Finding Shop Time, Using Dowels, Securing Table Legs AND MORE!

Brians Questions:

Good evening everyone, Wanted to reach out to you about time in the shop. Im expecting my second child in a matter of days and was curious how you all find/found time in the shop with little kids running around and being constantly tired? My second question is a follow up regarding a question you all read regarding "Box Materials" on October 20th. Loved the double answer but was looking for Drawer box material to use. BB (or whatever you can find now) or a hardwood? Thanks, Paul at Twin Lake Woodshop

Hey guys love the podcast. I have been listening for a while now and hear you need some questions. What has been your favorite thing to build and why? something you’ve built in the past or even something you would like to build in the future. Please share how you built it (or want to build it) and what it was (or will be) enjoyable about the project. Thanks for all the great content and hopefully I’ll bring some more specific questions in the near future. -Nicholas

Guys Questions:

Long time listener, first time caller. You guys have mentioned water-based conversion varnish and that you can get it pigmented. I hate painting woodworking projects, but the wife wants what she wants. Why do you prefer conversion varnish and is there a certain product you prefer? I have a five stage Apollo sprayer, so spraying shouldn't be a problem. I live on the southside of Indianapolis so it isn't the easiest place to get supplies. Thanks, Geoff

Hi Fellas, I found the podcast a few months ago and have been really enjoying it. Thanks for the great content and knowledge. I am very much a novice woodworker so I have lots of questions. Sounds like you need questions and I would love some answers so maybe we can all come out on top here. Probably me more than you. Question #1 of 2. I have a little doweling jig, I think from Rockler. It gets the job done, but just barely. I would really like to upgrade to something that is more efficient but more importantly, that is more versatile. I want something with adjustable height and that can do acute angles. I would love a domino but its out of my price range right now. I saw that grizzly, triton and mafell all make a doweling joiner similar to a domino. Yes, one of these things is not like the other. The mafell looks incredible but it costs more than the domino. The triton and grizzly look fine and are very reasonably priced but the reviews tell me they probably aren’t worth spending the money. The dowelmax system looks great but its only does 90° and 45°, and you have to buy the 45° adapter plate. After all that, I may as well save a little longer and get the domino. My questions is: should I risk it with the triton, get a biscuit joiner (which I’m worried won’t have enough strength for certain applications) or just keep saving and get a domino down the road? Or is there another product I don’t know about? Thanks. Happy New Year! Jon Moch

Huy's Questions:

I have been given a mission to make a wooden serving dish. The shape is basically an elongated oval. Dimensions are 21" x 9" x 1 1/2". My patron (hum hum) called the design a fish platter. Wood will probably be walnut. The walls of the dish are to be sloped and just slightly curved. With some hand work I think I can achieve the outside wall of the dish. The issue creating the most questions for me is how to do the inside wall of the dish. I have seen plenty of bowl and tray bottom router bits. All cut a vertical wall. Bevel router bits I have seen have a bearing on the bottom. The bearing would interfere with the bottom of the dish. Because of the inside and outside curve of the wall I doubt if making a custom scratch stock would yield good results. I don't want to get into the CNC rabbit hole. Any thoughts? You have a great podcast and provide a valuable service to the wood working community. Cheers, Bob

On one of the kitchen tables that I made I used mortise-and-tenon joinery, which turned out well, with everything plumb, and then to make sure it was strong I also put in a corner brace cut at 45-degrees, screwed into the skirt on each side, and then ran a cabinet screw through that corner brace into the leg. I left a small gap, about 1/16" between the corner brace and the leg. When I tightened up the braces the legs splayed out a little bit, making them not quite plumb. My concern with seeing the leg move is that I may have stressed the tenons (although I didn't hear any cracking). Is the best practice to omit this corner bracing when doing mortise-and-tenon tables? Mark Schmidt