Author: woodshoplifepodcast

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Sean

1)Hi,

I want to start using SketchUp and wondering if you guys had any tips on coming up to speed with the app? Did any of you take any training or know of some good video series?

I’m fairly tech savvy, will be using Windows PC and Android devices.

Thank you for your down to earth, real world views! By far the best podcast out there!

Eric

2)Hello again, hope all is well. Perhaps this is somewhat of a tool true woodworkers would never use ,but I’ve always thought CNC machines are really cool and have always wanted to get one in my shop eventually to make custom signs, jigs, gifts and whatever more intricately detailed thing I couldn’t do by hand. Have you guys ever used a CNC machine for anything at any point, or maybe more importantly, WOULD you ever use one? Why or why not? Keep up the great work with the podcast – Brendon.

Guy

1)Hey guys,  I’m working on building table tops for 4 or 5 pieces of living room furniture. I wanted to know if I should install something underneath the tops of the Coffee and console tables like 2 metal U channels to keep the tops flat? The coffee top will be about 4ft x 2ft and console top 2ft x 5 or 6ft. I’m using various hardwoods cut into long strips with different widths like a cutting board. My plan at the moment for the coffee top is to glue it up in 2 halves and use dowels to join the two. Also planning to use Z clips to secure the tops to the bases. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us,

Matt in Alabama

2)I’ve tried making finger joints/box joints. I’ve bought the flat grind blades and used the common technique of making groove in a sled and then shifting the pieces over into the slot/shim that I’ve created. It starts out fine for boards less than 4”, but for boards greater than 4”, I can’t get them to fit just right. Either they won’t join together or they’re too loose. What am I doing wrong? I don’t want to have to remake the sled/jig, but will do so if it means I can get boards of any size to fit properly together? How do you guys go about making box joints?

ChrisCustomWoodworks

Huy

1)I know it’s best to plane, joint etc. with the grain (rubbing the cat from head to tail instead of tail to head). I have trouble determining which direction the grain is running. Any foolproof pointers?

Thanks for the best woodworking podcast around!

Great podcast – thanks for all the information! – Tim in North Carolina

2)Hi Guys from across the pond in the Uk! Love the podcast, the time in the shop is more enjoyable when I’m listening to you guys laugh and chat about your woodworking knowledge, it’s a great help and has answered so many of my questions already. I wanted to ask your advice on shaker cabinet doors. I make a lot of shaker doors for cabinets, alcove units and fitted wardrobes. The problem comes when painting. I don’t spray anything and use water based finishes. I use a water based wood primer undercoat and then a acrylic eggshell topcoat. I lay the doors flat and level on my bench, as soon as the first coat of undercoat goes on the door bows badly, it bows with the centre going away from you on the painted side. After about half an hour the undercoat has gone off enough for me to flip the door and paint the other side which then flattens the door back out but it sometimes doesn’t go back to what it should and also this just doesn’t feel great to me, with my straight edge the door is perfect after glue up/sanding but it’s never this good after painting. Any tips on what I could do/am missing when it comes to finishing these doors. Would love to hear from you guys and keep up the good work, love the show and keep producing great work!

Thanks

Mike @mgscarpentry

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Sean

1)Hi guys

I’m in the market for a miter gauge for my table saw and really like the look of the Incra Miter 5000 but the cost over here in Australia is a bit on the high side ($700 plus postage). Ive started looking around at different manufacturers etc and the usual YouTube searching and I notice a lot of users using a miter gauge only as opposed to a sled with miter type options.

Would you use a miter gauge only as opposed to a sled configuration. Thanks for the great podcast Geoff

2) I would like to make a assembly table top with dog holes just like the MFT basic. I already have an MFT table. Would it be possible to use my existing MFT table top as a template on a larger piece of 3/4 MDF? I was thinking of clamping it down somehow and pre drilling some holes and using my festool plunge router with a flush trim bit. Would this work and how would you do it with what kind of router bit? I see a lot of jigs made or bought online for this but if I already have a MFT table why not use it as a template – Anythony

Guy

1) Long-time podcast listener, thanks for the great content and helpful advice for woodworkers of all skill levels! I’m a few years into woodworking and have a 12 x 15 shop in my basement. No windows in the basement and my workshop is in the climate-controlled utility room with the finished basement just outside the workshop door. I make a variety of things such as boxes, crosses, shelves, trays, etc out of hardwoods, primarily walnut and curly maple. So far, my go-to finish has been a few coats of Shellac (Zinsser Sealcoat) finished with a coat of satin Arm-R-Seal. This finishing process can be a bit tedious, especially when making crosses and boxes that have lots of small crevices.  I’d love to settle on a finish that checks the following boxes:

– Easy to apply

– Isn’t overly smelly, given my workshop location and lack of outside ventilation

– Accentuates the beauty of the wood (e.g. highlights the figure in the curly maple, richness of color of the walnut).

– Doesn’t involve pre-finishing, if possible, as I’m lazy and often have some sanding and clean-up work to do after assembly.

– Is quick from start to finish, as my workshop time is limited with 3 young kids and I want to spend as much of the shop time as possible making sawdust, not applying finish.

– Easy to clean up. For example, I’d love to avoid spending 30 minutes cleaning a spray gun after using it. Also, I don’t have a ton of space due to my Sawstop PCS 36″ saw, router table, planer, drill press, etc.

Should I keep with Shellac and Arm-R-Seal, or should I look at a spray option? And if a spray option, should I do an actual sprayer or buy rattle cans of finish? I’m open to recommendations. Thanks! Brian

2) Being 69 years old now, I find my reflexes, muscle control, eyesight etc. aren’t quite as good as they used to be. Would it be, in your opinion, foolish to go to a SawStop table saw for the increased safety, when my Powermatic PM 2000 works fine. I realize there are other sources of hazards in the shop, but reducing one at the table saw is being considered. Thanks for the great podcast! Tim in North Carolina

Huy

1)Hi Guy, Huy, and Sean, love the podcast, I learn so much every episode. After only a year of woodworking, I’ve decided it’s time to get my shop better organized. I’m going to start making a lumber cart, clamp racks, flip top tool stand, various storage cabinets, assembly table, etc. Most designs for these kinds of things call for plywood. But with plywood prices through the roof, I don’t want to spend a ton of money on each thing. MDF prices are still high but seem a bit more reasonable. How can I determine when MDF can be substituted for plywood? And do you have any other tips for how to make shop furniture on the cheap with today’s prices? Thanks, Matthew

2) Hey Guys, love your podcast; it’s one of the few woodworking podcasts out there that actually pushed me to be a better woodworker. Keep it coming. My question is this: I’m considering purchasing a dust extractor. I currently don’t any any Festool products, but I am considering the new Festool C15 dust extractor. (My budget doesn’t allow for the high prices of the other units with Bluetooth and since I dont own any other Festool products, I don’t see a reason to have any of the other units, but maybe someday). My current set up for my orbital sander, biscuit jointer, etc is a 4 gallon 5hp Dewalt shop vac with 90 CFM. I also have the vac and tools plugged into an I-socket auto switch which allows the vac to automatically turn on/off when I run my tools. I find that this set up does really well. With a price tag at $350, do you think it’s worth it in my situation to upgrade to a C15? What additional benefits do I gain from it that I don’t already have?

– Scott

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Huy

1) When using a hold-down clamp to prevent wood movement -for example on the Incra 5000 crosscut sled, I find that often the wood moves veers slightly as I tighten the knob to hold the clamp against the workpiece. Have you experienced the same? If so, how do you deal with it? Would adding some sandpaper to the bed of the jig potentially create other accuracy issues, you think? Great podcast – thanks for all the information! – Tim in North Carolina

2) What tool or machine do you use for something it’s not necessarily  intended for? ( I wanna hear more than I use every tool as a hammer haha.) For example:  buiscuit joiners are intended to align two boards but people also use them to make slots for Z clips. Or table saws to make cove cuts instead of a shaper. Etc. ) I’m curious to hear if you guys have any neat tricks up your sleeve?  As always love the podcast and keep up the great work.

 Nick

Sean

1)With increasingly limited space in my workshop, how do you decide what scraps to get rid of, and which to keep?  Mark

2) I really hope all has been well with you all. It has been a while since I have wasted your time with a question for the podcast. I mean, come on, we all know how the answers that were getting from this podcast are as spot on as much as the MSRP of a new car. Anywho, I was wondering if any of you use your woodworking tools for other materials other than wood. I have always been weary of using my table saw or bandsaw and such for cutting things like acrylic or even aluminum sheets. Since I have made the router sleds I have found myself more and more using my woodworking equipment to cut those two materials in particular. Now, I do not use my expensive woodworking blades for this purpose but I was just curious if any of you have used your equipment for different materials.
Thanks a bunch for wasting your time to keep my interests peaked just enough to listen to every episode in hopes that one day I’ll learn something.
Brent Jarvis
Clean Cut Woodworking

Guy

1) I have a makita corded track saw that I’ve had for about 4 years. I don’t have a table saw, so the track saw is probably my most used power tool, and I’m really relying on it to give me straight, finished cuts I can reference from.

Recently I was cutting some Baltic birch for a jig where squareness of the panels is critical, so I was checking every cut afterwards. I found that my track saw was not cutting straight. I haven’t put A ruler to it, but it might be 1/64 or maybe 1/32 out over 4 feet.

I took everything apart, cleaned sawdust out of every nook, cleaned the grippy strips on the track, cleaned and waxed the top of the track, cleaned the blade, tightened the track snuggers. I checked the back edge of the track against my straight edge, and that appears straight.

Do you guys have any suggestions? The blade I have on it is more than 2 years old, so I ordered a new one. if that doesn’t help, I can reach out to makita about how to check and adjust the blade for squareness relative to the track slot on the saw base. If none of that works, I’ll probably order a 55 inch festool guide rail (Amazon reviews say they work interchangeably with the Makita saw).

Anyway, I find this very frustrating, but I’m glad to have a reason to write in! I love the show, thank you all! – Jonathan

2) I am going to be making a 72”w x 14”h x 14”d credenza with a mitered waterfall edge out of walnut with a finished thickness of 3/4”. (All four corners mitered) There will be 3-4 drawers in it.  My initial thoughts were to do it out of solid wood but I am now wondering if using walnut plywood would be a better choice as it is more stable than solid wood. I plan to use a domino to join my edges but not really sure how to account for wood movement on a large mitered box. 

Love the podcast and have learned a lot from you guys, please keep it coming!

Lindsey

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Sean

1)It seems that no matter what I try its hard to make great mitre cuts.  I have a sawstop with a Osborne mitre gauge,  an older radial arm saw (70’s craftsman) that I’ve tried the broken fence technique on and I seem to still have trouble with mitres.  I do all kids of woodworking from segmented bowls (though rarely) to picture frames to simpler miters.  It always seems to have issues.  Is the solution the Kapex? if its really amazing (as the domino is) I’ll spend the money but is there a better less costly solution?  You guys are awesome!

thanks,

Dan

2) My question is concerning marking gauges, a lot of suggested beginners kits include some sort of marking gauge. When watching youtube very rarely do you see a marking gauge, and even more rare is someone that is putting one to use. While I understand what a marking gauge is and how it functions, i don’t see a place it in my workflow. Do you, gentlemen use marking gauges commonly in your workflow, and if you do when do you use them?

As a related question, do you guys use marking knives? I understand marking knives will give you more accurate results but again rarely do you see YouTubers using marking knives.

-Jim

Guy

1) Gentlemen I greatly enjoy your podcast.  I have a question about stain.  I just finished a large dining table and like most other projects I’m very disappointed in how the finish turned out.  The table is red oak and I stained it a medium brown followed by three coats of General Finish   Armor Seal Satin    .   I don’t go cheap on stain, I forget the brand of stain but it was $35 per quart and was custom mixed at my lumber supplier.  Is there any tricks that you guys can recommend to get a more even end product?  The top is six boards that are different grain patterns so maybe I’m expecting too much.

Also Guy I heard your comment a few episodes back about only using pipe clamps and kind of snickered but in gluing up this table top which is 7’ x 42” my Besseys couldn’t begin to compare with the old reliable pipe clamps.  I used dominoes for alignment purposes and it took a pretty good squeeze to pull everything together.  I’m a believer. -Tom

2) Hello again (you said you needed questions so submitting a second today)

Like most woodworkers, I started out with pre-milled lumber at mostly 3/4 inch. Once I got a planer, I found myself often planing lumber down for aesthetic reasons. I make mostly smaller projects, and 3/4 is just too thick for my tastes.

My question is, beyond looks, when do you worry about thickness choice? Is there a weight determiner, length of boards, etc. Ever made a mistake and went too thin to suffer later?

As a slight followup, do you ever purposely buy thicker material with the anticipation of re-sawing over planing down (like from 3/4 to 1/2″) and just wasting material?

Peter       

Huy

1) Hey guys, love listening to the podcast and was hoping you could help me out with a problem I ran into. I put a nice new glue line saw blade on my table saw and when I went to switch out the blade to my multi purpose, I physically can’t get the blade off the arbor. It is not the arbor nut, that was removed easily, it is the blade itself that is stuck on the arbor. Has this ever happened to any of you and what would be your solution. I have been thinking about heating up the blade to expand it off the arbor but wanted to see if you had any other options. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for the awesome podcast!! Seanvella designs

2) Hey guys, Have any of you taken a chance on wood species that are uncommon both in wood working and lumber yards. Their are many local species in my area (north Arkansas) that I could get, but wonder if people don’t use them because there garbage or their just not good for commercial sales. Some of the trees are black gum, Osage, paw paw, pecan, cotton wood, dogwood

 Tyler

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Sean

1) Second question: This question is for Sean, mostly. I’m getting ready to make a blanket chest with frame-and-panel front, sides, and back, out of cherry and walnut, but the recipient wants the wood from a single source. So for the first time I’ll be making the internal panels out of resawn cherry rather than plywood. I remember that you said you had a problem with trapped hardwood panels in a set of end tables (I think?) you made for your parents a while back. I can’t quite find the episode, but I was wondering what how you would go about doing hardwood panels for a frame-and-panel cabinet now — what would you do differently to keep the wood movement under control? Any tips for making thinner, 1/2 inch panels in general? Thank you all — I love supporting such a great conversation.
Adam

2) Hi guys! Another quick question – I’m making a small table and the base will be ash, ebonized with India ink. What would be a good choice for topcoat over the India ink? I was thinking of using a water-based poly, but it seems to “reactivate” the ink. Maybe shellac would be fine? Thanks!!
Dan

Huy

1)I was recently setting up to rip 60 facets to create a hexagonal column that is 1.5 inches across the flats. I have a right tilting arbor on my table saw. With my rip fence on the right side of the blade the blade tilts toward the fence. This would mean the top facet would be cut with that geometry and the the work piece would be pinched against the fence. I could move the fence to the other side which would allow me to cut the bottom facet and the work piece would not be pinched against the fence. I have never ripped on the left side of my blade. I ultimately decided to do this on the bandsaw which worked fine.
 
This brought up the question as to which is the preferred tilt direction for the table saw? Do we need one of each or is one direction more useful than the other. I would like to know your thoughts about this.
 
Thanks,
 
Dave Pollatta
Ontario, New York

2) I rarely hear mention of woods like Cumaru and Ipe for exterior use in articles, podcast or see it used by woodworkers I follow on social media, is there a reason? Weight and hardness Im sure factor into the decision as they can be difficult to work, but are they still worth a mention?

Guy

1) Question: I prefer 3/16” solid wood edge banding over the veneer, have to ask your opinion?
Harder to install, but better I think. Glenn

2) Hey guys! First off, I have to say, glad to have fellow metalheads in the woodworking community! I wanted to follow up on something good ole’ Guy said a while back about how he makes his own Danish Oil.
Poly, BLO, and…. Naphtha? The Naphtha threw me for a loop seeing as how every YouTube video says to use Mineral Spirits. Well, I gave it a side-by-side test and yep, I liked Naphtha better! Good call!
So, my question is, what other chemical tricks do you guys have up your sleeve? Anything out of the ordinary novice woodworkers may not know? I pretty much have one of each and only a little used from each. So I’m looking for inspiration!
And lastly, we all hear the combustible chemicals need to be stored in a metal cabinet. Why? It’d have to cram in next to all my other wooden shop cabinets anyway.
Keep up the great work!
Paul