Author: woodshoplifepodcast

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Sean

1) How do you guys remove remove squeeze out on inside corners? Let’s assume that you forgot to do any prep work for squeeze out. Is the only option short repetitive tedious strokes with sandpaper and scrapers? It seems like any other  sanding options leave cross grain scratches. Blue bees woodworking

2)Hi guys – Watching YouTube videos I see more and more people using dust masks / breathing apparatus these days.
As an old guy ( I’m even older than Guy ) this equipment  was never available or even thought of many years ago, perhaps we would slip on some safety glasses and call it quits. I must confess a lot of my pottering around in the shed is done with just a pair of thongs ( I think maybe in the US you call them flip flops)
edit: I don’t want you guys thinking I’m wandering around my shed in a g-string ( thong / thongs), translations between countries varies . (I live in Australia)
Anyways these days I see people wearing breathing masks / filters/ respirators that start from a simple mouth covering such as a mask to outrageously looking respirators that look like something from a Star Wars movie set.
Do you guys use breathing protection ? If so, which type and your thoughts behind your choices
PS: I’m older than Guy and don’t own a SawStop, please answer as soon as you can as my time on earth is limited

Regards
Geoff

Guy

1)I have a question regarding cutting and joining 2x 45 degree angles. My question mostly applies to using hardwood, not plywood and thicker stock, like 6/4 and 8/4 for things like a waterfall style table or bench.

I have the FeStool tracksaw, which is what I’ve used to cut my 45s. I find that it’s pretty dialed in when I check the angle after the cut, but for some reason when I join the 2 45s it’s always a few degrees off from 90. For what it’s worth, I join the 45s w dominos. I’m just having difficulty getting a perfectly even/square joint.

Don’t really know if it’s a clamping or cutting issue to be honest.

Any suggestions on clamping or cutting that could Help w this issue?

(I’m not opposed to making a table saw sled just for when cutting 45s, but that’s not really an option for larger pieces) – Byran

2) Hey guys, thanks for answering my last question, I thought I’d return with another!

My question is about water based finishes and HVLP spraying. I’ve been looking at buying a Fuji sprayer but unsure if it’s suitable and also what stage to go for?

I have a small shop and feel HVLP is the way to go although I’ve been advised to go for an airless system instead

Mainly be spraying water based paint finishes, but again unsure if this is suitable with HVLP?

Also use a lot of Polyx osmo oil, is this suitable to be sprayed? -Mike

Huy

1)For this question. I have a 4ft by 4ft bench.  You guessed…. 2×4 frame screwed and glued to 4×4 legs with 1 sheet of 23/32 ply wood (cut in half hence the 4×4 ft top) screwed down.  I did not glue the top.  My thought was i can change/flip them if one sides gets beat up.

There is a slight crown in my bench top.  The center is a bit higher then the edges and the corners are lowest.  What are your suggestions on on flatting this out. 

It become a problem mostly hand planing as the corner is lower, and the work piece tips up. Thank you, Scott

2) Hello fellas, this is Garrett Roberson from HMR Custom Woodcraft.  I have a question about building a 36″ wide by 72″ long wall hanging that will go up behind a dart board.  The customer wants something to hang on the wall behind a dart board to protect the drywall behind it.  I would like to make it hang from the wall so that they can change or move it in the future instead of permanently attaching it to the wall.  My plan is to use a 1/4″ ply backing board, then make 6″ wide x 1/2″ thick panels out of walnut and lay it out in a herringbone pattern going 18″ to either side from center.  Finally I plan to trim out around it to cover the ply and give it a more finished look.  What would be the best way to attach the panel pieces to the backing ply?  Should I glue up each piece, laminating it to the plywood?  Use pin nails and no glue?  Both?  Would it be best to paint the ply behind it and leave a slight gap or can I push them right up next to each other?  I just want to make sure I don’t have any wood movement issues or things like that.  Any help you can give would be appreciated and keep up the great work.
Garrett

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Huy

1) Hey guys.  This is definitely more of a “beginner” question, but can you elaborate on how you determine what speed setting to use on your router?  Does it change depending on the hardness of the wood?  Or the type of grain you’re routing?  Or maybe the size or particular profile of the bit?  Whether you’re routing in a router table or freehand?  Plunging versus edge work?  I own the DeWalt (DW618PKB) plunge router with speed setting 1-6.  I always leave it on 6 and never think twice about it.  But I’m wondering if I could get better results (less tear out, less burning) if I pay more attention to the speed setting?  Thank you for all the interesting information every week.  Thank you!  Matt @WoodMillerDesigns

2) Hey everyone! Love the show. Have heard you talk about shellac for an initial coat or 2 of finish, then topped with something else such as a water or oil based poly. I know an only shellac finish can have clouding issues if someone leaves a drink on the surface, ie drink rings. I know shellac also could dissolve if an alcoholic beverage was spilled and not cleaned quickly. My question is:  would you still have these issues if you did 1-2 coats of shellac and then several top coats of water or oil based poly?  Or does the poly topcoat eliminate these shellac drawbacks? Ron

Sean

1) Hey there great podcasters! Just wanted to say after you kindly answered my question about grey streaky raindrop trails in my water-based poly finish (your suggestion was that I was using waxed shellac) that I did check what shellac I had used. Sure enough, it was waxed bullseye shellac! I had a can of the sealcoat de-waxed that I had finished and must have picked up the regular, waxed stuff by mistake. (I know, I know, I should mix up my own…) Thanks so much for your excellent deduction and help!

Not sure if you’re still in dire need of questions, but if you are, I have one you could use: are any of you making woodworked holiday presents this year? If so, what are you thinking? If not, what’s the best small, wood-based gifts you’ve made for people in the past?

2) Second, in a separate conversation, I said I sanded 80, 120, 180, 220. My boss sands 100, 120, 150, 220. (We both sand 320 after the first two layers of finish and 400 is any further sanding is needed.)  When he heard that I went from 120 to 180 he said “I don’t skip grits.” Which didn’t make sense to me because he “skips” 180. It made me think about all the advice on sanding I’ve heard. I always heard “proceed through the grits, don’t rush, don’t skip grits.” But rarely does anyone mention a specific grit besides where they stop (which can be anywhere from 220 to 400). So where do you start and what are all of the grits you use? Mike

Guy

1) Heyy-o! I am a new woodworker and in the process of trying to get my shop together so I can start making custom pieces.  I am also a new listener. My  biggest question that I have searched and searched for and cannot seem to find a satisfactory answer is: How do I decide what type(s) of wood I should use for a project? I know that there is hardwood and softwood, but which is which and how do I know which to use and when?? How do I know what types of wood are paint grade or stain grade, or just clear finish grade?  It seems like everyone just skips over this, and doesn’t really explain the differences. Your help on this would be awesome and super beneficial! Thanks, Daniel

2) Hey Guys, Looking for some direction on Slab style kitchen doors. I’ve got a small kitchen, walk in pantry and laundry room that needs some cabinets. My wife wants smooth style modern doors so they are easy to clean and wipe down.  And she wants them painted. I’ve made plenty of frame and panel doors but curious how you guys would tackle the construction of these. Is it just as easy as cutting up a sheet of MDF or Plywood laminating some edging and spraying them? Or would you make stave cores? Other details. These are full overlay doors, I think the tallest door might be 36” tall in the laundry room. But everything else is standard heights and widths for a kitchen. Thanks guys keep up the good work!! Jessee

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Sean

1) My question is a little out of the ordinary and is about the mental side of woodworking. I have a fast paced, high pressure job that requires a lot of my time. That being said it has allowed me the luxury of jumping into the hobby with both feet and get some really good tools right off the bat. Probably a bad idea what what the hell. Lol. The down side of the job is it limits my time in the shop and also makes it hard to transition into the mindset for woodworking. I have to multitask and move quickly at work, traits that don’t lend themselves well to the hobby. Do you guys ever have trouble slowing/calming down when you are in the shop?  And if so how do you combat this.Thanks, Brian Wilson.

2) I was surprised to hear Guy say he wasn’t a fan of parallel clamps (and instead preferred pipe clamps due to their clamping pressure). They seem to be standard issue for every woodworker I see.

Can I ask you all to share any other overrated (or underrated) woodworking tools? Danny

Huy

1) Hello, I have upgraded my table saw to a 3HP Powermatic 66 and was looking at building an outfeed table but seeing wood prices lately,  I am just going to use my old 1 1/2 HP contractor as the “outfeed” table with both saws pushed back to back making sure the miter slots don’t interfere with each other. I’m trying to decide on what blades to get for the 2 saws. I see the work you guys do, so I was wondering which blades you would keep installed. Both saws have router tables, so any dado would be done with a router bit. Thanks for all the great podcast, I have been listening since #1- keep up the great work! Travis

2) Hey guys, thanks for putting out such a great podcast! I have been binge listening to the older shows and have heard several discussions on dust collection. Most of them have been focused on connection a large  hose to a smaller dust port and not getting the full performance from this collection. I don’t have a dust collector, just a DeWalt shop vac. Would you saw that some dust collection is better than no dust collection at all? Working on getting a bandsaw that has a 4 inch port, used green (not the newer blue paint job) Rikon 10-315 12” deluxe, and dust collector would be the next purchase after that. Do you think it would be fine to at least use the shop vac to help, or is this a waste of time? Tim Preach

Guy

1) Hello guys and Guy.  Wondering if you could give any recommendations for a table saw blades.  I purchased the Forrest WW2 10″ 40T blade back in May, however it is on backorder until November.  Is there another blade you recommend that would be easier to find and use for the time being?  I’m currently running the SawStop PCS 3 hp and just have the standard SawStop blade that came with the saw. Thanks, Paul

2) Hi guys. For a walnut kitchen table, would you use conversion varnish or Arm-r-seal? I can spray if need be. – Ken

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Sean

1) If I wanted to try my hand at veneering my own panels, what set up process do you recommend? This would be an attempt to do it without diving in and purchasing what I hear you guys talk about as a vacuum bag. Is it even possible to veneer my own panels without a vacuum bag? Matthew

2) Hey guys thanks for a great podcast and for answering questions from all of us.  I have a question about planers.  I am looking to upgrade my lunch box planer to something that is better than what I have now (ridgid 12.5″).  I had a 15″ planer years ago and am wondering if I “need” a large planer (15-20″) or would something like the Dewalt 735 work just fine?  Thanks for your input. Troy

Guy

1) Thanks to you all for the wonderful podcast. Really enjoy the way you discuss our (sometimes dumb) questions with great care. I appended my question to an earlier message, but I don’t think it got answered. (If it did, please just re-direct me?) I was finishing up a console made of red oak lately with a couple coats of shellac followed by 3-4 coats of Total Boat Water-Based Poly. Again and again, I’d put on a coat of the poly that looked completely smooth only to come back to what looked like dirty grey raindrops with long tails — not the look I was going for my beautiful sandy red oak piece! I was using a foam brush to apply. I didn’t see any of these trails when I was putting on the finish. And it happened on both horizontal and vertical surfaces I finished. Is this a well known problem with water-based poly? Is it my brushes? But most importantly, is there a way to avoid it? I loathed having to sand it back and reapply. Also, while you’re at it, is it worse to finish things vertically rather than horizontally because it the finish might collect and drip down? Thank you for your thoughts! (Oh, and tell Guy that he never needs to apologize for giving his “opinion”. Frequently, it’s not just an opinion but a position arrived at from lots of expert observation!) Adam Potthast

2) Hey guys, thanks for always producing such great content. My question is about dovetails for beginners. I’ve never done dovetails before, but recently purchased the Leigh through dovetail jig TD330 and am eager to get going. What tips, tricks, and general words of wisdom would you give someone who is just starting to work with dovetails? I know that’s super open-ended so here are a couple specific questions to get the juices flowing- I see that this jig can be used with a handheld router or a router table. Do you have a preferred method when making your dovetails? I’ve also heard people say to buy extra material when starting to work with dovetails, but how much extra? If I’m making a box, should I plan to buy enough materials for 6 sides (basically giving myself 2 extra box sides in case of screw-ups)?

Thanks again for all the great shows. I’ve learned so much from you guys and really appreciate it. Billy

Huy

1) Hey guys! Quick question – I like to resaw turning blanks to make small boxes and they often come covered in wax (or something). When I receive them, should I scrape off the wax immediately and let them acclimate to the shop? Or wait until I’m ready to mill them? Also, what’s the best way to do that? I was thinking skim-cuts on the table saw. Thanks!!
Dan

2) Which type of router would you suggest for fitting to a router table?
I imagine that if I buy a plunge or fixed type and mount it to a table and I can always take it out and use it handheld etc but with a motor body I can leave it set up and just purchase a plunge type as well ( more tools is always a good thing) -Geoff

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Guy

1) I am looking to build a new bench that will serve many functions.  It would be an outfeed table, assembly bench, finish bench, and anything else I see fit to use it for.  I am very intrigued with the Ron Paulk Smart bench design and will most likely go that route.  The big question comes down to what type of hold down/ clamping surface is best.  I see lots of people do numerous T-tracks and use all the new style clamps designed for this, but on the other end is the numerous dog holes like an MFT top.  I do currently have a track saw that I use a fair amount to break down items too unwieldy to use on my small contractor table saw.  Which design do you think is better and why.  If you choose the dog holes design is there any preference on 3/4″ holes vs 20mm holes? 

Great podcast and keep up the great work.

-Chris

2) This may be more of a question for Guy, specifically. I’ve heard him mention Trans Tint Dye multiple times on the show. As a hobbyist, I’ve used Minwax oil based stains for quite a while, but I’m starting to understand why Guy dislikes it. Could y’all explain a bit deeper how you use Trans Tint Dye? After a bit of research, it looks like it comes concentrated and should be diluted before use. Just trying to understand a bit more about the product as it seems preferable over oil based stains.

Also, do any of you have any experience with any water based stains? And would you still prefer a water based dye over a water based stain? -Josh

3) Thanks for the great show. The question portion is a great help. We had a house built 4 years ago and the cabinet, doors, and drawers were sprayed with conversion varnish. The leftover product was left with us for touch up. I was under the impression that conversion varnish had a very short shelf life and would not keep but the painter said that as long as it was sealed it would be fine.

Something recently fell against 2 of the drawers and damaged the fronts. I repaired the damage and tried

doing the touch up with the leftover paint and a brush and it was not good. A friend sprayed it for me with his gun and they look great. The problem is that they have a glossy look that we can live with but they are also a bit tacky. They were sprayed 3 weeks ago and there is still a slight tackiness to them. Is the problem the fact that conversion varnish does not keep and is bad? Will  it cure  or should I strip it, go to Sherwin Williams, get a product they sell to the public, and redo them? Thanks -Bob Smith

Huy

1) Hey guys I purchased a L-Fence from Ben Brunik.  So far I’ve used it for long bevels.  Do any of you use a L-Fence in your workflow?  If you do what other procedures is it good for? Thanks guys -Nate

2) Hey guys! I am a huge fan of the show. I’ve been listening for a few months now and as a novice wood worker I’ve been learning a lot.

I’m generally in my shop alone I’m looking to build out a first aid kit.

I’ve got the basic tweezers and alcohol I use pretty regularly. But I feel like having a proper first aid kit would make sense around all of the blades I’ve got going. I’ve been looking at tourniquets, something I absolutely hope I never have to use but just trying to be on top of safety. Love to know if you guys keep something nearby like that just in case god forbid something were to happen. Thank you for the great show, stay well!

-Mohamed

3) I’m a newish woodworker and noticed that it’s hard to gauge the actual difficulty level in potential projects (maybe youtubers just make it all look easy). What are some projects you would suggest beginners avoid until they establish a larger skill set? Any that look harder or easier than they actually are? Thanks for the podcast and covering so many nooks and crannies of the craft, certainly a better and more entertaining resource than the many Woodworker 101 books out there. Tyler