Burned By Clients, Box Material, Glue Creep, & MUCH MORE!

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Sean

1) Wanted to start off by saying how much I enjoy listening to all yall! Been learning quite a bit from the 3 of you. My question seems fairly simple but I know it can turn into a can of worms depending on who you ask. Anyways, considering the woods: Walnut, Red Oak, White Oak, Paduk, and other species similar to those listed. What would be each your top 3 finishes and why? Finished look that I'm not after is shiny or "plastic" looking. I feel it looks really tacky. I'm more towards flat and matte.

Thanks for everything yall do!

2) Hello everyone, Wondering what materials you prefer using when building boxes? I see many people using BB ply but wondering if you prefer using solid wood over the ply (soft maple, poplar?). Thanks, Paul at Twin Lake Woodshop

 

Guy

1) I am a hobbyist woodworker and constantly battling kids' clutter and vehicles in my shop.  All my tools are mobile but, one challenge that I come across is finding level ground to set up my tools on.  My garage has a floor has a  drain in the center of it and the floors all slope inward accordingly making it difficult to set up level and flat,  ie: Dewalt Contractor saw and outfeed table.  Any suggestions that you may have other than re-pouring the floor or building it up would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again, and keep up the great work. Mike from Calgary Alberta Canada.

2) Just recently started listening to your podcast.  I was hoping you guys could discuss a topic I am wrestling with called glue creep. 

Last year I completed 2 table top projects using Titebond 2.  1 project I used 8/4 white oak and the other was 8/4 hard maple (both dried ~14-17% MC in SE Indiana).  At the time of project completion, both tables were sanded smooth and finished (1 with a stain and water based poly, the other with briwax).  However, after a year I can feel the glue seam of both tables with my fingernail which I am learning is a condition called glue creep. 

I am not sure if it is because the wood is shrinking and the glue isnt, or if the glue is expanding due to joint stress?  The joints seemed rather tight from the jointer and I used dowel rods (triton dowel joint tool) to align them.  Curious if its the glue or joint stress from either not tight joint faces or dowel rods that are not aligned perfectly causing joint stress.  I do find that some dowels are not perfectly aligned when I clamp because the tool has a ton of issues, I just recently bought a domino jointer XL so I hope this helps with alignment.

I would like to know how to avoid this as it poses a threat to the quality of my project.  Thank you ! Ty

 

Huy

1)  I've had the bad fortune of being burned by a few clients, the common denominator in these experiences being that I either didn't ask the right questions or set the right expectations in the intake stage of the process.

For instance, one client refused to pay the balance he owed on a Murphy bed because it took too long to finish. The reason it took so long, however, was that the bed I built for him was too big to fit up his staircase, so I had to build a second that could be assembled on site. On other occasions, I've had clients request a custom quote or design, then balk at the price and vanish on me, leaving me out several hours of work designing a piece I no longer have any intention of building.

I'd love to hear what your intake process is from the moment you receive a request to when you start building so you can anticipate and sidestep potential issues such as these. I modify my intake questionnaire each time I have one of these experiences (e.g., charging a design fee, asking whether there's a clear path to the landing site, etc.), but I worry there's icebergs I don't see and would love to benefit from more knowledgeable peers. Thanks again, Patrick Bock PDB Creations

2) I recently finished a console table and had some questions about the joinery. The table and legs were 2-3/4” thick and 15” wide solid poplar. For the joinery I planned on using dowels and my mastercraft drill guide. My first plan was to use 3 each leg 1-3/8” diameter dowels but when I practiced the drilling with the guide I could not get repeatable 90deg holes. I ended up using a simple guide and drilling 1/2” dowels but still had some small issues with alignment so on the second leg I made a template and things went much smoother. Anyways I was wondering what you all would do without having a high end drill guide, drill press, or domino. The legs were to big for me to feel comfortable making a Traditional tenon on my contractor saw so that’s why I went with the dowels. Anyways the table turned out great just trying to think of new ideas for next time. 
Thanks in advance. Big fan of the show. Adam