two of us after all. Sure my daughter helps with behind the scenes work like web site and advertising, and everybody helps with moving furniture from time to time. But essentially, there are only two of us in the shop every day. And now I have an application from a second apprentice. This young guy found me by searching ‘apprentices’ on line. So, I suppose since I am talking about apprenticeships every week, more applications will, Lord willing, keep rolling in.

Building an Army … of Two or Three

I have a vision of running a busy shop and training a small army of young apprentices to earn a living doing what I do. But my vision includes more than simply teaching people a trade. I want to teach them to run businesses as Christian leaders and as people of integrity. I want them to understand their lives as a gift from God and as an opportunity to build God’s kingdom. They should leave inspired to build a business for God’s glory and for the good of man. Apprenticeship training ought to be discipleship: distinctively Christian, infused with scripture, and goal-oriented in every respect.

With all that in mind I must figure out how to communicate the vision with a new apprentice. I am convinced that my apprenticeship contract ought to make clear the purpose of the business. It won’t do to hire a person who is not on board with the direction of the work here. Along with that I must develop clarity about what it is that makes a Christian apprenticeship Christian. How is Christian apprenticeship different from just regular apprenticeship? How is apprenticeship different from a job? I am working to understand these issues before I hire on another person.

Timing Your Hiring is Tricky

Then there is the practical matter about when to hire anybody. How do I know if I will have enough work to keep the new worker busy? It seems like the amount of work available increases when help is added—sometimes. It can be confounding. I think I am going to ask my next apprentice to start with only one day a week. That way I can measure his giftedness in relation to this trade. I can evaluate his character without a lot of commitment.

Business Development + Character Development

I know one thing for sure. The first apprentice has to teach the second apprentice. I have already gotten some push-back on that idea but I do not care. It will be good for the first apprentice to learn how to train another person. It is part of the trade. I am training my apprentices to learn how to start their own businesses not just do a trade. Plus it forces the first apprentice to work through the issues about his personal importance to the business. Is he still needed? Who is the top dog now? Was the second apprentice hired to take the place of the first apprentice? Like Cain—sin is at the door but you (and they) must learn to master it. This situation will be good for character development for everybody involved. We can ruminate about this some more another day. The second apprentice, Pitfall or Paradox, the second apprentice, Mission or Malady, Rescue or Reversal…

Apprenticeship Contracts: KEEP ‘EM SHORT

Apprenticeship Contract: Get it in Writing

One of the first lessons about apprenticeship we can learn from our Christian brethren who have gone before us is to get it in writing. It may sound stiflingly formal but do not begin without a short contract. An apprenticeship contract will fix in the minds of both master and apprentice the journey they are embarking on together. The reason the contract must be short is the natural fear we all have of long, complicated and possibly entangling contracts. We do not want to risk getting ourselves tied into a legal mess we regret. So keeping the contract short is of utmost importance. Use the contract to cover just a very few points that are critical to the relationship.

Partner with Christians

If you desire a distinctively Christian relationship you will have to first be assured that your master or apprentice is a professing Christian. A simple test is for both parties to agree to common Christian creeds such as The Apostles Creed or The Nicene Creed—preferably both. I am suggesting these because they have been time tested and are broadly understood as defining critical doctrines relating to the Christian faith. Other creeds or confessions could be used and might be useful depending on the people involved and what their expectations from the relationship might be. For instance reformed Baptists might want to limit their apprenticeship relations to other reformed Baptists and use the London Baptist Confession of 1689 as their agreed statement or Presbyterians may want to use The Westminster Confession. But whatever creed or confession you use, well, just use one or two. You surely do not want to get into a contract for Christian trade apprenticeship only to find that the person you are contracted with (covenanted with) is not even a Christian. Scripture teaches:

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Keep it Short & Sweet

I know how easy it is to skip this first and most important step in creating a master/apprentice relationship but it is critical to your future happiness in this adventure to begin here—the short apprenticeship contract. And the item of first concern is to be assured the person you are contracting with is of the same Christian faith you are. Even if you know the person you are contracting with fairly well you ought to demand in the contract that each party agree to some formal statement of Christian doctrine. You need this in writing not just an informal, verbal statement. But I suggest that you not try to write your own list of Christian doctrines for the contract. If you do it will be too long and likely contain errors you will regret or that the proposed master or apprentice cannot in good conscience accept. Wisdom in this case is to use a time tested creed(s) or confession as your common profession. We need our agreed confessions to be biblically sound and time tested and short, short, short or we will end up with long apprenticeship contracts that no one will want to sign.

How Do I Choose the RIGHT Apprentice for My Business?

Getting Over Your Fears

One of the fears any employer, any master craftsman, has about agreeing to put a new apprentice to work is the fear of a bad experience. As a master tradesman you want to share what you know hopefully helping another person along the way. But what if the apprentice you choose exhibits a personal attribute you cannot live with and you have to send that new apprentice away from your business. Do you really want to risk that problem? Maybe it is better to just do what you have always done—get along without the help—work around your need to obtain an assistant.

I have been there. I know the feeling. The last thing you need in any business situation is a big headache, lost time and lost money. Yet the call of the apprenticeship concept badgers you and you keep thinking, “Maybe God is calling me to step out and test the waters.” So you find yourself wondering, “How can I find a great apprentice?”

It’s Easier to Do it All Myself—or is it?

I cannot offer a fool proof plan or answer to this problem but I can tell you what we did. I worked alone for years. Building new furniture and refinishing old pieces is work that often can be done by just one person (except when it can’t). I was botherationing my close family members to assist quite often in moving, loading, and lifting awkward furniture. Oh sure, I was working alone as long as you did not count the endless requests for just a little help. My family was quite gracious about it but still, I was not truly working alone. Something needed to change.

Tim, now eighteen was only three when our families met. We knew his family first from our church. But we also had gotten to know them as they helped us with yard work and through developing personal relationships. We shared meals back and forth and were in each others’ homes. Tim and his older brother had both helped around our place providing chainsaw services. All these relationships went back quite a ways. Plus, Tim’s father taught him to work by having him work in the company warehouse, teaching him good work ethics, and getting him going with lawn mowing jobs at an early age. So when I told Tim and his parents I would like to have him work with me as an apprentice I had a pretty good idea as to what Tim’s character was. I was not just hiring a guy off an application. I was hiring a young man with, what I believed, were sound Christian ethics. It was that personal character that convinced me to put Tim to work.

Your Network is Your Greatest Resource

If you can find an apprentice within your familiar group of Christian friends it is a great way to get started. God provides those relationships for all of our good. If you cannot find the person you need so easily then there are ways and means to discover a great apprentice. But those ways and means will be our topic in a different blog post as we continue to talk about tips and tactics for apprenticeships in our small businesses.

Why I Write About Apprenticeship

What is My Goal?

I want to convince you that apprenticeship as discipleship is one of the most powerful biblical levers to build Christian society and that it is one of the best tools we can use to disempower the current humanist society around us—to deconstruct the coliseum as one man so succinctly put it. It is a practical means by which we can train our children to support themselves and to make their way in the world without incurring huge college debts and without putting themselves under attack by professors who have opposing worldviews to promote.

Who am I to Talk?

At age sixty-five I am younger than many of you. But my health is problematic, so from behind these eyes I am, if you will permit me to mix a metaphor, starting to look long in the tooth. I have three children one being my only son whom I reared carefully in the carpentry trade and in a Christian worldview. I took him to work with me from an early age. He learned the names of all the tools, fetching them as his first work. He learned principles of how to work—never walk around with empty hands, and later on, never doubt you are a real carpenter. I also wrote books, seven so far, on biblical worldview including a book on homeschooling—a biblical defense of homeschooling. So I have practiced what I am advocating. Nevertheless, I am not unaware of my failings or of the obstacles and struggles in achieving the end I promote.

Old Time Apprenticeships

I want to write a, perhaps the, book on apprenticeship as discipleship. I have been reading apprenticeship contracts out of old Christendom. Those ancient contracts force the master tradesman to teach the apprentice all the “secrets and mysteries” of the trade. The master also agrees to provide room and board for the apprentice. Typically in the first year little or nothing in the way of wages is provided. In every case the apprentice swears not to steal the masters’ “goodes” among other promises. The contracts were typically short and often imperfect. The terms set by masters were strict. The apprentice could not marry without the master’s approval, the apprentice must attend church, the apprentice must collect firewood, supply his own clothes, receive only one pair of boots per year, not gamble or get drunk or…

Bible Time Apprenticeships

I have been reading about Bezalel and Oholiab in Exodus chapters 31-40. This is the largest section on work in the Bible. The writer diverges to other topics but then returns faithfully to his original discussion. These two men, master and apprentice, were commissioned by God to build the tabernacle the movable tent of meeting in the wilderness). God gave them, the text informs us, skills sufficient for this great work. We are told that God gave many people skills to assist. The skills God gave them however were undeveloped gifts. Thus Bezalel and Oholiab were commanded to teach the people to do the skilled work. There is much more but it makes my point that apprenticeship is often God’s chosen method to teach trades—life skills—and apprenticeship is discipleship. If we want to rebuild God’s tabernacle, if we want to replace the crumbling humanist coliseum, the Lord has given us the tools to begin the work. Apprenticeships; Christian, Godly, properly-conceived apprenticeships are one of those tools.

Now is the Time for Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship as discipleship is an everyman’s tool. You do not have to be clergy or have public speaking skills to disciple apprentices, keeping them out of public universities (and we do want to extract as many students as possible from those humanist prisons). They must be freed to use the gifts and talents God has given them. For gifts, skills, and talents are God’s created means by which we are to advance His kingdom. Our everyman need not be a physical laborer either. Here in Virginia I have been told you can ‘read for law’ to become an attorney. It is essentially a form of apprenticeship left from a wiser era. The gates for apprenticeships ought to be a great deal wider than only into physical labor intensive lines of work. This pie is much bigger than what we now imagine (and who doesn’t like bigger pies?).

The humanists, the Greeks in biblical parlance, measure men by intelligence. They use logical syllogisms of Aristotle and Plato—all the reasoning of the ancient city. But we are not humanists. Biblical logic is ethical. It presses to develop a righteous society built on, and reasoned from the standards of Moses, the prophets, and the apostles. God’s law is, borrowing the Lutheran analogy, in, with, and under our every endeavor. I mention this because when we apprentice people we have the grand opportunity to teach the moral principles behind the trade. We are not merely teaching the logic of the business. We are training in the morals as well—all that Christ commanded us.

Christian Apprenticeship: Build the Future

With apprenticeships we create the financial basis for future ministries. If we are to defeat the tax-funded humanistic culture we must be aided by successful Christians embedded in trades and businesses across this country. So by training our apprentices we achieve the double benefit of emptying the public universities and building the future financial foundations to defeat some of God’s enemies. This is worth more than just talking about, it is worth doing.

I ask you all to pray for me and my household. Currently I have a wonderful apprentice. I discuss my work and training with him often on this blog. Please ask the Lord to give us success in our discipleship and in my efforts to write the book on apprenticeship, on work and working.

Thank you all and may God bless our small beginnings.

Dr. Don Schanzenbach
Mendota, VA

Doing Skilled Work, by God’s Grace

When it comes to work and careers I believe many of us drift into our careers with little attention to long term kingdom building intention. Maybe we choose a type of work because it will pay a lot of money. Perchance we simply drift into whatever career is easiest to attain or perhaps we try to find work that is personally enjoyable. Motivations are often mixed but, I think, rarely evaluated against biblical ideals for work.

The Bible is for the Work Week

What! You say; there are biblical ideals for planning our work and careers? Most of us have never heard a sermon or read a book discussing any biblical directions for career and work so where can we find such instructions?

The Bible has a lot to say about work. There is a ten chapter section that we could title Wisdom for Work. It is found in the book of Exodus chapters 31-40. The first characters (ummmm – Characters and Careers – could make a good title) mentioned are a couple of guys with peculiar Bibley names: Bezalel and Oholiab. Being a Schanzenbach I suppose I ought not get too exercised over other people’s peculiar names (Oh, when I type the word Bibley the spell check indicates it is not a word. But we all know it is a word and we have a sense of what it means even though we may not be able to write out a flawless definition of it. So we can not let spell check deter us from using perfectly good words.) But I have drifted from my discussion about Bezalel and Oholiab.

Learning from a Guy Named Bezalel

These two guys were appointed by God to direct and perform the building of the Jewish tabernacle that was used during Israel’s forty years of wandering through the wilderness. The tabernacle was an artistic house for God. The work involved casting precious metals, engraving, stone cutting and setting, weaving and dying cloth, making garments, and embroidery and other skilled work. The master craftsman overseeing the project was Bezalel and his apprentice was Oholiab. Our text introduces them:

Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. “I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. “And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you (Exodus 31: 1-6).

And the text lets us know what these craftsmen were supposed to be working on:

the tent of meeting, and the ark of testimony, and the mercy seat upon it, and all the furniture of the tent, the table also and its utensils, and the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering also with all its utensils, and the laver and its stand, the woven garments as well, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, with which to carry on their priesthood; the anointing oil also, and the fragrant incense for the holy place, they are to make them according to all that I have commanded you” (Exodus 31:7-11).

When we read that the Lord called by name Bezalel we must understand that this is an example for all of us. Not that we are called to do the same work as Bezalel but that God calls us by name to accomplish specific work for His kingdom. That specific work requires focused skills which the Lord also provides. Scripture explains,

“I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship…”

So Bezalel received the Spirit of God to do specific work. Now, he likely labored hard to develop his skills, but ultimately, it was the Lord who filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and all kinds of craftsmanship.

Discover & Use Your Talents

It seems to me that we ought to expect that God has filled all believers with His Spirit of wisdom and craftsmanship to complete our earthly callings. This Scripture passage is for our instruction and application (2 Timothy 3:16). God does not send us out empty handed. We ought to be working from our youth to discover our God-given talents and gifts and expect that the Lord will use us in His kingdom work. This is a basic minimum belief (for women as well by the way) needed to live the gifted and called life God has for us.

When Tim and I were working on those big doors installing the Edura Trilennium hardware we were working at the edge of our gifts, skills, and talents. I worked for years to gain the knowledge and skills needed to perform that work. Yet it is the Lord who receives all the credit and glory for granting the life and opportunities, gifts and talents needed to complete my (our) calling. So if it is big doors, big tables, computer codes, managing a household, or whatever the skill needed, all is to be done by God’s grace and to His glory. God gives us each our gifts and we owe Him praise for this.

Teach Your Apprentice to SUCCEED

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success (Joshua 1:7-8).

Seek Success & Prosperity

We all want to have our way be prosperous and to have success. To some degree we truly need to prosper and have success so the pursuit of those goals is not merely an expression of our worst nature. It likely is altogether righteous for an apprentice to seek prosperity and to have success. This is not an endorsement of greed but of need (nice little rhyme?). I do not want my apprentice to just be fooling away time learning skills he never plans to use. If that is the case he/she is wasting both his time and mine.

My life may be short and I do not want to expend it training a person valuable skills just so those skills can be thrown to the wind. Sure people change their directions. I know that. But like the apostle I want to spend and be expended (2 Corinthians 12:15) for a worthwhile cause not somebody’s chance of drifting fancy.

What Makes an Apprentice Succeed?

But for the apprentice it seems the greater cause of Christ should impel him to think about how his way may be made prosperous and how he will have success. In my case any apprentice is likely to be male (must be suitable to work alone with me in the shop every day) so, in most cases, that apprentice should be preparing to support a family. And supporting a family is not easy in our high-taxed society. Plus he ought to be thinking about how he can work toward the expansion of God’s kingdom and how he might yield a return for the heavenly Master of thirty, or sixty, or one hundred fold. The earthly master wants a return but so does the heavenly one.

Joshua instructs Israel that the way of prosperity is to make sure that the book of the law does not depart from their mouth and that they must not turn to the right or the left. They are told to meditate on it day and night, “so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it”, as must we.

Soul Training for Success

There is no substitute for meditating on God’s law day and night (Psalm 119:48) and we truly assist our apprentices if we encourage them and teach them to labor as well at this behavior. We need to teach our apprentices money earning job skills (big tables, big doors, or whatever your skills might be) but we also need to teach them core principles about the Christian life that will help them to succeed and prosper. This is partly what makes Christian apprenticeship distinctive and better than humanist, empty soul apprenticeship—more about that some other day.