Bi-Weekly Podcast Focused on the Craft of Woodworking
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Since my work typically uses traditional joinery, I cut a lot of tenons. I’ve tried all kinds of methods, but I am really looking for that one method that works for all size boards (cutting bedrail tenons on the table saw isn’t going to happen) and is quick to setup – something that corresponds to the ease and simplicity of cutting mortises using my floor standing mortiser: using your layout lines on the workpiece, you walk up to the machine and start cutting. Easy. For that reason, I really gravitate to the idea of using a radial arm saw with a dado stack for tenons. Norm makes it look so simple: with layout lines already on the board, simply set it against the fence and set your depth of cut, and zip zip, flip, zip, and done (insert Guy’s sound effects for simple operations here). No clamps (unless it’s a small piece), no moving long unwieldy parts across a table, no complicated jigs. And best of all, you see the layout line while you make the cut – it’s not upside down as in a table saw or router table. It looks so simple, and easily a one-size fits all if you have the floorspace for a dedicated machine.
But I know radial arm saws have fallen out of favor. I hear about the danger of the saw “walking” toward the operator (can’t you just stand to the side? It can only go so far, right?), and perhaps even more vexing, they are really only available used – and I don’t have time to tinker with vintage machines, as fun as that’d be in retirement one day. I’ve heard that the ubiquitous Craftsman machines on FB Marketplace and Craigslist have a lot of deflection and the bearings and tracks the saw rides in usually didn’t wear well with age, and that the real old DeWalt’s are the best. But again, I’m hesitant to buy something that old without having the time or knowledge to refurbish it. But maybe a week unpaid to refurbish one is worth the long-term labor savings I’d get?
An alternative I’ve imagined is a router fixture (possibly even as a stand-alone table), where the router rides along a fixed fence and atop a flat reference surface, and where the workpiece is placed under that surface. Using the same router, bit and fence setup every time, I’d have reference marks on the fixture that help align the workpiece’s layout marks for consistent results. I’d walk up, insert the workpiece, align it and clamp it, set my router depth and route the shoulder of one face and then the edge facing me (yes, the router has to be held horizontal for this edge), and then route the additional meat left at the end of the tenon (if any) - then pull the piece out, flip it, align it, readjust depth if needed and route the other face and edge. The idea is to mimic the action and simplicity of the radial arm saw as close as possible, where the cutting tool is what moves rather than the workpiece, and the workpiece is quickly and easily aligned using its layout marks without complicated one-off jigs.
My questions: Is using a radial arm saw for this task as wonderful as it looks? Is it worth the time likely needed to get one reliably working? Given the safety concerns I hear, as well as the commitment required of an old machine, which of the two alternatives above would you go with? Again, with the amount of tenons but of varying kind I do, I want something easy and simple and consistent from project to project – just walk up to the machine and, referencing layout marks on the piece, start cutting.
Thanks! Michael
Do you guys use anything in your shop that is not intended or marketed for wood workers? Right now my favorite is a fabric cutting mat, i used it once to measure the angle and length of a step stool and it has lived on my MFT ever since, it covers the holes nicely and it’s pretty satisfying bringing small pieces of wood to the mat to confirm measurements.
Thanks you for a great show, Heywood
Guys Questions:
I have been driving more than usual for work and find myself listening to several episodes throughout the day. Thank you all for making my abnormal seat time enjoyable!
I am contemplating purchasing a sliding table for my Harvey Cabinet saw, specifically the Harvey Compass ST-1500.
Do any of you have any experience or insight with these types of "add-on's" versus a dedicated machine? Would this be a valuable tool for breaking down sheet goods to final dimensions instead of a track saw? I have used a track-saw in the past and do see how valuable it is, but for my situation, I would prefer to manuver large sheets through the table saw.
Thank you, Nick Halverson
Hi guys I have listened to all your podcasts and thank you for all the great material. I have a couple of questions about a walnut desk I am making for my wife. I was wondering what is a good wood choice for the drawer sides? And can I use that wood on all four sides with dovetails and then glue a piece of walnut on the front so it appears as a half blind dovetail and if so how thick can that front piece of walnut be? Thank you enjoy the podcast while driving tractor on the farm. Paul
Huys Questions:
I am a new woodworker and have built a few furniture pieces. I've been hooked into your podcasts. I always have you on on my commute. I've learnt a ton from all three of you. Keep up the great work.
My wife has asked me to build a coffee table inspired from the following:
https://www.potterybarn.ca/products/palisades-wood-coffee-table/?subGroupId=palisades-wood-coffee-table-SPAF-color-remainder&group=1&sku=706535
I'm building it from white ash. The top and shelf are 3/4 stock and the legs are laminated from 1 3/4 inch board. I have the legs and the panels already done. I'm going to build up the edges with the extra length that I already cut from both end grain and side grains of the panels (I have 8 matching strips one for each side)
As you can see from the link above this table has no aprons and the panels are attached directly to the legs while being enclosed by the legs fully. Even the top is enclosed and the legs end grain would show. Here are my questions:
1) I plan to glue the panels on one axis to one side of the legs( let's call it north south axis) and the other axis is all going to be hardware that allows for wood movement. The idea is that since nothing but the glued panels restrict the legs the expansion/contraction of the panels would just transfer to the legs and they can move with it. How crazy am I? I spent days debating this with ChatGPT. Am I misunderstanding how it will work?
2) I'm now in the step of cutting square 5x5 in notches in each corner of both panels. But I'm very concerned about accuracy. It feels like this setup is not very forgiving. For example if I make the smallest errors on the top and bottom of the same leg it may throw off the whole table where I might have gaps between the leg and panel later. I also have no band saw or a jigsaw. I want to tackle this with a track saw ( also have a table saw but this table is 42x42 and my sawstop jobsite isn't good to handle this size).
Many thanks! Amin
Hey guys, love the show, I've been meaning to send this question this question in for 3-4 years but I'm always listening in the car and forget by the time I get to my computer. So, a few years ago I moved and added a bandsaw to my shop so I could start resawing lumber and my first project to incorporate that was a humidor. The resawing went great, but my table saw was out of alignment, so the mitered corners on the box looked terrible with gaps on the outside corners. To fix that I decided to add a contrasting strip along all the edges. The carcass is birdseye maple and I added padauk by routing out a 3/32" square on all outside corners, added 1/8" strips of the padauk and then trimmed it flush. This looks great, but with one issue. The 4 vertical corners are all cross grain between the carcass and the corner banding, so seasonally while the box sides move, the banding doesn't change length, so it either protrudes or retracts a bit (maybe 1/32") from the top and bottom. This is only a cosmetic issue on this box but I was wondering how I could plan for this in the future, as I could see a situation where all the movement is at the lid side and prevents it from fully closing which could compromise the seal on a humidor.
Some of my thoughts were only gluing the middle portion of the banding down, only doing this when the carcass is a veneer over a more stable substrate, or sucking it up and getting better at mitered box corners and not needing this at all.
I have some pictures from this build at https://imgur.com/a/humidor-build-iaXKQLI Jonathan
Friday Dec 26, 2025
Friday Dec 26, 2025
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Have been listening to your podcast for awhile now and the more I listen to more questions come to mind. Here is my current one for a walnut waterfall bench I’m working on. The dimensions are approx 58”L x 18”W x 16”D. How should I join a shelf to this bench where the grain flows continuously from the legs up through the bench top? The shelf will also be a glued up panel with the grain running the same direction as the bench top. If I attach the shelf to the inside faces of the legs using a mortise and tenon joint, do I need to account for wood movement? The legs, benchtop, and shelf are all 1.75” thick. I would assume that given they’re all the same thickness and technically the wood grain is in the same direction as the legs, just perpendicular, it would expand and contract together, and I could just glue the tenon. That said I don’t want to guess and hearing Guy talk about furniture exploding has me concerned. If wood movement is a concern then what’s the correct way to account for this movement? Should it be treated like a breadboard end with dowels through the tenons, installed through the bottom of the legs (the shelf sits 2 inches off the ground)? Or would it be better, and stronger, to use floating tenons/Dominos for this joint instead and just not glue the outside dominos and cut them loose to account for the expansion and contraction while gluing the center domino(s)?
Thanks, Chayse Bell
Thanks for the great podcast, I discovered your channel about a month ago and now listen all the time traveling to and from work. I've been woodworking a little over a year now and currently working on a dining table made from ash and have picked up all sorts of pearls that have helped with the glue up, apron design, finishing, etc., so thank you for all that.
This question is directed to Brian, as he has mentioned that his shop is in his basement. I currently work out of my two car garage that I share with my wife's car. We just built the house in 2024 and I'm kicking myself that I didn't insulate the garage. These cold Northern Indiana days are making working in the garage pretty uncomfortable. I know I could just insulate it, but HVAC isn't attached to the garage either so to make it truly comfortable would be a big job/cost. So, Brian, can you share a little more about the layout/design of your basement shop? E.g. was it a room that existed that you converted into the shop or you framed the room specifically for a shop? How do you take extra precautions to make sure your family isn't affected by dust, as this is my primary concern. Obviously, I know of dust collection and dust filters, but it still concerns me to think I'd be working in the basement. Do you have anything you wish you did differently? We have an unfinished basement that is very open, so the sky would be the limit for me in the future before we finish it.
Thanks, Evan
Guys Questions:
Somewhat recently I made a gift for my wife using White oak. I had predetermined that for a finishing schedule I wanted to first apply Danish oil, then seal it with shellac, and minwax performance series varnish for a top coat.
I ran into an issue when I began to finish the piece. Not knowing a thing about wood porosity, I liberally applied watco Danish oil, and as a result I had a big problem with seepage. Now, my research had cautioned me that I would need to keep checking on the piece periodically for the next several hours after application to wipe up any seepage that came up. Even so, you this went on for so long that it became an issue. Two full days after application I was still wiping up seepage. I would wipe the piece down before bed at night, and when I'd check it in the morning there would be spots on the surface that took a considerable amount of effort to buff out. I couldn't keep up with it, and after a few days the surface was covered in spots, which meant that I had to start over.
As I mentioned previously, I could not find any information online regarding how to deal with this problem. Just to see what would happen, I decided to try aiming a heat gun at the work piece after it had been drying for a couple of hours. This worked phenomenally, and I could not have been more thrilled. Of course the heat didn't dry out the wood any faster or anything, but what it did do was vastly accelerate the seepage process. The oil was rapidly drawn up to the surface of the wood, where I could wipe it away, and after treating both sides in this manner for a total of perhaps 10 minutes it seemed that all of the excess oil had been drawn out. I wiped the work piece down and had no more issues.
Of, like with any application involving a heat gun, I had to keep it moving, otherwise it would start to bake the spots of oil onto the surface. Anyways, I just thought this was a neat trick that might come in handy with oil finishes if seepage is ever a huge issue. I hope you guys found this interesting. Zach Owens
Hello from Chico, California!
I have recently started listening to y'all's podcast while researching inspiration for reconfiguring and refining my workspace. I thank Guy for highlighting the importance of drawers, I realized that I previously had none.
I am a hobbyist woodworker looking for advice on air filtration for my two car garage shop. It is approximately 3960 cubic feet, 22' x 20' x 9'. While working, the garage door and access door (detached garage with no climate control) is usually open, weather permitting, and tend to have good airflow and supplement with a box fan when needed. I have a Harbor Freight 2hp Dust Collector for my machines, cabinet saw, planer, jointer, and router table and do feel that this my be slighty under powered for my system.
I do notice a fair amount of fine dust suspended in the air after milling operations and breaking down sheet goods on the table saw and a noteable layer of dust across the entire shop. I think that adding an air filter could help reduce fine particulate and could potentially allow me to work with doors shut when it is too hot or too cold.
Do you think that adding an air filter makes a significant addition to air quality or should I look further into optimizing dust collection?
If you feel an air filter is a worthwhile addition, what would you reccomend for an approximately 4,000 cubic foot shop? I have been looking at the WEN 3410 unit due to claimed CFM and cost. I have also contemplated building one with a second hand blower from an old furnace. I am mechanically inclined and competent with electrical. I also feel that timers and variable speeds are not needed.
I would also add that whatever I decide, the garage is detached from the main house and there is a studio above that is rented out to a seperate individual and would like noise and resonance to be kept to a minimum. The only real estate I have available for air filtration is the ceiling.
Thank you for your time. Nick Halverson
Huys Questions:
Longtime listener. Truly enjoy the podcast. I am considering upgrading my table saw to a contractor or cabinet model. The choice are really overwhelming. I get a lot of advice on different brands, phase of motor and should I buy new or used. Any advice appreciated. Greg
I recently bought a small bandsaw mill (Woodmizer LX30) and am becoming an amateur sawyer, exclusively to supply lumber for my own projects. Once I have dried lumber to an acceptable moisture content, what is the best way to store a few thousand board feet? My kiln guy says I should store packs of dead-stacked lumber horizontally, wrapped in 6-mil plastic. That sounds like a pain. I'd prefer to forgo the plastic and store the lumber horizontally, on edge, in a rack, in my unheated pole barn - which, I should note, sometimes gets a wet floor in heavy rains. Then I'd bring pieces into my shop for a few days to acclimate before machining. What do you recommend for long-term lumber storage? Kyle
Friday Dec 12, 2025
Friday Dec 12, 2025
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Just a question to ponder about the future of our favorite material. As old buildings get torn down there seems to a great supply of reclaimed lumber for our current generation. But as we know this is a finite resource. So with that said will the next generation be turning to our generation’s slab furniture for their reclaimed lumber? Doug
Hey!
Sorry if this has already been addressed in a previous episode.
I’m in upstate NY, and I have a full wood shop detached from my house.
The woodshop is insulated, but the temperature changes outside are pretty much the max, 100 degrees in the summer, and it will live at 20 degrees in the winter.
In the winter, should I keep materials I’m working on in my house, bring them out to the shop when I’m cutting, and then bring them back in? It seems excessive, but it's really huge temperature changes.
I’m mostly dealing with walnut. Is the temperature the bigger issue, or is it really humidity?
I could maybe install a heat pump, just yah know it's a lot of energy.
If I went that route, do you have a recommendation for a temp I should keep materials at?
Thanks again for making such a great show
-Mohamed
Guys Questions:
Hello and thank you for the wonderful podcast.
I was hoping for some insights on builds for high moisture environments. My fiancé and I just moved into our first house and need to update the bathroom vanity. Rather than spend hundreds of dollars on a a shoddy big-box-store model, I would like to take a crack at building one myself.
I have enough experience with woodworking and building cabinets that I feel confident with the actual construction, but am concerned about the high moisture environment.
I plan on making a carcass out of prefinished plywood with face frames and drawer fronts out of a yet-to-be-determined species (likely red oak).
What advice and considerations do you all have for these high moisture environments? Do I need to use special finishes or some sort of sealant for the hardwood components? Do I need to worry about sealing or finishing the edges of the plywood even though the faces are prefinished? Do I need any special considerations for moisture or even mold build up between the face frame and plywood carcass?
Any and all advice on this is greatly appreciated
Thanks as always! Andrew
Hey Guys,
I love your show. Hearing 3 sets of opinions with different levels of experience really helps me learn.
I've heard so many different approaches to sanding that I'm coming to the experts for guidance. To what grit do you sand to for Oak, Walnut, Maple, and cherry.
Do you think a planned or card scraped surface is better than a sanded surface? Does it take the finish just as well?
Thanks for all you do! Ezra
Huys Questions:
Another question... I recently had a small tornado that took the roof off of my shop. As a result, all of my tools got wet and the power tools - table saw, jointer, band saw, drill press etc - all got wet and rusted. They've been in storage since March of this year. I have new shop being built and hope to have it done by the end of this month. What suggestions do y'all have in terms of getting the rust off of the tools and checking for any other possible water damage? Thanks. Ron Brewer
I’m making a walnut bench that I want to route headboard sides (legs) on and I’m not sure how to go about it. I’m not sure if a straight edge/track with a router and at pointed round over bit would be the best route or if I should do it on the router table. I plan on using a 3/8” or 1/2” radius point cutting round over bit for the beading. The end two end panels are 16”x18” and 1.5” thick. I have a festool 1400 router and an Incra router table as possible options. Also, once I get these panels made what’s the best way to sand the beads since they come down to a tight point in the middle. Sanding seems like it would be a huge pain and not sure if the router bit would leave a good enough finish to apply finish without prep work.
Thanks, Chayse
Friday Nov 28, 2025
Friday Nov 28, 2025
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Hey all, great podcast, thank you for doing what you do.
What are some favorite Christmas gifts to make with scrap wood?
Specific context for me: been woodworking for a while, hobbyist, been giving gifts to people for years and now I've lost track of who has gotten what. Just trying to get some ideas for this year. Time is easier to give to a project than money. I also like the lathe for scrap projects. Have found a good glue up can make a good looking bowl.
Follow up/more specific questions:
What are some favorite scrap wood projects that are not kits from Rockler (or similar companies)?
Other than a bowl, what are some other gifts that can come off the lathe?
What are some non kitchen items to make from scrap wood? (I believe I've given too many cutting boards, charcuterie boards, cooking utensils over the years). Jim
Hello friends,
I haven't submitted a question in a hot minute, as the kids say, but I finally have a good one for you and it's regarding something I'm truly stumped about. After hitting you guys with question after question about, "How do I do _______ without a jointer or planer?" I finally got myself a thickness planer. It's louder than all hell, and it's nothing fancy, but I'm glad I have it.
There's only one issue that I'm having with it, and I can't figure out what's causing it. When I'm getting ready to Mill down some stock, I first set the height of the planer blades so they aren't taking off any material at the start. The depth of cut indicator is at "0". I'll even send the board through with the blades at this height sometimes just to make sure the gauge is accurate. I then lower the blades by 1/64", aka a quarter turn of the handle. I send the piece of stock through, it takes off some material, whatever. So far, so good.
Here's what's throwing me off: after I've fed that board through the planer, I can feed that same board right back through, with the blades still set at the same height, and the planer will take off about the same amount of material, from the sound of it. This doesn't only happen on a second pass, either. I can feed the same board through the planer six, seven, or eight times, without adjusting the cutting depth, and the planer continues to remove material at each pass. Unless I'm missing something about how planers work, I would think that the material should have been planed down to thickness on the first pass. I can't figure out why it continues to remove material after multiple passes when I haven't changed the settings. This happens to me every time I use my planer.
Not sure if this is relevant but I have a Ridgid #R4331 planer. I also attached a link to a very loud video demonstrating this phenomenon. Thank you in advance for your help and expertise, and thank you for continuing to take the time to put out this phenomenal woodworking podcast. I hope your projects are doing well, and I hope you're doing even better.
Sincerely, Zachary T Owens
Guys Questions:
Hello,
Thank you for the great podcast and for answering my questions. I have a question on using Transtint dye. I heard Guy and Huy mention they use it. Not sure about Brian. Anyway, I screwed up 2 projects when trying to apply it. In both cases I mixed it into Zinser Sealcoat shellac. Firs time applied with foam brush on elm. The second time wiped on on maple plywood. In both cases, the color was very inconsistent. I ended up throwing away the plywood and sanding the elm back to bare wood.
My question is, is it ok to add Transtint dye to shellac? If so, what could be my problem?
More importantly, can you tell me the process you follow to apply Transtint dye?
The dye I was using is Transtint Dark Walnut. Max
I have owned my Sawstop cabinet saw for nearly a year now and I have consistently been impressed with the quality of the machine. One thing that has bugged me since I got the saw is the occasional binding I get when I do a rip cut especially. I have meticulously aligned the fence with the blade/miter slots and with a dial indicator jig to be parallel. I thought it may be internal stresses in the wood but I have the same issue ripping plywood or MDF. I finally figured out the problem. I am using Freud thin kerf blades which have a kerf of 0.091" inches according to the manufacturer. My riving knife is a few thousands thicker than this . Sawstop offers a thin riving knife but I have seen mixed opinions and wanted to get your guys' take on it since I know at least one or two of you have the Sawstop cabinet saw. Have you ever had this problem? Thanks! Adam
Huys Questions:
Dear Woodshop Life Podcast Senseis,
Thank you again for your awesome podcast. New listener. Finally finished all podcasts and now going back and listening to them all again.
This is my second question submitted in the past few months.
Just as I prefaced in my last question/submission, I am in the process of setting up my workshop in a one car space of a three car garage.
One of the first things I built in my current workshop was a miter saw station using 2x4’s and plywood. I’m glad I used relatively inexpensive materials, because after only a few months I realized that I allocated too much space to an immobile monolith in my small workshop.
I plan to build a mobile miter saw station with collapsable wings to replace my current miter saw station. The wings when extended will support longer material and when folded will create a smaller footprint.
I recently watched Guy’s video entitled “Build This Small Sturdy Workbench” on his YouTube channel. The base of the workbench gave me an idea for the base for my miter saw. I’ll add retractable casters to make it mobile.
I want to buy a hollow chisel mortiser for this and future projects. Based on my budget of $600, I think that limits me to a benchtop model. Are there any benchtop hollow chisel mortisers in my price range that you might suggest?
Thank you again for the great podcast and thank you in advance for your advice.
Best,
Darryl Noda (Wildfield Workshop)
I discovered your podcast earlier this year and have now gone back and listened to the entire back catalog while making sawdust in the shop. I appreciate all the knowledge you are sharing with the entire woodworking community.
A question I have recently started thinking about is what would happen with my workshop if something happened to me. I have invested a considerable amount of money in tools from a Sawstop, Laguna Pflux dust collector and Harvey router table, to planes, chisels, and way too many Woodpecker tools. But neither of my kids nor other family members are interested in woodworking, and they wouldn't know what to do with a workshop full of tools. Have you made plans for how to sell or donate your tools? I have created a Will and Trust for my house and financial assets, but I think having a solid plan for the Workshop would be very helpful for my family, but I don't know where to start. Any ideas for community groups that could be donated to, or how the tools could be sold to the right audience? I happen to live in the Indianapolis area as well, so any specific suggestions would be welcome, as well as general ideas.Kevin
Friday Nov 14, 2025
Friday Nov 14, 2025
Due to some tech difficulties, we won't be uploading an episode this week. See you next time!
Friday Oct 31, 2025
Friday Oct 31, 2025
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Love the podcast fellas! I have a simple question: When I use my table saw, I usually just check if the blade is "high enough" i.e. any height higher than the wood piece. Is there an ideal blade height for a given wood thickness? Thanks!
Matt
What is the most difficult project you've ever done?
Brian
Guys Questions:
I’m wondering how thick is too thick to veneer onto a plywood box. I’ll be making a treasure chest for my daughter’s wedding (for cards and such) and lining it in leather. I have some wood I’d like to use for the outside as “veneer”, but it is a 3/8” thick. The species is morado, and they were a “special buy” thing at a Woodcraft I got a while ago. Basically, I have them and I’d like to use them if possible rather than buying something else.
My bandsaw isn’t always the most reliable, so while I would feel comfortable splitting them and then planing them flat again, that might be as thin as I’m able to do. I’m guessing 1/8” thick once all the processing is done. Is that too thick to use as veneer? Is there a glue that’s better for a thicker veneer than a thin one?
Thanks, Peter
I recently bought a small bandsaw mill (Woodmizer LX30) and am becoming an amateur sawyer, exclusively to supply lumber for my own projects. 2 questions, here's the first:
1. In what use cases, if any, would you use air-dried lumber for your projects, assuming it is stickered properly, outside, with a rain cover on the top, for a year per inch of thickness? I was told by a friend who operates a kiln that air-drying in southern Indiana will never get the moisture content much below 13-15%, it will dry unevenly throughout the board, and it won't kill powder post beetles and other insects. His conclusion is that for any indoor woodwork projects, I should only use kiln-dried lumber. Do you agree? Why or why not? Fortunately, he's well-respected, trustworthy, and at $.35/bd-ft dried, affordable. But I can air-dry for free, so I'd be curious to know when, if ever, that may be workable.
Kyle
Huy's Questions:
I have another good fundamentals of woodworking type question for you. Could you explain the differences between grain density and porosity? For a while I thought I knew what at least one of these meant. That was until I heard Guy describe oak as a tight-grained, open pore species. That whole description goes more or less right over my head. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could explain what grain density and wood porosity look like visually, as well as what effects these attributes have on working with a particular species, finishing it, etc.
Thanks for all of your time and for sharing your expertise with all of us. The Fridays when you guys have new episodes are my favorite days of the week.
Zach
Hello Friends,
I have a woodshop at my house in the PNW. I’m somewhere between a beginner and not a beginner.
If you want to answer this question on your fantastic podcast, you can of course skip the preamble. I offer it here so you can understand the context and environment in which my question lives. Because we are friends, I care what you think, so I hope you don’t arrive at the conclusion that I’m impractical. I’ve tried to create a shop environment that incorporates a whimsical and creative aesthetic because that is how I aspire to be in this space.
I built an entry door and carriage doors for my 500sq foot detached woodshop. Doors guts are constructed from poplar frames, 1.5” ridged insulation in the voids, MDO skin on the exterior side trimmed in the craftsman style with ¾ cedar. The interior side of the doors are skinned in plywood and laminated with orange counter top material. The orange is the same color as those orange shirts people who work hard wear. I like to wear these shirts to give my wife the impression that I too am working and not just fudging around. I wanted my workshop to feel likewise. Door window sills and trim are walnut. On the entry door, I’ve installed a commercial style stainless steel handset modified for a 3” thick door. Carriage doors are hung with 4 heavy duty sealed ball bearing hinges per side. For the carriage doors, I had custom astragals and a threshold plate fabricated at a local metalworking shop, and used stainless steel cane bolts that plunge through the threshold plate to hold the doors tight against the weather seals and another set of cane bolts at the top to complete the seal. The carriage door handles are two of my favorite axes. I designed mounting hardware, built by the fabricator, with a quick release pin system so I can pull them off when I need them for axe related business. Inside the shop, I’ve installed antique reclaimed maple flooring on the walls. The flooring was recovered from a factory that used to make steam powered tractors for hauling giant old growth redwood trees out of the forests on the west coast in the late 1800’s. It seemed like a fitting retirement for these floors. I didn’t resurface the flooring (which is now walling) so it retains all of its history, factory floor markings, old holes for mounting machinery etc. Now that the doors are in, I need to install interior trim around the frames that is worthy of the walls and doors. I went to Goby (https://gobywalnut.com) to procure materials. They specialize in Oregon hardwoods such as Oregon Black Walnut, Big Leaf Maple, Oregon White Oak, Madrone, and Myrtle. I came home with some burled live edge Big Leaf stock. My idea is to trim the door frames in maple, with the inside edge (nearest the door) all squared and straight, and the outside edges of the left, right and top trim pieces being irregular and strange. Preparing and finishing these trim pieces is the nature of my questions:
I have a ten-foot long 12/4 burled and figured maple board with a live edge on one side. The board ranges from 9” to 18” wide. My plan is to resaw it into a two 1.5” ish boards and dimension them down to about 1 ¼ to make the parts for my project. Before I do that, I need to clean up the burled protrusions on the live edge side because I think it will be easier to do that before I resaw it.
My first question is how do I clean up the live edge burls? Some of the live edge is typical, but other sections have a lot of terrifying spiked peaks and valleys where a burl has boiled out of the tree. It looks like the surface of the sun right before it’s getting ready to disrupt our global communications system for a few hours. If it helps to understand what I’m dealing with, my wife saw the board when I brought it home said things like “your wood is being a drama queen” and “it’s trying to do too much” and “how much was that”. To experiment, I took a wire brush to a small section just to see what would happen. It worked well from the standpoint of clearing out debris, removing bark and burrs. But I suspect this isn’t the best method for ultimately prepping this for finishing and is probably a crime.
Once I get the edge cleaned up, I’ll resaw and dimension my parts. Getting this 10 foot 12/4 stock up onto my bandsaw and perfectly slicing it into two equal pieces will probably go great. Then I’ll sand the faces to 220. That’s where my extensive experience runs out. Rather than give up at this point, what can I do to bring out the wild figuring on these boards? Fesstool made me buy higher grits of sandpaper like 400, 800, 1000 etc that I haven’t used. Is this why I have these grits? Unlike everything else in my life, I don’t want to overthink this, but I’m starting to wonder how much that twisted, gnarled bubbling burled edge is going to drip finish on the rest of the board after I spray it. Should I consider frog taping the faces, spraying the live edge first and then shoot the face as a second operation after the edges are done? Can one of you come over?
I’ve never used shellac before, but I’ve listened to every one of your episodes so I feel like I’m probably an expert in shellac and pound cut related activities. I have a 5 stage Fujispray system that I’ve used in the past to drip finishes on the floor and all over myself and my work pieces. I also have some rags. Robert
Friday Oct 17, 2025
Friday Oct 17, 2025
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
I recently bought a good amount of S3S ambrosia Maple from Rockler. I bought it at a crazy discount. The first time I picked some up they were selling it for $3 per board foot, and when I came in a few weeks later it had dropped to $1 per board foot. I asked multiple employees why the price was so low. They all said that they simply just didn't have room for the material. Looking around this seemed to be the case.
I have been storing the wood in the loft of my shed/shop for several weeks now, which is cool and dry this time of year. I finally decided to begin a project using some of this material, but to my dismay I have discovered that most of the boards have a twist in them. I've been able to minimize this problem by strategically cutting the boards into smaller pieces, but when I put them in my crosscut sled, I've noticed that a few of the boards aren't even flat on the edge that is supposed to be jointed.
Is this something I should expect after moving lumber that had been stored somewhere with moderate temperature and humidity to a cooler and dryer location? Or is it possible the store was selling this wood for so cheap because people had had issues with this material already? I try not to be overly fussy, especially when I've I've gotten a good deal on something, but this is one of the first times that I've purchased a significant amount of hardwood from a higher quality store and what I'm looking at is about the same quality I'd expect after picking out hardwood boards at random from a big box store.
Lastly, considering that I don't have a joiner or a planer, is there any way for me to try to correct the twist in these boards? For now I just have worst of the boards clamped down to a flat surface. Thanks in advance for your time and your feedback.
Sincerely, Zach Owens
Hi guys, I have a question about how long does it takes, when working on a project, before "project fatigue" sets in? I woodwork for at least an hour or more everyday (much more on the weekends) and I have built book cases, a fancy cat tree, a hallway table, small boxes, solid oak doors, and shop furniture in the past year. Sometimes I get to the point where I just want to finish up the current project so I can start something new. It seems to happen around the 4 to 6 week mark. Do you ever get project fatigue? Just curious if I'm not alone.
Also, thank you to Guy for discussing hide glue and shellac in previous podcasts. I'm now making my own glue and dissolving my own shellac flakes. I like the traditional aspect and easy of use.
Cheers
Chris from North Mankato, MN
Guys Questions:
I would like to build my kids a set of montessori style bookshelves out of solid maple, and I can see myself making more of these in the future for others. So, I am trying to figure out how to make the joinery fast, accurate and repeatable. Also, I would like to avoid using screws and I do not own a domino, so I think that probably makes dowels the best option?
How would you make the 2 sides to this bookshelf? My thoughts are to make a template for the sides so I can route the shape. I am struggling with the dowels... Due to wood movement in the vertical shelf pieces, I was thinking about using 2 dowels, where one will be fixed and the other will have a slot cut into the side panel. See attached photos. Each horizontal shelf piece will be dadoed to the vertical shelf piece and the 4 shelves will not be connected to each other to help account for wood movement. If I use an mdf template for the sides and also put the dowel holes and slots in it, how would you cut the holes and slots? Router, router with bearing, drill press, hand drill? Is there a better way that could be easier or faster than I am missing?
Thank you for all you help! Jeff
Hello all! Thank you for a great show! About a year ago I built a cabinet with a cherry top. It was finished with a single coat Zinser Bulls Eye Seal Coat, followed by 3 coats of Poly. (wiped on). See original picture attached. Since then in a few places it developed small white spots. What would you recommend for me to do to fix it? Can I just apply a few more coats on top? If so, how would I prep the top? Or do I need to sand it back to bare wood? If so, what would be the process to sand it back?
Bonus question, what could I have done to fail to prevent this? Max
Huys Questions:
2. I remember a while back Huy mentioned buying a sewing machine and considering upholstery. Have you don’t anything with it? My wife has been on me for years to build a chaise lounge for our living room for a specific space, but even watching folks demonstrate the art I get a bit frazzled. I know Guy’s solution-just go buy the damn cushions. So, Guy, would you have your wife buy them first and build around them or build the piece (whatever it may be) and send her on a quest to find some to fit? Any resources for upholstery on wooden furniture? Peter Downing
A few years ago I got some beautiful, large pieces of white oak from a neighor's fallen tree. I've had them in my garage where they've been slowly drying. Unfortunately, I didn't strip the bark and now I'm seeing signs of bug infestation. The bugs seem confined to the space between the wood and the bark. After striping the bark how can I kill the bugs before bringing them into the shop?
These logs will be used for turning so I could use an insecticide and just wear a mask with an organic compound filter while turning. Or, I could use a handheld power planer to just hog off any signs of insects in the outer layer of the log.
Do you have any ideas? Jim
Friday Oct 03, 2025
Friday Oct 03, 2025
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
I’ve been making music boxes and trying to replicate the traditional style (see attached photos). I’m struggling to get the curved edge just right. I’ve tried using a planer, but I keep messing up and have ended up wasting a lot of boards.
Router round-overs almost work, but still need planed or sanded after routing to get the shape just right, and also they’re pretty dangerous given the small and awkward size of the pieces—I’m working with ¾-inch thick wood that’s 2.5 inches high for the box sides. I'd like a repeatable process that provides consistent shapes, but can't seem to find a way to achieve it. Advice? Trish
I’ve heard a few of your podcasts where you speak about making boxes and using a router to make the miter. I’m assuming you’re using a bit with a 45° angle. What I don’t understand is, how do you get the sides to be the exact same length while using your router table. It would seem to me that having the top of the angle (the point of the angle) against the fence would be almost impossible to get perfectly sized sides. Can you please describe what I am missing here, since a perfect 45° angle using a route a bit seems incredibly simple. Mike G.
Guys Questions:
I have always tried to select straight grain for legs, aprons, stretchers and the frame of a frame and panel. I am now thinking this may be too much straight grain in a piece of furniture. When are the times that you would not do this and would instead use a more interesting grain pattern in these pieces. Does the wood species affect your choice? For example, it seems like the current trend with walnut is not worrying about getting any straight grain in the pieces at all. Thanks for all your help. Jeff
Hi from Melbourne Australia. I’ve been listening for years, and I like how y’all do things! Thanks for making the best woodworking pod.
Like everyone, I have a small shop, that I fit a lot into. Without listing every item… I’ve got stationary machines covered with a euro style slider (Hammer K3), a 14” bandsaw (N4400) and a combo planer/thicknesser (A3-31). Those 3 cover my needs really well, and I’ve learned to work within the capacity of my tools and space.
It’s the secondary/benchtop machines that are causing trouble. Mitre saw was first to go. Don’t miss it, don’t need it. I’m looking at sanders next. The disc sander stays, couldn’t live without it. But the 1632 drum sander and the oscillating bobbin sander are both rarely used and take up space I want back.
Could you life without them? If not, what’s the essential job they do for you?
I’m usually making furniture sized objects. With the finish I get off the helical thicknesser, I find that hand planes/scrapers, ROS, and hand sanding is usually all I need. For bigger flat things, I’m gonna pay a pro shop to put it thru a wide belt sander anyway. Johnny
Huys Questions:
I was trained on a belt sander, and as Guy has mentioned, there is a learning curve. I’m now very proficient with one and it is a central part of my stock prep: from the planer, I belt sand a rough-sized board with 80 grit, wet it down and let it dry to raise any remaining compression marks from the planer, and then belt sand with 120. I then cut the board to final dimension, random orbital sand with 120, cut the joinery, and then random orbital sand the fitted piece to 180 before final assembly. The process leaves flawless surfaces every time. For panel glue-ups and tabletops, I glue up from the planer using cauls and then make sure the 80 grit belt sanding that follows evens out any discrepancies in height along the joints (hopefully they are minimal).
I have zero experience with a drum sander, but I would consider getting one if it could replace some of the above belt sanding, as the belt sander is no light weight hand tool, and it’s a killer on my back when I have to sand a full width dining table. I would likely get the PM2244, as I have heard it is the easiest to adjust. You all have mentioned that a drum sander does NOT offer a finish ready surface, as it leaves sanding ridges along the workpiece. This is not a problem in my workflow if it replaces the belt sander.
My questions:
Are these ridges similar to what I get with the belt sander for a given grit, or are they deeper, requiring by comparison to the belt sander extra time on the following grit?
Since I am not seeking to dimension or flatten, but merely prep the surface for the next grit, would one pass in the drum sander for each grit be enough, or am I looking at multiple passes per grit? With a belt sander, there is a lot of back and forth, but with a drum sander I’m wondering if a single pass through will give the same result.
How easy and fast is it to change the grit on a drum sander if I want to run 80 grit and then 120 in each sanding session? A dual drum unit is not in the budget.
Finally, how reasonable is it to get good results sanding a tabletop that exceeds the width of the sander (i.e., the 22 in the Powermatic) but is within the bounds of the larger number (here, the 44)? With some practice, can I get reliable results, or does this just create more work after sanding, where I’ll likely be pulling out the belt sander to even out a center ridge anyway? Keep in mind this could include tabletops from small night stands to full 8’ dining tables.
As a professional shop, the whole endeavor would be to save me some time and labor. Is it worth getting a drum sander for my workflow, or should I just stick to the belt sander? Michael
After listening to your podcast this week I listened with interest the question that was posted by Jose about track saw blade deflection and you guys had a great response. Unfortunately I was hoping that you would address the issue that I'm having with my Makita SP 6000 unit. I bought this unit a couple of years ago and despite great reviews have been a little disappointed. The saw seems to be underpowered. It struggles getting through material whether its 3/4" plywood or thicker hardwood. I started with the stock Makita blade 165x20 48 tooth then with with a CMT 165x20 24 tooth and am currently using a Ridge Carbide TRK16048A 48 tooth blade. I have a Festool extractor and using Makita tracks. The problem is the saw bogs down (I have to creep with the feed rate and still have the issue although not as bad) and burning. Also sometimes the right side of the track edges up where two tracks join causing the saw to catch. I have the good TSO GRC12 track connectors. The Makita ones are junk. I What's up with this? Do I need to move this thing out the door, bite the bullet and buy a Festool?
Love the podcast.
Tom
Friday Sep 19, 2025
Friday Sep 19, 2025
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Thank you for your awesome podcast!
I recently started listening and am still working through older podcasts while staying up on your bi-weekly episodes. I would describe myself as a longtime hobbyist who has built some basic furniture but who still has much to learn.
My current project is setting up my workshop in one car space of a 3 car garage after having moved back to California from Colorado. We’ve been back for over 3 years, but holding down a demanding full-time job and getting 2 kids through grad school has kept my wife and I pretty busy and has left little time for hobbies.
Since I don’t have any specific projects in the works besides setting up my shop, my question is a little broader. Curious to learn more about your thoughts on hand planes. How much of your woodworking repertoire includes the use of hand planes, what types of hand planes do you use the most and for what types of jobs do you use them? Or, do you completely omit hand planes from your woodworking arsenal?
Thanks again for the great podcast.
Best regards,
Darryl Noda (Wildfield Woodshop)
Thanks once again for putting out the most helpful woodworking podcast I listen to!
I'm making a lot of small boxes, many of which I make as one piece and then cut the lid off with a table saw or bandsaw. How do you deal with glue squeeze-out on the interior corners of such boxes, when you can't access it until after you cut off the lid? My current methods are to pre-finish the interior sides of the box, so the squeeze out doesn't affect the finish, or else to use painter's tape at the corners. The pre-finishing works decently but requires a lot of forethought and has some limitations; the painter's tape is a pain and doesn't work all that well. Another method I've tried is not caring about the squeeze-out and installing box inserts to cover it up. Do you all have a preferred method for dealing with gluing up closed boxes? Thanks again in advance for your good advice. Kyle
can you live without a pedestal drill press? It’s handy, with relatively small footprint. But it seems like I use it exclusively perpendicular holes with Brad point or forstner bits., I could probably replace it with a drill guide like this UJK one. https://www.axminstertools.com/global/ujk-technology-drill-guide-with-10mm-chuck-106072
Thanks again for the pod, and for considering my question! Johnny
Huy's Questions:
My wife and I were on vacation earlier this summer driving from Iowa to Florida and I was board listening to the radio and she suggested I look for a podcast on woodworking. Boy was she sorry she suggested that! I found your podcast and what an informative and fun podcast! I’ve listen to a lot of them but have not got to them all.
I am getting back to woodworking and have started a side gig and have completed a few projects for a few people and have several more to do. I’m doing tables, shelves, cabinets, bookshelves, benches, and some other smaller things. I have a pretty good shop with a pretty good tool selection. Just purchased a Sawstop PCS 175, 36” fence and I can’t believe the quality from my old Delta contractor saw. It will certainly help me up my game on a lot of things. I have a couple of questions that I hope you can help.
Some of these projects are stained and others are painted. Up to this point I have just used brushes and rollers to paint and use mostly Sherwin Williams paint. The project turns out ok and my clients are satisfied but I’m ready to kick it up a notch by spraying. I’ve used a sprayer called a Criiter and while it works ok it very difficult to use on anything of size. I’m lo
I recently had the misfortune of losing my shop to a windstorm/tornado. So, I now 'get' to rebuild. I plan on having a footprint of about 30 x 40 with a 10' rollup door and one man door. I have several questions so appreciate that you may not be able to answer them all.
1. What would you suggest for the interion walls? OSB, plywood or ? 1/2" or 3/4"?
2. I plan on putting my table saw and outfeed table in the middle of the shop with the other typical tools - bandsaw, drill press, router table, jointer, planer on or near the exterior walls. Do you have any suggestions as to the layout of the shop?
3. My tools were all rescued thought they undoubtedly suffered some water damage and I won't really know the extent of the damage until the new shop is up and the tools are unloaded from the storage container. Any thoughts on how to deal with potentially water damaged tools?
4. I plan on getting a new dust collector as my old one didn't make it; a wall fell on it and I don't think it can be repaired. Any suggestions for a new one? I plan on plumbing in pvc piping to each of the tools so would like to have something pretty robust.
5. What would you suggest for shop height? My last shop was formerly used as a barn so had a 15' or so height; I don't think I need anything that high but am thinking about 10 or 11 feet here.
6. I plan on adding a cnc to the shop at some point in the future. What are your thoughts about placement of this machine? Should be against a wall or ?
Thanks very much for your outstanding Podcast. I really, really enjoy it and learn lots every time I listen. Ron
Hi guys! I love the podcast and have almost caught up to the current episode. You guys really keep it to the topics, which is great!! I am currently working in my garage shop that is 18ftx14ft. I currently have a 10 inch job site table saw and I'm ready to upgrade to a cabnent saw. I am liking the Alpha HW110LC-36Pro but don't know much about them. I am also considering the Grizzly G0899. What are your thoughts on these saws. Thank you all and keep up the great work on the podcast!!! David Caraway
Saturday Aug 23, 2025
Saturday Aug 23, 2025
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Hello gentleman, thank you again for one of the best woodworking podcasts available. I recently had the opportunity to travel to Lebanon IN for a few days of training at a tool manufacturer. I won't mention the company, but I got to use a Domino and a Rotex sander for the first time..., but I digress. While I was in the airport waiting for my flight home and enjoying a breakfast sandwich, I looked down at the table and noticed the "purposeful-design" logo branded on the top. This experience gave me two questions. One, what finish did Guy and Brian use on these tables to survive the abuse of so many travelers per day through an airport? Two, during the training we sanded a piece of cherry to 1500 grit, giving a very high sheen to the bare wood. What type of technique or finish would you use on something like that?
Thank you for the great podcast, and I'm sorry I didn't have time to say hi while I was in Indianapolis. I waved from the plane, but you probably didn't notice. Josh
Hello fellow wood-nerds. I would like some advice on finishing. I’ve been doing a bathroom remodel. Which means I’ve spent a very long time doing non-woodworking work and learning new skills and desperately missing my shop time. I’m near the end finally and actually get to do some woodwork to wrap it up. My new floor doesn’t quite line up with the floor in the next room and the transition pieces available don’t quite suit. So I’m making one custom out of walnut. My question is: what would be a good finish? I don’t want it glossy or “plasticy” looking. But of course it will be stepped on and exposed to humidity from the shower so it does need to be durable. Thanks in advance Jason
Guys Questions:
This one may for Guy specifically but I'm interested in getting a 3D printer and would like your opinion on what I might want to look at. I have a total budget of around $1000 and want something that is very turnkey; I don't have a ton of time to learn how to use the machine and would like that will work for me out of the box. I'm looking at the Bambu Labs p1S; would this be a good starter machine? Thanks again for the great Podcast! Ron Brewer
Hi Guys,
I am hoping to eventually upgrade my table saw from a jobsite saw. I have heard a little bit of discussion about the advantages of an induction motor over a universal motor but I was wondering if you could provide some insight about voltage for a table saw. Obviously higher power is available with table saws that operate on higher voltages but as a hobbyist I am wondering how much power I actually need. I do make some cabinets and furniture as well as smaller projects. So here is an assortment of questions that are perhaps intertwined:
Is the increase in power with a 240V saw worth it? I would also have to get new electrical added to my garage. Is the type of motor related to the voltage? In your opinion are table saws that can be rewired from 120 to 240V a viable option? Would the power actually change with the rewiring? Are there any other considerations that I am not thinking of?
Thank you all for your insight. Brad
Huys Questions:
If you're installing a herringbone floor, do you need to think about chatoyance, in addition to colour and grain pattern, when you're laying out the pieces? Do you want all of the pieces to be oriented to have similar chatoyance? Lauris
Hello Guys, I listen to your podcast while driving to and from work. I really appreciate that you stay on track and offer several opinions regarding woodworking without the cackling and inside jokes, poor microphone control etc that other woodworking podcasts seem to have.
I build a lot of Shaker style furniture with tapered legs and built my own taper jig, a sled which clamps the leg at the desired angle with the widest part of the cutoff leading into the blade. This has worked very well except that occasionally, the wedge that is cutoff tips into the crack between the saw blade and the insert, jamming and sometimes tripping the saw's overload protection. I have cut a brand new table saw insert with the intention of creating as close to a zero clearance slot as possible but it still is wide enough for the sliver edge of the taper cutoff to drop in. How have you avoided this in the past? Would a reverse orientation of the taper jig be safer such that the thinnest part of the cutoff is cut first and therefore at the back of the blade and the thickest part is the last part cutoff? Thank you! Don