Author: woodshoplifepodcast

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Sean

1) I’ve found some really nice walnut burl veneer  that I would like to use on the tambours. I plan on veneering these on to solid walnut in the hopes of both accounting for wood movement in the veneer, and not seeing an ugly MDF substrate when opening the doors. Am I going overboard by using solid walnut for the backing substrate, or is there a way to hide the edges of the MDF as to not see them when moving the doors? And would using MDF as a substrate cause issue with the veneer moving over time? I plan on using the heat lock veneer glue to adhere the veneers to the substrate.

2) Hello Sean, Guy, and Huy. You guys always make one of the best podcasts and i love hearing your different outlooks on topics. My question today is about design and encouraging creativity. Obviously, this will be different depending on whether or not there is a client involved, but how do you decide on a direction for the design of a piece of furniture? How do you begin, with the design or the materials? Have you ever looked at a piece (or stack) of lumber and designed your project to highlight something special about it? On the other hand, have you ever designed a piece, and then had to find the perfect piece of lumber to make it with?

Thank you,  Joshua from The Blackdog Studios (finding beauty in former trees)

Huy

1) So I’ve heard of some folks making the decision to not have a table saw in their shops. 2 main reasons cited being safety (IF ITS NOT A SAWSTOP YOU WILL DIE) and also space. Personally, I understand their position, but don’t think I could do it. I simply like my saw too much. Would any of you consider it? Additionally, what operations does the table saw perform that you could not duplicate on/with another machine? I realize this is more of a thought experiment than question, but I thought I’d throw it out there.

thanks for the great show!

Mark

2) Hey all, thanks for the great show. I notice I have been getting diminished quality cuts from my full kerf glue line rip blade on my table saw. (That is- minor saw blade marks, occasional burning)  in addition, I notice a touch of increased resistance as I begin to exit my rip cuts, and the blade seems to make contact again as the board moves past the blade.

To address these issues, I have adjusted the blade to about 2 thou to the left (I cut on the right of my blade generally) and adjusted my fence. I have an older , beat up Powermatic 64B  contractor saw. I have noticed the plastic faces of the fence are a bit wavy (again, a few thousands, maybe about 10-15 thou variation throughout) but I have the extreme front and back of the fence perfectly aligned. My rips aren’t perfect when I cut from the left of the blade, but the resistance feels more consistent and predictable.

I am currently transitioning from hobbyist to full time and would like to solve this annoyance, as it occasionally affects my panel glue ups, and cutting board season is nearly upon us. I think for now, I will clamp on an MDF fence to see if that can help suck out the issue. If it is a fence face or alignment issue. Do you think I should maybe invest in a better fence, or should I consider replacing my glorious Powermatic saw with a  SawStop Cabinet  saw exclusively to spite Guy. I do have 220 in the shop now powering my heater and  big Grizzly bandsaw, with amperage remaining for a 3hp cabinet. It would also be great to have a table saw with dust collection.

Side note:

Sorry for the length, y’all always ask for more details. And a replacement cabinet saw wouldn’t have to be a SawStop, but I think it may be good insurance when I can afford to hire an employee. That said, this would be an upgrade maybe 3-8 months down the line if I’m making consistent money. Longer if I can get the Powermatic figured out. I do a range of things. From small CNC projects, shelves, cutting boards, and  plan to move onto selling furniture.

Dillon

Guy

1) Got one more question for ya. Shorter this time. I recently popped open a can of water based poly that I’ve had in storage for a while. The top 3/4 of the can was great but when I got to the bottom 1/4 it had turned in to a thick gel like substance. I did some quick googling and found a forum post where somebody suggested creating CO2 gas by mixing baking soda and vinegar in a jar and “pouring” that gas in to a partially used can of poly. The CO2 will displace the oxygen in the can and then you seal it up. This preserves the leftover poly as the reaction with oxygen is what hardens it. Obviously it’s too late for my can but have you all ever heard of this? If so have you ever done it? Thought it was pretty interesting regardless.

Thanks,

Jon

2) Hi guys love the podcast.  My question is this ,  is it of absolute importance to have a dead flat assembly table to glue up your work square and keep it square?

I ask because I built a dresser and glued it up checked it for square and moved it to my floor which is steel plates, rechecked it for square and it was fine.  Came beck the next morning and took it out of clamps and out of square it was had to disassemble and re glue very frustrating.  So now looking to build an assembly table that is flat and level so I want to know how flat does it need to be.

Thanks keep up the good work.

Fred clarke

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Guy

1) Thanks for the great podcast, I’ve learned a lot throughout the episodes. I’ve been a wood turner for twelve or so years but now getting into fine furniture making.  A shout out to Sean as I’m a fellow Kentuckian (Louisville).

My question is: I’m working on two shaker side tables right now that are 20”x20”.  As I think about the drawer construction, I’m at a bit of a crossroads with the bottom of the drawer. I could get high quality 1/4” plywood  for the drawer bottom and put the plywood in grooves. However, I don’t like the thought of putting plywood into my tables if I were to be honest. I’m sure it would be structurally fine and I wouldn’t have to worry about wood movement. However I’d like for the bottom to be made of poplar like the sides and back of the drawer. How do I make a drawer bottom from 4/4 lumber? My planer says I can’t plane anything thinner than 1/2” and I don’t have a drum sander. What is the best way to thin a board to 1/4” or 3/8” for a drawer bottom? I’d rather not use hand tools as I have arthritis in my hands. Is this a job for a planer sled?

Thanks much, John

My shop tools:

Router & table

Lathe

Drill press

Bench

Shaper

6” Jointer

13” planer

14” Bandsaw ( Jet Euro style)

Small Saw Stop (still alive!)

2) Hey guys! As always, I love the podcast, appreciate your individual takes on questions, and hearing about what’s going on in your shops, except for Guy, he’s too busy working to have anything going on in his own shop.

My question is about learning from your mistakes. Throughout your woodworking adventures, I’m sure you have all had that project that did not come out the way you had planned or expected. I recently found some very old woodworking projects that I made somewhere in the late 1990’s. Instead of throwing them out, I put them in my shop to remind me of two things. Where I’ve come from, and what not to do. Do you guys have anything like this in your shops? What do you use to remind you to do better?

Thanks

Joshua from The Blackdog Woodworks

3) Hi guys, Thanks for the great, inspiring and sometimes intimidating podcast, because you guys are so good. I have a couple of questions. I have been asked to build a dining room table for my daughter. My first question is about design. The table will likely be a trestle style, made of walnut, a wood I have never worked before. The table will be about 6 feet long by 40″ wide to fit into the space available. Is there a reason to glue the top along the long edge or along the short edge, or is this strictly or primarily an aesthetic decision? It seems like I would be likely to get a better edge to joint a 40″ edge rather than a 60″ edge. Second question if I can be presumptious, how do you keep focused on completing a project? It is always exciting to start a new project, but then as the time it takes stretches out, the endless sanding continues, the fear of applying a decent finish,  the excitement diminishes and I get to the point I just want to get it finished. Thanks again for the great information and terrific format.

Scott

Sean

1) Hello sirs.  Thank you for providing the best woodworking podcast bar none!  I am building a couple of side tables for my living room to go on either end of my couch.   I am using 8/4 walnut slabs for the table tops.  I’m wondering what kind of finish you would recommend for these slabs?  Bear in mind that I’m assuming my wife and children are not going to be too keen to reach for a coaster every time they want to put a glass of water down.  I prefer more of a matte finish, so don’t really want to use epoxy or anything that’s going to look like a layer of glass is sitting on top of the slab.  So what products

do you suggest to achieve maximum water protection without compromising a matte look?  And please include any specific application techniques, ie: number of coats, levels of sanding, etc.  Many thanks.   Keep up the amazing podcast!

2) Good evening, I’m Mason with blairswoodshop. Before I ask my question I just want to mention I love the podcast! It’s awesome for my morning commute i think I’m about 80 episodes compete and look forward to more. Thank you guys for all the hard work on the podcast!  Just had a question for Sean. I see he has the performax 16-32, I just acquired a same style Jet 16-32. My question is if you have ever had issues with the conveyor belt tracking? I can’t seem for the life of me to get it to track straight. No matter what I do it always tracks to the right, it has already took a chunk out of my brand new maveric abrasives conveyor belt. I know I’m not the only one with this issue, but no one seems to really have a fix. The only thing I’ve seen that might work is to buy a rubber conveyor belt which is upwards of 125$ plus shipping. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

3) Good afternoon, good evening and good night gentlemen. Wanted to hear your preferred method of table top attachment to a base. (Z clips, figure 8s or oversized holes or any other method you can speak on that you prefer)

Paul

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Huy

1)I recently got a new 12×16 shed and am planning on shifting all of my woodworking tools out of the multi purpose garage and creating more of a dedicated shop space. I may have more questions on that in the future but for now I’ll start with a simple one. 

I have a few different battery tool platforms and I know it’s bad for the long term battery life to expose the batteries to lots of temperature and climate changes. As a result I have all of my batteries and chargers in our laundry room for now. I ( and my wife) would prefer to store these in the shop but I’d rather not sacrifice the batteries well being if I don’t have to.

I know yalls workshop space is climate controlled so you probably don’t have this issue. But I wanted yalls thoughts/opinions on the issue in general. Would making some kind of insulated storage cabinet be worth trying. Or is that just poppycock. Ha. For reference I live in NC so the winters occasionally get down to the teens and the summers often the 90s. Thanks for all you guys do. Respectfully, Jon

2) I have been practicing cutting dovetails by hand because I’m silly Using the Veritas dovetail saw I’m pretty sloppy But using a Veritas rip carcass saw I’m pretty on point Is it possible my big rock biter hands are better suited to a larger saw and that offers a better advantage to my end result, than the specific size and toothing of the dovetail saw?

These used to be such big strong hands. I know a girl who dated Atreyu from Never Ending Story. Apparently, very short. But I digress. Thank you for any insights before I drop some serious change on Bad Axe or Lie Nielsen saws.

These Veritas saws are all from the annual scratch and dent sale. Which is why I have a rip carcass saw oops.

I guess I should also say that my other thought was that the Veritas saws are too light and that’s why I’m having a problem with the really small dovetail saw it has no mass. Tom

3) Thanks for making ‘Woodshop Life Podcast’ part of my life! It’s a great mix of styles, knowledge and a little snark – from Guy’s aged wisdom. My question takes off from the last podcast, and the ending talk on an eco-friendly woodshop. I work primarily with reclaimed woods, being involved in that part of the industry since the late 1990’s, so was caught by the subjects lead in the podcast No. 103 marquee.  I wasn’t disappointed or surprised that reclaimed woods did not make it onto any of the short lists – though Sean did  trail off the session with “and like the wood – recycle it” – though I imagine that it referred to using shop scraps, but possibly other types of salvaged wood material.

So my questions is mostly an open ended one on any experience that you all may have in using reclaimed material – or why it can provoke different reactions among woodworkers, whether used for it’s original or rustic surfaces or resurfaced?. Huy, working in Alabama, must come across some antique pine, though I think he mentioned taking a pass on its uneven grain and amber tone. We’ve sent regular tractor trailer loads of this salvaged old growth material to Alabama – or maybe back to Alabama, as it covered large parts of the state until the mid-1800’s. My perspective on availability can be off, as there’s a lot of the old buildings here in New York City framed with the old softwoods. The longleaf pine is getting harder and more competitive to acquire, but there’s often the Northern softwoods – like less desirable spruce, hemlock and fir, but still old growth in quality. along with the signs that are witness to it’s history – nail holes, stress cracks, aged surfaces, etc. And even if it’s among the local woods available, the mix of species, sources and not least, embedded nails can cause woodworkers to barricade the shop doors.

Also – myself and my business partner Klaas Armster, put out a book a short while back ‘Reclaimed Wood: A Field Guide’. We’d be happy to send along a copy and/or some boards of salvaged wood (dry and de-nailed).

Thanks again for reclaiming the tradition of woodworking in America – the craft itself seems at the heart of an eco-friendly workshop, despite any type wood that is used. Alan

Guy

1) Hi Guys, I want to start by saying that you all Rock. I listen to a few woodworking pod casts and yours is the best at passing along knowledge.

Thank you for helping all of us out with your insights on wood working.

I am very new to this hobby and am in the process of building my wife a cabinet. It will be used for holding potato’s and onions and a few other things that clutter our kitchen up.

My question has to do with the glue up for the top of the cabinet. I am glueing 3pieces of 3/4 cherry together to make the top and I am concerned about it ending up flat. I am wondering if I should use dowels to help with this. I am thinking about buying a dowel jig from rockler and want to know if this is worth it or should I try a different technique.

I would like a good jig but do not want to break the bank because it will not be used too often.

Also, what type of finish would be good for cherry. I am thinking some stain and then a poly. Thanks again, Cory

2) Hey guys, Jared from Houston here. Really appreciate the podcast!

I’m making a wall-hanging cabinet intended to store a couple whiskey bottles and glasses. The cabinet will be solid cherry with one door and maybe a drawer on the bottom. I’m moderately experienced with wood but woefully beginner with finishes. I typically would finish with shellac only and wipe down with steel wool to a matte finish. However, due to the likelihood of contact with alcohol, I believe another approach might be wiser. My favorite idea right now is to put two coats of shellac then follow with a coat of spray can lacquer. What do you guys recommend? Also, to what grit do you sand before applying your first coat of finish? Last consideration on these questions…I’ll be donating this to auction at a local school fundraiser and do not want to get called for finish repairs down the road!  Thanks for any advice you can offer! Jared

3) Hello guys (and guy), thank you for delivering an awesome podcast!

I know this topic is taboo, but I was wondering what y’all’s thoughts were on veneering one side of a panel when it is already in its frame.

I am planning on building a tool cabinet (loosely inspected by FWW Mike Pekovich  tool cabinet) the door in question would be a traditional frame and panel door with a 1/2” plywood panel set into a 1/4” groove. The back of the door has a case style frame attached to the back to give the hinged door some depth to house tools.

The reason I am wanting to only veneer one side is due to lack of material, (the door frame will be made of mesquite, and the panel shop sawn veneer out of spalted hackberry) I know I could veneer the back with another material but I am also trying to save on weight/ thickness of the panel.

Hopefully y’all will have some advice / experience on this topic. I am planning on doing this project in about 6 months. Thanks in advance, Josh

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Sean

1) Hey fellas. Hope this finds you well.
I’ve come into a work bench that needs some tlc. I’d like to rehab it if I can. It has a solid steel tube base (clearly store bought) with a butcher block style top  that is  2’x4’. It’s laminated strips of what I believe to be maple. (Sorry; my janka hardness test machine is on the fritz, but I can’t dent it with a fingernail). It’s got a significant bow from front to back (across the 24” dimension) of at least a 1/4”.   Whats the best approach to flatten it? I’d like to save the thickness as it’s about 1 1/2”.  It doesn’t need to be dead flat. It would be a secondary work area (aka a horizontal surface that collects all manners of various and assorted things. )

Thanks for all that you do and keep up the good work!
Mark

2) Hey guys. Don’t want you run out of questions, so here’s another one: When and how often do you sharpen your hand tools? I don’t really like sharpening and find myself going through chisels to find a sharp one and using that favorite plane although it’s not sharp anymore because I’m telling myself that it’s not worth it yet to get those stones wet. What’s your balance? Should I just buy new tools when they are not sharp anymore? Just kidding, although I would love to.
Jonas

Guy

1) Hello gentlemen, love the podcast and I took your last advice to heart and have been staining some of my projects with polyurethane with great results.  Thank you for the encouragement.

My question today is on handling full 3/4″ plywood sheets from the store to the shop.  I have not built much carcass based projects as I’ve been a little too impatient to get everything square then find myself disappointed in the outcome.  As I approach 6 decades on earth I find myself slowing down and enjoying the craft a little more leisurely instead of a to do list and punching a task list as complete approach.  That being said I have built 2 projects now out of plywood starting with full 4 x 8 sheets and they have been fun challenges but I find myself not planning another project because of the challenges of getting a 4 x 8 sheet of 3/4 ply to my shop. It seems like plywood has gotten 1 pound heavier every year that I have aged. I enjoy solo working in the shop so it’s not really easy to get somebody to help me go to the big box store and load a single sheet of plywood.

I was wondering what are some of the tricks and tips you guys use for handling big heavy sheets. I use the foam board insulation as a backer when breaking it down into panels and I use a cheap cordless circular saw with a homemade fence. It’s cheap and slow but that part works fine.  I have one of the handle things that you hook under the plywood to carry it with a handle but that doesn’t make the panel any lighter.  I do have a utility trailer so hauling it isn’t a problem.

Any other other tips, tricks or tools you would recommend for heavy sheet goods? Thanks

2) Hey there, OK so this is a pretty simple question but you did say you need some so…

I have a Delta 14” bandsaw, pretty typical and I have had it for about 35 years (holy cow, I just realized how old I am!). Anyway, its pretty basic, and lacks any feature to keep the tires from gumming up as I am cutting. Do you have any advice on devices, brushes etc. that I can add to keep them cleaner as I use the saw? I do connect a shop vac to the dust port, that helps but I still find I have to scrape the wheels. Using you instead of google or Pinterest for this one 😉

Huy

1) Hi guys, I recently had a walnut tree taken down, brought the log to a sawyer and they cut into 4/4, 8/4, and 12/4 boards. I cannot air dry the boards on my property so I am planning on drying them in my basement. My basement is dry, and of course little to no air movement. After about a year, I am considering completing the drying process by putting the boards in the attic above my garage. There is Sheetrock under the rafters in the attic, so there will be very little air movement again. Should I be concerned with the heat in the attic adversely impacting the boards when they are not completely dry. I live in CT so the attic can get well over 100 degrees in the summer. Thanks for any word of wisdom you might have, Mike Gitberg

2) Hey guys I’ve got a door construction question for you. I’ve been tasked  with making an extra large sliding barn door for my house. The door will need to be 8′ 10″ tall by 48″ wide by 1.75″ thick. The kicker is my shop is in the basement and I can’t fit that large of a piece up the stairs. I have an empty room on the 1st floor that I can assemble and possibly use a vacuum press.
My thoughts were to make an outer frame(walnut) with a torsion box interior made from 1/2″ ply or possibly 1/4 ply and filling the void with rigid foam. I was going to skin each side with 1/4″ MDF and then veneer each side with commercial 3/32 walnut veneer.
Some of the issues I think I will run into.

This would require a 6’x10′ vacuum bag (which I would have to make), I’m not sure if my pump can pull a bag that large down and hold. I have a 3 cfm and according to Joe woodworker a max size for that pump is 4’x9′.   

After I’ve pressed the veneer down I have some clean up and and sanding to do, which I’m not fond of doing this on the 1st floor. Also there’s finishing which my only option is a hard wax if I finish it inside. Or carry the damn thing outside and spray under a pop up tent.

 I’ve been thinking of instead of one large panel making a series of say 3  horizontal panels pressing and finishing them in the shop, sanding and pre-finishing then and then installing them to the frame with some sort of 1/16″ shadow line or maybe a brass inlay between each panel.

Or do I just scrap the idea and find a garage to assemble, sand and finish in and bring it to the house for install. Granted this garage will not be climate controlled.

I’m concerned about weight, I have a 200# max on the door hardware. I’m open to other ideas for assembly. Also I can’t spilt the door into two separate ones, the opening will not allow a door to rest on either side of the opening.

Thanks in advance for the advice and keep up the great work with the podcast!!

Jesse