Author: woodshoplifepodcast

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Guy’s Questions

1: I am making a table top that is 7feet long and I needed to joint the edge of the boards. I have a 6 inch jointer and the total bed length is 46 inches long. After jointing the edge of the boards and placing them next to each other I noticed that some of the jointed edges were concave over the 7 feet and the concave was much too large for a spring joint. To solve for this problem I put the boards together (face to face) then using my #6 flattens the sides. Although this worked, I would have preferred that the joints were not concave off of the jointer. Do you think the concave boards was caused by my technique or is my jointer just too small. If it’s the jointer, what size jointer would have eliminated this problem. I know an aircraft carrier would take care of the problem, but given I am a hobbies and have a budget what would you recommend? Mike

2: I would like to hear your thoughts on sliding table saws vs traditional cabinet saws and if any of you have experience with one. Most online posts (in the US) consider these saws as industrial and/or for production shops working with sheet goods only and not for making furniture. 

I have been comparing the PM2000B and the Hammer K3 Winner. I’m aware there is a huge price difference between the two saws $3400 vs $5800 and that a slider needs more floor space to accommodate the outrigger. Neither of them is a Saw Stop so I will probably die shortly after cutting my first board #YOLO

In short, if you had the money and space would this be a saw you would consider? Oscar

Sean’s Questions

1: Hey guys! I have a question regarding dust collection. Ever since I started getting serious about it, it feels like a never ending spiral for the quest of a “dust-free” shop. Is such a thing possible? Where is the line that you mark as “good enough”? Do you have a daily clean up routine that helps with this? My shop is an attached two car garage, and my wife would love for me to stop dragging sawdust into the house! Thanks guys, love the show and keep up the great content! Antoine

2: I have been practicing with shellac on shop furniture. I have been using premixed off the shelf stuff. I am not getting a smooth finish. I have used both a cloth and a foam brush.  I am thinking that it is the wrong viscosity and I would be better off mixing my own. Can you talk about how you mix shellac? Rick

Huy’s Questions

1: I have a 3hp 15″ planer. The question is when should I be concerned about changing the gearbox oil and other deep maintenance (besides waxing and blade changes)? I just purchased a Grizzly knockoff that was manufactured in 2003 and never plugged in. I’ve ran about a hundred board feet through it so far. Besides some rust, it runs perfectly. I think it needs new belts, but wondered if I should go deeper with the maintenance? Thanks, Dave with Matter of Fractions

2: How much glue should you use on glue ups? I typically put too much I think and have a lot of squeeze out. I worry about a strong joint though. What amount is strong enough? A light film of glue, a little puddling, or flooded? Thanks Matt

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Guys Questions:

1: Hey guys, this podcast has quickly become my favorite – appreciate the time put in.

Can you speak a bit on wide belt sanders (with a platen head) versus drum sanders? How important are they versus convenient?

I currently own the Powermatic 5HP Open End Belt Sander. I like it a lot, but often run into issues dialing it in and recently have discovered the feed table is not totally coplaner with the platen.

Was thinking about selling and either (a) buying a different machine or (b) exchanging if a widebelt is that advantageous – maybe I just got a bad machine. -Ray

2: I am researching efficient methods for breaking down sheets of plywood for shop cabinets, and I am trying to avoid splintering the outer layer and achieving square cuts. I do not own a tracksaw but do own a tablesaw, miter saw, and circular saw with combination blades. What do you guys recommend for most effective methods at a decent cost point? What style of saw blade, TPI, and brand of blade do you recommend? Or do I run out and get a tracksaw or keep it as simple as blue painters tape to hold the layer? And what variables should I think about regarding the plywood selection itself? Thank you much for the input! Keep up the great podcast. James

Sean’s Questions

1:I am designing a small cabinet with frame and panel doors. I want there to be a small chamfer (less than 1/8″) on the inside edge of the frame. How do I cut it? On the rail I can just use my block plane or run it along a chamfer bit on the router table but on the stile? The chamfer would have to stop exactly where it meets the rail. Do I cut it partially with the router and finish it off with a chisel after assembly? Or should I cut it after assembly with a bearing guided chamfer bit? That would still leave the inside corners unfinished, though..

Any input would be appreciated. Keep up the great work!
Jarmo from Germany

2:Hey guys, great podcast. I have a question about how to determine what wood thickness to use for a project. I’m making a console table out of soft maple. I was planning for the shelves to be 1-inch after milling, but couldn’t find any 5/4 or 6/4 maple boards, so I ended up getting some nice 8/4 boards. If I mill these 8/4 boards down to 1-inch thick though, it seems like a waste of wood (I don’t have a bandsaw so can’t re-saw them into thinner boards). So I was thinking maybe I’d make the shelves 1.5 inches thick, but that would make the table a lot heavier. What are the pros and cons to using thicker versus thinner woods (thinking about weight, wasted wood, joinery, etc)? For reference, I’m going to use tongue and groove joinery to joint the boards and dados to attach the shelves to the legs.

Thanks and keep up the good work! -Billy

Huy’s Questions:

1: Hey Guys! Great job with the podcast, learning so much! Wanted to get Huy’s feedback on the new table saw blade he got, the woodworker 2 clone. Keep crushing it! -Wood.by.nate

2: Here’s my question, I woodwork out of my two car garage and I’m looking to get more serious and take my woodworking to the next level, but living in mid-Michigan, I run into high humidity and temps in the summer that make working in the garage unbearable. The garage has no windows but does share a wall with the house and my master bedroom is over the garage. I’ve considered installing a dehumidifier and swapping out the two basic lights in the garage for ceiling fans. What are your thoughts on this solution? How do you guys keep your shop comfortable when your working in the hot summer? Thanks in advance for the help. -Jason

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Guys:

1) What do you guys use for air filtration and what are the aspects you considered when picking the system you use? Can a box fan with an air filter be a reasonable option?

2) I want to make a white oak chess table but have never done veneer work before. At first I thought I could make it out of solid wood but I now realise that won’t be possible due to wood movement. 

I don’t own a re-saw capacity bandsaw, a vacuum press or drum sander so not sure where to start. I assume store bought veneer. No idea where to go from there. 

Thanks so much. Love the podcast! -Tanc

Sean’s:

1)Wanted to see about how y’all manage your machines maintenance wise. Do you have a schedule for doing certain maintenance or just do it as needed? This includes things like rigging them, cleaning them, and lubing the moving parts. Second part is what type of dry lubricant would you recommend for the moving parts like the table saw lift and tilt mechanism? 

Thanks,

Brent Jarvis

Clean Cut Woodworking

2) Hey Guys, love the podcast. My question is about completing smaller projects versus bigger, more time consuming projects. As I’ve progressed in this hobby I am enjoying the nicer longer more involved projects but was curious how you balance this in your own shop. -Brad

Huy’s:

1)I plan to redo my kitchen cabinets and make shop cabinets so the shaper will be useful but I find it’s not as user friendly as a router table seems to be. Which do you prefer assuming you can only have 1 in the shop. -Ryan

2) Hi guys. I love the podcast. I strangely found out about you all through Dan Harmon’s (creator of Rick and Morty) instagram. He’s recently started woodworking and was listening to you all in one of his stories. Getting back to my question. I want to start veneering a bit more and need a vacuum bag system. What should I get? I have no set budget for this. I just want something that works. Thanks for the advise! Jonathan Stier

Links mentioned during podcast:

Jay Bates Air Cleaner Cart: https://jayscustomcreations.com/2016/05/mobile-air-cleaner-cart/

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Guys 

1) Hi guys. I have a question for the podcast. I recently made a miter station out of some 3/4 birch plywood. Originally thought I wasn’t going to apply any finish but have decided I would like to mostly for protection of the work surfaces and also for aesthetics. Would it be a bad idea to apply a water based poly to only the visible table top and drawer fronts and skip the inside of the cabinet? On a normal furniture project I know it would be best to finish all surfaces, but wondering if this would be passable for shop furniture. Thanks! John

2) Hi guys, your podcast is brilliant, thank you all.

I am a hobbyist woodworker only, I started after I found out about French cleats when searching shed storage projects. In an earlier podcast Guy talks about the benefits of buying a piece of equipment against fussing about making it when time can be spent better using the tool rather than making it, in my case a crosscut sled which took me a fair bit of time and after finally giving up on the 5 cut method and fixing the fence with a framing square only to find the sled binds so I cut it in half and now have a right and left handed sled, I really would like to buy the Incra mitre gauge and watch many operations where it is used straight on the table saw without a sled, so my question is ‘is a crosscut sled necessary or beneficial “

Thanks for your time -Geoff

Sean’s 

1) Hey fellas. I don’t currently have any milling tools. I’ve seen bench top jointers in my research but don’t really hear about or see them in the YouTube or Instagram community. Those are the jointer currently in my budget, am I better off saving up for a big boy jointer or would this get me rolling albeit with smaller projects? Appreciate any and all advice. -Trevor

2) So question for the podcast; what do you think about verical/horizontal lumber storage like this (Shows picture of hotizontal lumber rack with boards laying on their edges/sides instead of laying face down)? I can’t store a lot of lumber vertical as my ceilings aren’t that tall and all my cutoffs are not that long so this was a hybrid solution I thought up but it sounds like a few others have had the same thought. Food for thought?

Huy’s

1) Hello everyone, really enjoy the podcast and learn new things every show!  I have a question on how to deal with harmful fumes from finishes, etc. My workshop is in my basement in a completely walled off room from the rest of the basement without any windows….When I have to finish a project I have to move it up into the garage but then I have to deal with dust and other factors that I can’t control since it is a garage.  I can control the environment in my shop but being a tad close to the furnace and or other open flame devices…..I really don’t want to blow up the house. I don’t mind drilling through the wall but I really can’t exceed 4″ diameter through the wall to vent to the outside. So do you have any ideas of what kind of fume extraction device exists for this purpose?

Thanks! Kalman

2) Calculating expansion. Is there an actual formula or do I just keep on making an educated guess based on my feelings for what a particular piece of wood might do. A good example to ponder. I recently built a 12 foot tall, solid wood paneled, sliding barn door for a Master Bedroom out of Alder. Each board is 6 inches tall by 30 inches wide and .5 inch thick. The boards are in a dado on both the rail and stile in the door frame. That is 144 inches of horizontal grain that will do what ever it is going to do. How would you calculate or estimate the vertical expansion? – Alex

Links mentioned in the podcast from Huy in regards to calculating wood movement:

How to Calculate Wood Shrinkage and Expansion