Bi-Weekly Podcast Focused on the Craft of Woodworking
Episodes
Saturday Sep 21, 2024
Saturday Sep 21, 2024
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Hello guys,
Love the podcast. Thank you for your time and expertise!
Question on making drawer boxes and other situations where butt joinery is used. How much of a difference would it make if I do not use any glue and rely only on pocket screws / regular screws? Main reason I am asking about skipping glue is because I usually use 2 side prefinished plywood to make drawer boxes so unless I figure out how to remove the finish where the joints are, it will not really stick.
Follow up question. What’s the rule of thumb on how to space pocket screws? Let’s say I have a drawer box that’s 12 inches high. How many pocket screws would I put on each butt joint?
Max
Greddie Woodworks
I’m building a very large display case for a museum, about 15 feet long and 4 feet high and 6 inches deep. Kind of like a giant shadow box. It will contain a canvas replica of the Shroud of Turin, with LED backlighting behind the shroud canvas and a ¼” glass front (2 sheets of glass with a seam in the middle). The back panel will be either 1/4" or 1/2" plywood. We will have legs under it to support the weight across the 15 foot length, as it will be very heavy once fully assembled on-site. Here’s my question; is it realistic to plane, cut, and sand a 15 foot long 6/4 board, about 6 inches wide? Am wondering if I could realistically handle such a board, and if so, would it remain flat and straight over time. Or, would I be better off making two 7-1/2 foot long boards and somehow joining them together to make one 15 foot long board. If two boards, what’s the best method for end-to-end joining of these boards to get a barely-visible joint and a perfectly straight assembly. Do I need to be concerned with sag in the middle if I have a plywood back panel? Mark
Guys Questions:
I have recently started using Arm-R-Seal and I am new to using finishes with long curing times. I have been prefinishing all my parts because I assume it's near impossible to get a nice finish after glue up. Is this correct? How long should I wait after applying the finish before glueing? Also, if the piece of furniture was for a customer, would you wait the full 30 days of cure time before delivery? Jeffrey Hughes
I teach a beginning woodworking class at a High School. I will be receiving two Bambu Lab X1 3D printers for one of the Engineering classes that I teach as well. I know that 3D printers can be very useful for woodworking and was wondering what ideas you would have to share for helpful tools or accessories that could be made using the 3D printer? Also do you have a specific website where you go to find premade tools and accessories that is trustworthy? Thanks in advance for any information that you could provide. Scott Kirkman
Huys Questions:
Hey it’s me again,
I have a 10” Metabo contractor saw I use for my house projects and finer pieces. It’s a quick and dirty saw that I can set up and knock down and roll into the corner. I love the wide table of it but it’s starting to feel wobbly when making cuts. Thinking of building a box around it to have out all the time and catch dust and shavings. Maybe on wheels? I’m no contractor so maybe I should just invest in a cabinet saw… love to hear thoughts. Ian
Hello,
I am getting ready to build a box beam to wrap an exposed LVL beam in the great room of our vacation home. It's a horizontal beam with about 2" protruding from a finished wall (drywall). The span is about 14', and the beam is about 4 1/2" tall. I will be using knotty pine to create a 3 sided box beam with mitereed corners. My challenge is that I cannot built and transport 14' beam, so I need to build 2 7' beams. Each end of the beam will butt against a wall, so there isn't much room. So my question for you all is what type of joinery would you use to seam the 2 beams together on-site?
Thanks, and I appreciste what you all are doing for the woodworking community. John
Friday Sep 06, 2024
Friday Sep 06, 2024
Brians Questions:
I craft Shaker Furniture and then donate it. I am often gluing up tabletops. I have seen many discussions around "how to properly joint" the edges of a-joining boards. Am typically using plain sawn cherry.
After rough dimensioning, jointing, then planing the individual pieces, and arranging the pieces so they look nice, and hopefully having the grain run the same way (I finish the tops with a smoothing plane), it comes time to joint those edges that are to be glued.
There in lies the question....does one 1) rip them on a table saw, or 2) joint the edges such that there is a slight bow to allow compression in the center, or 3) take the pair of boards to be glued and joint them together in a book match style. I usually do 3)
I then clamp them using footed bar clamps and cawls over the top.
How do you all handle this part of the process. 1), 2),3)....something else??
Secondly, I use hide glue to glue the joinery, but have had trouble using it for table top gluing up table tops --not enough open time...use titebond instead....have you had success in using hide glue for tabletop glue up??
thank you, John
Hi,
I am a hobbyist woodworker who uses a mix of hand tools and power tools. I see a lot of people nowadays using track saws where I would normally use my table saw or my circular saw with a guide. What am I missing with the track saw trend? Won’t a simple plywood guide and cheap circular saw do the exact same thing as a track saw? Thanks Adam
Guys Questions:
Hi,
I enjoy the podcast, it is favorite woodworking podcast where you get right to the point and answer real questions without a lot of wasted time. Keep it up!
I am currently working on a fairly large cabinet & desk built-in. It will be an "L" shape, run along one wall for about 18 feet, and then wrap around and extend out about 6 feet, with the corner being the desk section. I've already completed the base cabinets, so the next step will be the desktop, followed by all the shelving.
My question is about the desktop(26in deep). My plan was to build this in 6 foot sections, which I would then join to span the whole wall. I've been going back and forth over whether I build this out of solid wood(thinking 8/4 rough sawn which I would mill down to maybe 1-1/2in), or using veneers. I planned to join each section using a Lamello Zeta P2.
I have access to the tools(6cfm pump from Veneer Systems) to do either method, but am not sure if one is really much better. I'be been leaning towards solid wood(Walnut) as I have that on hand, but not sure if that's more of me shying away from using veneers as I don't have a lot of experience on bigger projects. This is for my home so may be an opportunity to get more practice using veneers without worry of it being a customer piece. I'm interested in what you would recommend.
Thanks! Frank
Also a dummy, thank you Bob for opening the can of worms. Who cares if it is 1/4 sawn or 1/64th sawn?
When is it important to know? If riff sucks…then why use it or if plane is plain to unstable to use why use it etc. Strengths and weaknesses for price versus application might be interesting to discuss, especially if opinions can vary.
What is the wheelhouse for the different boards? I imagine it’s a combo of beauty, price and stability. Can you guys flesh out this conversation a bit? Benjamin
Huys Questions
I use Kreg work bench system so my benches are mostly straight and strong with the factors I stated above. I also am lazy or forgetful about putting down paper before glue ups. replacing the top of the work bench I have considered finishing it with thin layer or epoxy to allow a non-sticky surface for the wood glue or finishes I use. I am also going to make match fit dove tail clamp system ( would finish with epoxy then have the cnc redue the job to clean the channels ) maybe also with dog hole.
is the epoxy finish a good way to make a more permeant bench top ? should I just lay down plywood top and replace when needed? Am considering ordering a butcher block top to make the bench so it looks nice and is more lasting. bench is 44 square and supported by wood beams in the center so it doesn't dip.
Thanks folks Paul Oki Mitch Crafts Okinawa Japan
Hi, thanks for answering a couple of my questions in the past. I have another one now about using loose tenon joinery to glue up boards to make a panel, such as a tabletop.
One feature of a Domino or a biscuit joiner is that they reference off of a face of the board, assuring a perfectly flush (or close enough) show surface. I don’t own a Domino, but I have a biscuit joiner and a dowelling jig. I would like to use dowels on occasion, but I only have a simple dowelling jig that is of the self-centering type. If all my boards are of the exact same thickness then this in theory should give good results too, but sometimes I am using 3/4” boards right from the lumber yard that I have edge jointed but have not milled to a common thickness, since I don’t want to go any thinner than the 3/4”. So the thicknesses might be off by small amounts.
So in light of this, I was thinking that I should upgrade to a higher end dowelling jig, one that references off of a face surface. Does this seem like a worthwhile idea? If so, are there certain other features I should look for in a product, and do you have specific product recommendations that you can make?
Thanks. Steve
Friday Aug 23, 2024
Friday Aug 23, 2024
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
As a hobbyist who buys wood occasionally, I have never developed the skill of correctly identifying the grain pattern or even the cut type (plain, rift, quarter) in rough cut lumber at lumber yards. It’s all fuzzy and impossible for me to discern. Any tips for a dumb dumb like me? American Bob
Hey guys! I started listening to your podcast a couple months ago, and began dabbling in woodworking only a couple months before that. I can't tell you how helpful your podcasts has been to me, as I don't really have anyone to show me the ropes. I'm usually pretty good at figuring things out via YouTube and Google, but a lot of use concepts are so new to me that I'm not sure what to search for. I don't know what I don't know.
I have to admit that I have been cutting off sending in a question to you guys primarily because I'm listening to your podcast while I'm in my fledgling shop and I have a hard time putting down what I'm doing to get on my phone if I don't have to. Having said that, I'm sure that I can come up with enough questions to completely fill out half a dozen podcast episodes, so I'm finally answering the call. Thank you in advance for your answers and insights.
I chose to serve with this question because it is an issue I run into constantly. To put it simply, I do not as of yet own jointer or a planer, and I can't afford one for the time being. I have been trying to make do with a number of workarounds, to varying degrees of success. For example, cleaning a board or panel with a belt sander, which is exactly as much fun as it sounds. My recently discovered work around for jointing boards is a jig I made for my table saw. It's essentially a fence I guess, with an outfeed and in feed side. The outfeed side is flush with my saw blade, while the infeed side is offset. The width of my saw blade. I can send you a picture if you are curious. My question is, for a person who absolutely cannot afford a jointer and planer right now, are there any other tricks you can think of to accomplish these essential woodworking processes? Thanks again for your help and all the great information you provide. Zach
Guys Questions:
Hello, this is Zach from Minnesota again. I have a question that has been bugging me for quite some time now. Ever since I learned about water-based polyurethane, it's almost exclusively what I have used to finish my projects. I almost always apply this with my Wagner or HVLP sprayer with a detail nozzle and it has worked great for me. There are a lot of topics in woodworking where people have opposing views. One practice, however, that seems to be universally supported, and strongly so, is sanding between codes of polyurethane.
I very, very rarely follow this practice. For whatever reason, on one project I did not do this and it turned out fine, so I haven't really bothered since, and I haven't had any issues, even when I've applied polyurethane over paint. Why is sanding so strongly recommended, and what issues am I risking by skipping this step? Thanks again. Zach
Good morning Woodshop Life Podcast Folks!
I am about to finish up my largest commissioned work, netting me a nice little profit. This isn’t my full time job, so any sort of money I make from woodworking I want to put back into the shop and continue to grow as a woodworker.
I have the Dewalt DW735 Planer and a Grizzly 8” Jointer, both with straight knife cutter heads. If I could only do one for now, Which one should I upgrade first to a helical cutter head?
I love listening to you all when I am in the shop, and have grown tremendously as a woodworker because of it! Keep up the great work! Nathan
Huys Questions:
I just built a router table with a lift. Was going to upgrade to a 3+ hp router as I have been told “the large bits need 3 or more hp”.
Looking at the routers I can purchase they all come with 15 amp plugs. The 15 amp can only carry 2.4 hp max no matter what the hp of the motor is. Even if the plug / receptacle is 20 amp it still could not carry the watts/hp of 3 hp.
Just wondering why I should spend the money to upgrade. Can you enlighten me?
Thanks and love the show. John-Michael
Do you have any tips for drilling the holes in legs to insert leg levelers? I have practiced a few times and I can't consistently get the holes straight. I have avoided using the leg levelers because of this. Thanks Jeff
Friday Aug 09, 2024
Friday Aug 09, 2024
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
I really enjoy your podcast. The information you provide is very informative and helpful. I am beginning to build more furniture items and considering purchasing a Festool Domino tool for both strength and convenience. I am having a difficult time, as I'm sure many do, justifying the cost. My question is: is it that much better and/or stronger than bisquits, dowels, pocket hole screws, fixed tenon, etc., or is this just a "status symbol" tool? Your opinion will help immensely. I do already own their CT Midi dust collector and a couple of sanders. Rick
Gentlemen: I’m a long time listener and can’t thank you enough for all the info you have shared through this podcast. I am a hobbyist woodworker who is moderately successful with my projects the majority of the time. I am being requested to make keepsake/ jewelry boxes for my grandkids. I have not made small boxes before so my questions are:
What species of wood should I consider to use. I have access to some exotics and have used numerous species on previous projects but are there specific species that would really help these boxes standout? Any species I should avoid?
Should I use veneer and plywood or solid hardwood? I am comfortable using miters with splines or finger joints but this guy doesn’t do dovetails.
What finish should I use. I can already hear Guy screaming shellac and amour seal. Anything else to consider like lacquer?
Thanks again Liam Indianapolis
Guys Questions:
Hi gentleman.
Thank you for all of your time sharing your experiences and helping to grow woodworking. You have saved me, and many others, countless board feet of mistakes
I am have transitioned from carpentry and repairs, to fine woodworking, such as desks, and mechanical puzzle boxes. This involves a lot of very precise measurements and cuts. I have needed to cut exact angles to fit together, slide, and hide the seams. You have mentioned using a router bit to cut an exact 45 degree angle, but how do you cut an exact angle other than a 45, such as a 73.43 degree angle?
Also, is there a specific finish that will help minimize wood swelling? While expansion is not always a concern with tables or chairs, for example, it is a real problem with mechanical puzzle boxes as the swelling can prevent the mechanical puzzle box from opening. Thanks for your help. George Allan
Hello Woodshop Life Crew,
I have a 1-car garage woodshop and want to add dust collection. I'm considering the Grizzly G0861 - 2 HP Portable Cyclone Dust Collector. ttps://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-2-hp-portable-cyclone-dust-collector/g0861
My shop is 12' x 24' and my main tools are a tablesaw, a plainer, and a jointer. Do you think a 2 HP system is too big? Too small? This unit has a 7" intake port that splits into three 4" ports, 1023 CFM of airflow, and a 1-micron filter size. A dedicated 30A 220V circuit is at the ready. Given the small shop size, I would be ok with hooking up one tool at a time or adding ducting to all tools. In short, what size of system and ducting would you recommend for a small 1-car woodshop like mine? Thanks as always for the great podcast.- Adam
Huys Questions:
Thanks for the content yall have been bringing the woodworking community. I’m new to the podcast, but have found the few episodes I’ve listened to extremely helpful. I’m living in New Hampshire, and recently moved my shop into a large barn. I have a section for wood storage on the second floor. The barn is open and in an uncontrolled climate. As of right now, I have a lot of pine and white oak, but would like to expand my selection as more projects become available. Do you have any suggestions on how to better control humidity/temperature to allow for better moisture regulation? Also, I am looking to upgrade my planer. I’m trying to decide between a 13 inch Grizzly bench top planer (G0940) and a 13 inch Jet bench top planer (JWP-13BT). Please let me know your thoughts on these or suggestions on another option in that price range. Thanks! Caleb
Hi gentlemen. This is my second question. I'm still catching up on past episodes and am now in 2024. I have learned so much from each of you.
On an earlier episode, you mentioned that if a drawer glue-up is not square, one option is to break it down before the glue sets and "fix it". My general question is, can you re-glue parts and still maintain their glue strength? If you remove any unset glue (assuming PVA) as much as possible, will the remaining glue embedded in the wood prevent a structurally sound joint? I'm assuming that no further milling is required to "fix" the joint. In other words, the glue-up didn't go as planned.
Thanks for this great podcast. Anthony
Friday Aug 02, 2024
Friday Aug 02, 2024
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
I am a hobbyist that wants to start making more polished pieces but am stuck making most of my furniture out of Douglas Fir or cedar. While these are fine options, I want to get into other species like walnut, ash, etc. but am usually priced out when buying one or two boards.
I feel like people buy in bulk or something to make the savings work. Could you offer some guidance on purchasing wood that isn’t the normal big box stuff at a fair price? Thx! Ian
Hi,I'm currently working on a cable railing for my stairs and have been laminating four 1-inch boards together to create 3⅝" x 3⅝" x 48" posts. However, I've encountered challenges achieving the final squared dimensions. My contractor's Bosch table saw is not capable to cut 3⅝" in one pass and doesn't provide a clean cut due to some broken teeth on the original carbide blade. Despite extensive searching, I haven't found a solution that doesn't require using a table saw. My current approach involves jointing and squaring two faces on the jointer, then flattening the remaining two faces on the planer. Initially uncertain about this method, I examined the posts and found all edges to be within an acceptable 90-degree tolerance, attributed to the accuracy of my approximately 70-year-old jointer fence.I'm curious why this method isn't more widely discussed. Could it be because most people don't typically work with this thickness, thus making the table saw seem unavoidable?
Keep up the great Vafa
Guys Questions:
I am really enjoying listening to your podcast and, although I have been woodworking for over 50 years, I invariably learn something new from you. An example is your discussion about the proper way to allow for wood movement on an inside shelf. I am currently working on just such a configuration and will now look at bread board ends for the shelf.
My question is about the advantages using metric in the wood shop. Canada, where I live, is only partly metric and most of my friends use inches when laying out parts in their shops. I took a course from Garrett Hack some years ago and said he likes to use metric as there are no fractions to deal with and in his view a millimetre (a 25th on an inch) is a good level of accuracy.
Do you ever use metric measurement when building your projects? Bob
In the midst of reorganizing my shop. My question is about dust collection. I have about 500sqft of 1000sqft garage dedicated to my woodworking projects. Every time I cut something or sand, I coat the bikes, and all the other things stored there. Not focusing on the vacuums, what do you do about cleaning up the air? I am thinking about one of those Grizzly air filters but not sure it will do the trick. Thanks! Ian
Huys Questions:
Curious to hear your experiences with mentorship. Do you think it’s important to have mentors in the shop? (Someone who you can learn from who’s also invested in your progress) Grateful to have your podcast and love to hear the different perspectives from the 3 of you. Such a valuable resource for the woodworking community. Ari
Hi guys,
*Thanks for answering my past questions, I have another multi part one for you. I recently picked up a grizzly 5hp shaper, I know it's probably bigger than I need but I traded a few days work for it so the price was right. My first project I plan to do with it was patern cutting some 3.5 inch thick table legs. I ordered an amana 61295 spiral cutter and followed bearing but after setting it up it quite frankly scares the crap out of me. How would you guys go about holding the work piece? Would you cut from one side to the middle then reverse the machine and cut from the other side to prevent cutting against the grain? I'm new to shapers so any other advice would be helpful.
**The other part is I'm looking at a job where I'll probably have to shape a few hundred lineal feet of trim so I'm looking at getting a power feeder as well. I see they range from 1/8 to several hp, how big should I be looking at? I'll mostly see myself using it with smaller shaper bits but that could change as well as possibly setting it up on my table saw when I have to do long miters or lots of rip cuts. I've never used one before and couldn't find much info online, any tips and tricks would be a big help. Thanks, Mike Arntz
Friday Jul 12, 2024
Friday Jul 12, 2024
This Episode's Questions:
Brians Questions:
Hey guys, I am building an arts and crafts style entryway table that is roughly modeled after a Stickley magazine stand. It will have an upper “shelf” that is surrounded on three side by the rails or stretchers on the side and back and is open on the front. The bottom “shelf” is identical. These two shelves are seated into the four legs. The front legs have a full depth groove cut into them that the shelf seats into and the rear legs have a cutout on the inside corner for the rear shelf support. I will include a link at the bottom showing the piece that I modeled my table after. The original is smaller and has three shelves, mine will only have two and will have spindles between the rear top and bottom stretchers as well. However, the way the shelves are attached will be the same.
My question is this: How can I attach the shelves to the front and rear legs without causing issues with wood movement? The shelves will be somewhere in the 13-14” deep range. Gluing the shelf to the rear legs and letting the shelf slide in the groove in the front legs would work but there is no front rail or stretcher connecting the two front legs so I don’t think that works. Can I glue the shelf to all four legs? Alternatively I suppose I could put a small low profile stretcher under the shelf connecting the two front legs, but I don’t think it exists on the original and I’d prefer not to if I don’t have to. Please feel free to contact me to clarify anything if I didn’t explain well enough. Kellen
I think the thing I struggle with the most in building furniture is laying out where each part is going to come from on the rough boards. All the wood I've bought so far was air dryed from Facebook marketplace, so maybe that has made it harder since the boards are never perfectly straight. I always use straight grain sections for the legs and I try to also use straight grain for any aprons, rails and stiles. This leaves alot of waste. If I have a 8" board and I use say 2.5" from each edge of straight grain, what do you do with the leftover center section that is just cathedrals? When do you not use straight grain on these types of parts? Any other advise on laying out parts on the rough boards? Thanks again for answering my questions and the best podcast. Jeff
Guys Questions:
Hey Guys,
I love your show! I usually listen on my commute or while I'm working in the shop.
I'm building a hayrake table out of walnut and haven't decided on the finish. I'm looking for something durable, easy to wipe clean (I have kids), and not super glossy. Any suggestions on what to use and how to apply it?
Thank you for all the great tips! Ezra
Thank you for your fantastic podcast! I really appreciate how accessible and practical you make woodworking for both beginners and experts alike.
I’ve been woodworking for about two years now, mostly building cutting boards, boxes, gifts and simple furniture out of basic hardwoods. I’ve also dabbled in making furniture with plywood, such as a bedside table for my 11-year-old. I’m fortunate to be a member of a shared woodworking shop at a local arts and crafts society, which is well-equipped with power tools including a SawStop cabinet saw.
Our shop uses a shared set of well-worn Freud blades which get pretty beat up, but I’ve had the privilege of using nicer table saw blades loaned to me by the shop keeper, who has been incredibly supportive as I develop my skills. This brings me to my question: I am ready to purchase my own table saw blades and have zoomed in on CMT as a brand for their value.
I’m considering three blades: an 80-tooth Hi-ATB crosscut, a 24-tooth flat top grind ripping blade, and a 50-tooth combination blade with ATB and one TCG tooth, all in full kerf. My research suggests that the main arguments for thin kerf blades are that they are easier on low power table saws and produce less waste. Since I have access to a SawStop cabinet saw, I don’t need blades suited for low power saws, and I’m not sure the reduced waste is worth the trade-offs.
Are there other advantages or reasons I should consider a thin kerf blade? It seems that full kerf blades offer more stability and cleaner cuts, and as I build my skills, my expectations for precision are increasing. What are your thoughts on kerf size and blade choice for someone in my situation?
Thanks for your advice, and keep up the great work! Stuart
Huys Questions:
Hey gents,
I'm getting into a kitchen remodel and will be building all the cabinets myself because I'm a glutton for punishment. I'm trying to find a white (tintable base) finish, but am a little overwhelmed by all the options. It for sure needs to be water based, and I have an Airless system as well as a 2-stage HVLP for application. Can you recommend any product for this purpose? I've been experimenting with Target Coatings water based pigmented lacquer (EM6500wp) with their CL100 cross-linker and was just "ok" with the results. I tried spraying it with the HVLP but I'm thinking the finish was too thick to properly atomize with a 2-stage turbine, so maybe I need to shoot it with the Airless? I'm not super keen on any finish with a real limited pot life, since I'll be doing this on the nights and weekends, and feel like that would lead to a significant amount of waste. Thanks in advance for the insight! Travis
Hello guys,
I have been a long time listener and I really appreciate all of the knowledge that you guys share with the woodworking community.
I have seen the Critter Siphon Gun advertised in the Lee Valley catalog and watched a few videos about it on YouTube. Have you had any experience with the Critter Siphon Gun and how does it compare to other options like HVLP sprayers?
Thanks, Daniel
Friday Jun 28, 2024
Friday Jun 28, 2024
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
I have a question for you about glueing up table aprons. And I’m mostly referring to large dining tables. The aprons I’m making are generally w 8/4 stock roughly 4” width. I can manage to get the legs and the aprons milled and cut square. All my joinery is w dominoes. Whenever I do the glue up everything is slightly out out square despite everything being square prior to glue up . I have pipe clamps and parallel clamps and have tried both. For some reason I can’t get the clamping pressure or positioning right. Any tips would be appreciated. Timber Tables
Hi guys!
Love your podcast and listen for over a year during my early walks in the morning. I’m always picking up a tip or two. Keep up the great work!
My question has to do with designing a bowling ball rack shelf system for my granddaughter. She is an outstanding bowler with well over 20 balls so my little ball rack is only going scratch the surface.
My plan is for a 12 ball bowling rack with three shelves with four 15# balls on each shelf. Each shelf will be made of 3/4 poplar (to be painted with college colors) and is 46” wide, 10” deep and will have 3” chamfered holes for each ball to sit in. So the shelf has to support 60# in bowling balls!
I’ll be fastening the shelves to the upright side with through tenons.
Do you guys think 3/4 poplar shelves with through tenons and chamfered holes to be enough to hold 60#? This is the first time I’ve created anything requiring that much weight to support. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks! Pappy
Guys Questions:
Hi all. Looking for recommendations for entry level laser engraver to be used for making router templates / engraving logos and simple designs on my woodworking projects such as cutting boards, wall decorations, etc. Are there any alternatives to a laser engraver that would do the same in a similar lower price point? thank you for a great show! Max
Hello gents, as always, the podcast is one of the best out there. My question for you is about pivoting. What I mean by that is, what do you do when something happens during a project that causes you to take a different direction? Recently I completed a humidor for a friend. He gave me the rough dimensions that he wanted, and his only specification was that it had some contrast and some nice looking grain. I made myself a plan and began working on making the box sides with alternating maple and cherry. My original intent was a 4 corner grain match. Unfortunately, my miters did not come out well, so I changed to a corner post design using mahogany. Since the client did not know the original plan, this was an easy change to do in my shop. Have you guys had to change your plan mid way through a project? How did you handle it and how well did it work out? As a side note, sometimes I appreciate the original plan going sideways because it forces me to think of viable alternatives.
Keep making sawdust and sharing what you love.
Joshua from The Blackdog Woodworks.
Huys Questions:
Hi guys, I have a question for the best woodworking podcast around. I bought some beautiful air dried white oak from someone who had it sitting in a barn for 20 years. I have two 4/4 boards that are 8 foot long, 10.5" wide and almost dead straight. I would like to use them for the top of a dresser but there are several lighter shaded bands going across the boards (on both sides). I believe these stains or marks are from stickering. I did a light pass through my planer and it doesn't appear that it made a difference. Are these boards totally ruined? I am not confident that if I keep planing them this will go away, plus they are just north of 4/4 in thickness and I was hoping to keep them as thick as possible. Jeff
Thank you for your informative podcast, enjoy the experience and diversity you bring to woodworking enthusiasts. I was recently installing drawer faces on a nightstand. The drawer boxes were just slightly inset so soft close slides would pull the drawer tight when face installed. The drawer faces are proud of the nightstand cabinet. I wanted to have very tight/consistent reveals between the two drawers and wanted the sides to line up perfectly flush with sides. This requires very precise holding of drawer fronts while securing from the back side of drawer box. I was able to get the drawer fronts flush with sides and use a 1/32 shim between drawer faces for the gap, great so far. The drawer face handle is a flat rectangular(lip style) wood pull at the top of the drawer face so there are no holes in the drawer face like there would be be with a more conventional pull. I attempted to use thin double sided tape to hold face securely in position until it could be attached but it was not secure enough to ensure the precise geometry for the drawer face until it could be attached. I felt thicker double sided tape was too flexible for desired outcome. I end up using pins strategically placed under the pull which works but the pins were barely visible. I find wood filler draws attention to pins so left them unfilled reasoning that no one would notice. My wife of course noticed right off the bat. Here is the question:
What other methods of holding drawer face in place before securing to drawer box which doesn't leave evidence:) Thanks, Dave at xcuse4tools custom woodwork
Friday Jun 14, 2024
Friday Jun 14, 2024
This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Hey guys thanks for the best podcast You knowledge and wisdom
Thanks for answering my last question about what project would help build my skills
My question now is I’m looking for a set of chisels and I don’t know what brand to get i’d save up to buy the brand that to get recommended cause I want a set that lasts
Thanks for your help and guidance wise ones Ashtin
I hope you can help me:
I made a 58 inch round table top out of 3/4 inch, good quality plywood. It's meant to sit on top of smaller round table (48 inches) to add additional seating for occasional use when extra guests are coming to dinner. I've done it before with good results. To make it manageable, and because it's quite heavy, I cut it in half.
I use a rug pad between the smaller table and the 'topper' table to keep the 2 halves from slipping. I fitted it and made sure it worked in the space and was stable before doing the finishing. All good so far.
My problem is: I finished one side with stain, lacquer and wax and it looks great. Then I turned both halves over and repeated the same process on the other side. When both sides were all finished, I noted that one of the halves had developed a slight bow, thus making the fitting together of the 2 halves a little wonky. But, when I turned only the bowed half over, the 2 halves fit together perfectly. YAY! BUT - here's my problem. With both sides lining up perfectly, and laying flat on the rug pad on top of the smaller table, the stain color is slightly different on the 2 halves.
Thinking about how this happened I realized I had to open a new can of stain part way through staining the 2nd side. I must have mixed one of the cans poorly. Or maybe different batches can be slightly different?
What are my options? I don't think any of these will work.
Do I:1. Try to clamp the bowed half of the table topper (plywood) for awhile hoping to eliminate the bow?
2. Try to refinish the halves that fit so they match?
3. Come up with a latch of some sort to eliminate the bow when using the table topper?
Since the lacquer is on and wax is rubbed in on both sides, I don't even think I could paint, or add a veneer.
Am I stuck with a harlequin table topper? Trish O'Neill
Guy's Questions:
In contrast to some podcasters who seem to think we are interested in listening to them talk for the sake of talking, you guys have the best podcast as far as communicating tips and techniques for woodworking so thank you for all your hard work.
I have been been working and building things wood for many years but within the last year have dove into making more fine woodworking type of projects, with nice woods like Walnut and Cherry for example.
I have been using shellac as well as 1:1:1 mixtures of BLO:Polyurethane:Turpentine and Beeswax:BLO:Turpentine for finishing so far. Wipe on, wipe off technique...
What finishes are considered best to really highlight the chatoyance/beauty nice figured woods? It seems like the finishes I have used so far are not doing it justice that or maybe I am just too critical. Quinn
Hey guys! Thank you so much for your hard work on the podcast. I love listening to how much fun you guys have and getting answers to questions on various woodworking topics. Great content! We are running a woodworking company, mainly doing cabinets, out of our 500 square foot garage. We have a Hammer 12" planer but would like a sander to assist with uniform door sizes. When it comes to sanders, what would you recommend? Would it be worth getting an open-ended wide belt sander (Grizzly 15" or something) for the extra horsepower and belt size, or would a drum sander be sufficient? Within the realm of drum sanders, would an open model (such as Supermax 2550) running on 110v be sufficient, or would you recommend a closed model with greater horsepower? More capacity, less power, or vice versa? Just want to hear your thoughts on width capacity, motor power, belt size, machine footprint, and which you think is most important. Sorry for the long question, and thanks in advance for your help on this! Gavin
Huy's Questions:
Hi, I have a question about applying finishes in cold conditions. My specific situation is that I have a bunch of drawer boxes for a desk I’m building, and I’ll be finishing them with a few coats of Zinsser Bullseye brand spray shellac. The only instructions on the can pertaining to the spray conditions say to apply it with "the can at room temperature”.
Based on my experience it does tend to smell up the house a little (or so my wife says), so what I’d like do is to spray them outside. The workpieces and the spray can would be brought outside to the 40 degree weather, then I’d quickly do the spraying, and then bring everything inside to dry. Although there will be some smell from the outgassing of the solvent, at least there won't be any smell from any overspray. What do you think about this plan? And is there any limit to how I can safely have them outside after spraying, before things would be adversely affected by the cold? Thanks. Steve Feldman
Gentlemen,
First I would like to thank you guys and Guy for the podcast and and for sharing all your knowledge.
About 6 months ago we had a large multi truck red oak tree fell down in the front yard. Being so frugal, I cut it up myself for later use. I painted the ends to help preserve the wood.
Now I’m looking to bring it to a sawyer. My wife/I are not a fan of the cathedral 80’s look nor the live edge. We both agree that quarter sawn would look nice.
We have a large space for a table and my kids are starting to have kids so a very long table would be nice to have.If I don’t have enough wood post kiln drying, how can I extend the table length to 12’.
*Breadboard ends?*Hardware to insert multiple leafs (any recommendations)?*butcher block some boards glued end grain to endgrain staggered?
The available logs I have vary from the biggest in diameter 15”-24” and length 8’-12’. The thickest being the shortest unfortunately. While the longer ones are curved.
I have limited woodworking outside of lots of endgrain cutting boards, the usual kitchen wares and a few boxes. This is one project I can afford to mess up.I don’t currently own a domino, but would be willing to buy one if needed. I have a 20”hh jet planer , 8”hh Laguna joiner, 8’ JLT panel clamp the big industrial type. Jason
Friday May 31, 2024
Friday May 31, 2024
This Episode's Quesions:
Brians Questions:
I plan to build a handtool workbench in the future, maybe in a year or so, but as of right now, I do not have any workholding devices. I have a large assembly table that does have an overhang and the top is 1.25" thick. I have been using clamps to the top as a stop for planing and it does not work very well. I also need a way to hold the wood for using chisels, and I haven't bought any dovetailing tools yet because of the lack of workholding devices. Are there any good vises that don't require cutting a hole in my assembly table or makeshift ways to hold the wood until I can build a proper bench? Thanks Jeff
When sanding end grain, say when you’ve got a panel where you’ve chamfered or rounded over the edge, which direction should you sand? I’d imagine you continue to follow the grain direction from the adjacent face grain but I’m not sure. Can you sand across the grain? Thanks for the great podcast, you guys really do have the best wood working show out there! Eric
Guys Quesions:
Hey Guys
I am looking to set up a shop in my unheated garage. I live in Canada so the weather is inconsistent. Very cold in the winter and very hot and humid in the summer. I am thinking of setting up a small workbench in my basement to cut joinery and do glue ups/assembly. I would keep all of my big power tools( table saw, planer etc.) in the garage. This setup would allow me to work comfortably through the year. My question is with wood movement.
If I stored wood in my air conditioned basement and just took it out to the garage for a few hours at a time to plane and cut to size and then brought it back inside to cut joinery with hand tools, would the few hours spent in the humid or cold garage be enough time to warp the boards after I brought them back in?
Heating the garage isn’t a realistic option right now as I have two young children and would probably only be able to get a few hours in the shop a week. (Not worth the cost)
Thanks for all of the help. This podcast has been a huge influence in helping me to get started with woodworking. Derek
I have a small benchtop jointer that a friend gave me for free and a Dewalt 735 planer. For anything but pretty small parts, I use a sled to joint lumber in my planer. I'd like to upgrade both of these eventually. I have a big shop with plenty of power, so neither of those are an issue. My budget is generally the limiting factor. I do plan to keep using standalone machines for the convenience of maintaining settings and flexibility of workflow. I'd like to get a big jointer first and keep using the 735 while I save up for a big, heavy 220v planer. My question is about 12 inch combo machines. I keep seeing decent 12" combo machines come up used for way less than I can find a standalone 12" jointer. I've seen a few of the Jet machines for $2k-$2500 and a friend recently got a Hammer A3 31 for $3500. Even new, combo machines seem to run way cheaper than a 12" jointer. Why? I understand the beds are shorter, but other than that, what is the disadvantage. Is it ridiculous to buy one if I have no long term need of the planer function and don't plan to use it? Parker
Huys Quesions:
Hey guys,
Thank you for your many thoughtful responses to the questions you receive from your listeners.
I tend to get bored after I've made the same type of project several times (ie pencil boxes, pens, etc..).
If I am not in a time crunch, I like figuring out how to do something to make a project a little more challenging and interesting.
I like looking at projects to give me some inspiration on how I might make a new project. Early on in my woodworking journey I gained a lot of positive inspiration from watchin 'New Yankee Workshop'.
The way Norm broke down processes in his projects was very helpful to me.
However, there are some projects I've seen which are incredibly intimidating.(ie highboys, Maloof rockers, etc...). While I admire these types of projects, I don't think I would tackle them without taking a specific class.
Where do you guys find inspiration for you projects?
Are there any type of projects that intimidate you?
Thank you for your responses.
Have a great day.
Chuck
I am designing a dresser which will be 48” high and 72” wide and a chest of drawers which will be 60” high and 40” wide. I would like to join the carcass sides and top with dovetails. With the sides being 48” and 60” and the width being 72” and 60”, how should I clamp the sides and top/bottom to my bench and stand in order to cut the dovetails by hand? I’m only 5’8” and have never cut dovetails up by my head. With a dresser and chest of drawers being the above sizes, would you recommend another method for my joinery?
Love the podcast, keep up the great work!!
Mike
Friday May 17, 2024
Friday May 17, 2024
This Episodes Questions:
Guy's Questions:
With mothers day around the corner, I plan on knocking out a couple of small jewelry boxes. Mitered corners and book matched grain for a seamless look. 2 questions leading into this project. The first is more likely for Guy.
In the past my boxes have been cut to 45.1 degrees to ensure a closed outside corner. My table saw is a jobsite saw and setting a precise angle is extremely difficult. I recently set up a router table and have seen guy use a 45 degree chamfer bit to cut miters this way. How close to 45 degree do these bits actually get? Is there a brand you recommend for better accuracy? How bad is the tear out?
2nd question. In the past I used a wiping poly to finish the boxes. However VOC's are a concern for these boxes. I'd like to finish the boxes with a base coat of shellac and finish with beeswax top coat. I purchased a block of beeswax but didn't really think about how to dissolve it for quick finish. Seems like mineral spirits are the leading candidate but I'm curious if anyone has used natural oil citrus solvent for the same task (I'd likely by the version from milk paint company). Jose
Gentlemen, thank you for all you do to support and educate the woodworking community through this podcast and other platforms. I'm planning out a full kitchen remodel for our home and will be building the cabinets myself. The style of cabinets will be frameless/euro style which means all the plywood will need to be edge banded. The plywood will be pre-finished, but the doors and drawer fronts will be painted. How would you recommend finishing the edge banding to match the door and drawer front color? Would you do hardwood edge banding and paint it? That seems like it would take a lot of taping which leaves room for lots of error. Is there such a thing as custom colored edge banding for cabinets that is either iron-on or peel-and-stick? I don't have an edge banding machine so that probably limits my options. Thanks in advance for your help! Joel
Hi guys,
Thanks for providing some great knowledge for fellow woodworkers.
My question is around drum sanders and the usefulness of them in a hobby shop. When do you use a drum sander and what type of projects are you using a drum sander on?
I just purchased a 20” bandsaw and would like to start resawing veneers for projects. In the past I would buy 1/16” thick veneers from a commercial veneer shop which worked well. But I question if a drum sander is actually required/desired for this operation. I’ve read a bunch about troubles with drum sander’s and really question if it speeds up the work.
Could I just joint a fresh face, resaw. Then joint another fresh face and so on. Then glue up the panel. And either clean up the panel on the planner or ROS?
In my future I probably have a set of kitchen cabinets and various built in cabinets(which I would either buy plywood or use commercial veneer and glue my own). I normally make freestanding furniture as well. This isn’t a production shop, and I have all the normal tools for dimensioning lumber, TS, Jointer, and planer.
Feel free to summarize my question, just wanted to give you guys enough context.
Thanks,Jesse Beechland Furniture
Huys Questions:
Hi Guys
Have known of & liked Guy’s YT channel for a number of years and recently came across this podcast which I’m really enjoying as I go through the back catalogue.
I must be on similar wavelength to you Guy as I love (& own a lot / most of) the Incra stuff, saw your MFT style outfeed which I’m about to build a copycat of (just awaiting delivery of the aluminium extrusion) and am in the midst of milling the timber to start building your mini workbench, the plans for which I recently bought.
I then happened on your YT channel the other day Huy and whilst watching the 6yo shop tour video was interested to see your boom arm. Could you tell me a bit more about it. Is it bought as is, or built up from tubing etc?
Keep up the good work.
Thanks Andy
I love your podcast, particularly that you spend the time talking about woodworking without a lot of jibber-jabber about unrelated stuff. I'm sorry to hear about Brian's accident, and appreciate very much that he was willing to share about it so we could all learn. Could you possibly send me the 10 safety rules from the Purposeful Design shop? Also, here's my question: are there any general rules for how much clamping pressure is advisable when doing a glue-up? Is it just enough to close the joint? Or does glue work better when extra clamping pressure is applied? I realize this is a broad question and the answer may differ depending on the situation, but any guidance you can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks for all you do! Jimmy B, Los Angeles CA.
Hello Guys,
I recently found your podcast and I love it. Great content and great chemistry between you all. I will be sad when I catch up on all the past episodes because then I will have or wait to listen to new episodes. I am new to woodworking and I currently use a Dewalt 8 1/4 inch job site table saw. For my 50th birthday I am looking to upgrade to a larger table saw. I am economically challenged so my budget is around $1000. I am looking at 2 different saws the first one is the Delta 36-725T2 for $699 and the other one is the Laguna Fusion F1 for $1080. Is the Laguna worth $300 more? Do you have any other suggestions? I would prefer to buy new. Thanks you all are awesome have a great day. Korey