Ralph Jones | Woodmaster Drum Sanders Blog

Ralph Jones is an accomplished woodworker, author, and teacher. His mission is to help others improve themselves by becoming skilled woodworkers.

Here’s a Woodmaster woodworker who’s passing along a proud tradition. Ralph Jones is teaching others to become woodworkers, just as his grandfather taught him. He says, ” My grandfather taught me the family trade — woodworking. He was tough on me and I asked him why. He said it was because I’d be the one in our family to carry on the woodworking trade and become a teacher.”

“I recently celebrated 65 years of woodworking and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. What started out as a hobby is now a full time operation, building and restoring furniture. Now I am ‘RJW America, Inc.’, a non-profit corporation. It’s a workshop where I bring people in and train them in woodworking so they learn skills they can use to go out and get a job other than building houses.

I’m a lifelong teacher. I’ve taught woodworking in many institutions and now I run the equivalent of a school in my own shop. I received my bachelors degree in teaching adults at the age of 57. I graduated from night school at Ohio State University with a B+ average.

Ricky Hatfield, left, learns the art of woodworking from Ralph Jones. Hatfield, 42, lost his job as a truck driver, the only career he has had. He said he is enjoying learning the new trade.

Ricky Hatfield, left, is one of Ralph’s apprentices. He learns the art of woodworking from Ralph. Hatfield, 42, lost his job as a truck driver, the only career he has had. He said he is enjoying learning the new trade.

I have been writing Quizzes and Mind Benders for Wood Magazine for over 20 years. Today, they’re online on Wood Magazine’s online forums. Anything you see written by “Sawdustr” is by me. I write these articles 363 days a year. I take off for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I got tired of seeing people dedicating the better part of their lives working on assembly lines in factories that either went broke or left the country for more profit. While these people were working on the assembly line, they didn’t have a chance to learn a trade. So far, I have placed nine people in the field they chose, at no cost to them. They had the opportunity to earn as well as learn hands-on.

“You can make some good money making molding”

I have a Woodmaster Molder/Planer. Since I’ve started using it, I’ve made quite a bit of trim. The 718 is a wonderful tool, I enjoy using it. I set it up as a dedicated

Here’s the 18″ Woodmaster Molder/Planer like the one Ralph uses in his shop.

molding machine for making trim and I make a lot of it. I just did 1,500 board feet of trim a month ago for a house and 3,000 board feet for another job.

SAVE BIG NOW on Woodmaster Drum Sanders! – sale prices, online specials

SAVE BIG NOW on Woodmaster Molder/Planers! – sale prices, online specials

You can make some good money in molding. A lot of people do old home renovations and we make molding to match the trim you can’t buy anywhere. I charge $2.30 a lineal foot for surfacing three sides and cutting a profile. I also charge for the customer for the wood. For example, poplar is $1.60 a board foot. I charge for the wood and for my work: $3.90 a board foot. That’s less than the customer would pay at a lumberyard and I’m making money.

I often need to have custom knives made to match older trim. I send Woodmaster a piece of trim for which I need the profile knife made. They send me the knife. It works out very well. The customer and I each pay half the cost of the knife and I keep the knife for making trim in the future.

“I bought a Woodmaster Drum Sander on their monthly payment plan”

Ralph owns a Woodmaster Drum Sander, too. “Very useful because I make a lot of furniture.”

I also have a Woodmaster 38” drum sander. I use the drum sander for face frames, for example. I can run them through and they’ll be a uniform and level throughout. Or when I glue up a panel for the end of a cabinet, I simply run it through the drum sander and it comes out nice and you can get a beautiful finish. I got the 38” because a lot of people make face frames and bring them to me to sand instead of trying to level them out with a hand-held sander.

I bought it on the monthly payment plan and set up payments. I was pleased with the Woodmaster Molder/Planer so I decided to go with the Woodmaster Drum Sander. It’s very helpful because I make a lot of furniture.

“Weekend warrior tools just don’t hold up.”

Here’s a handsome bookcase made in Ralph Jones’ workshop.

Woodmaster is one of the top woodworking tools as far as I’m concerned. Other tool brands I’ve seen are not as stable. Many are overpriced and overrated. Whenever I need a tool, it must be a commercial grade tool. If I’m going to be in business, and be able to train people, I have to have quality tools. The weekend warrior tools just don’t hold up. Woodmaster is most definitely commercial grade. I recommend Woodmaster highly.

Woodmaster is 4 tools in 1

If you want the best quality woodworking tool that will give you what you need and want, then you need to contact Woodmaster tools. Say you buy a Grizzly® tool and you want to do more than one function, you can’t. The tool does only one thing. Woodmaster – you can take the cutterhead out

Ralph makes handsome Adirondack-style chairs. His unique innovation: they fold up.

and set it up as a gang ripsaw, or a drum sander, or as a molder.

Woodmaster is a multi-function machine of a far better grade tool than any on the market. Most of your other tools do just one thing. Woodmaster is four tools in one. Any time I have the opportunity to use my Woodmaster tools it’s sheer pleasure for the ease of setting them up and not having to worry about kickback.”

— Ralph Jones, Woodmaster Owner, Ralph Jones Workshop

Tag Archives: Ralph Jones

He’s passing on a lifetime of woodworking skill and HELPING OTHERS BECOME PROFESSIONAL WOODWORKERS

Top Posts