Category: Podcast Episodes

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Guys Questions:

1) Hey guys keep up the good work on the podcast. My question is regarding grain fillers. Have you ever used these on open grain species such as oak to get a smooth finish? I have an oak bar table I’m in the process of making and was contemplating using this after a waterbased dye and before a finish coat of waterlox.
Thanks, Jesse

2) I find the vacuum bag to be more than just a clamp for veneer. I want one and would like to know what I should be looking for when considering a purchase. -sergeantmaker

Seans Questions:

1) How much scrap is too much? I like to hold onto smaller pieces I can make into wedges, bow ties, etc….but when is enough truly enough? Are there certain pieces you’ll keep, more rare species of wood? Or is it straight to the kindling pile? Winter wolf woodworking

2) Good morning Guy, Huy, and Sean. I had a question on tool brands. I get asked all the time from my peers in the community what brand of tool is better than another. My general answer to all of them is usually the same every time. Within the budget you’re looking to spend there are usually a few different brands. Within those price points, all of these tools are going to perform basically at the same level and have the same features. The best thing you can do is go put your hands on it, feel the tool, see how it works and if it’s a good fit for you. My question to you all is when you are looking for a new tool no matter hand tool or power tool is a particular brand one of the first things you look for or do you go after that budget point versus quality and functionality? Thank you for your time and please keep up the absolutely wonderful work y’all are doing on the podcast and your shops!

Thanks,
Brent Jarvis
Clean Cut Woodworking

Huys Questions:

1)  I have a couple questions about lumber storage. This would be for dried lumber. Do you store it horizontally with stickers, horizontal without stickers, or can you store it vertical? For longer lumber, it may be more efficient to store it vertically. What do you guys do? David

2) I was wondering if any of you use specialty chisels in your work. Fishtail or skew chisels for example. Do you have multiple sets? Mortise, dovetail, paring, etc. Keep up the good work. Joshua Messick

Our Social Media Picks:

Guy: @nickjamesdesign

Sean: @jonathanscott_woodcrafts

Huy: @alcornwoodworking

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife

Guys Questions:

1) I’m interested to know, before youtube and Instagram, who inspired you? -ralphbrackney

2) Is there any issue with the combo machines having a shorter bed length for the planer aspect? – Brent

Seans Questions:

1) What is your biggest screw up/mistake on a project and what did you do to fix, cover up or a notable screw up with a clever fix. Not the worst but you got creative with the fix.
-R2 Woodworking.

2) I just wanted to say thank you guys for sharing your wealth of knowledge on the subject of woodworking. I work as a law enforcement officer and listening to your podcasts on my way home from work help me not only unwind but expand my understanding of the craft.

I am a hobbyist who is just getting into woodworking and was curious if you guys could point me in the right direction of specific written literature so I can really nail down the basics before moving on to more complex tasks.

Thanks again,

Luke

Huys Questions:

1)Regarding thin kerf blades – seems like you guys didn’t like them? I bought a “Freud” thin kerf ripping blade for my underpowered Delta from Lowes. That Freud thin kerf completed changed my saw for the better. Huge difference. Anyway were you guys worried about flex or something with the thin kerf? I didn’t understand. – JJ

2) Years ago, before I really got into woodworking, I painted some cheap 1/4” plywood for a project. I only painted one side and over (very little) time the pieces curled up like taco shells. Since then, I have always finished both sides of the plywood. I am currently making a shelving unit that will be wedged into a corner. I am using 3/4” blondewood ply from the big box stores. The backside of the shelving unit will never be seen. On plywood this thick, do I still need to keep painting both sides? If so, does it need an equal number of coats on both sides? – Hunter Robinson

Books mentioned:

Essential Joinery

Illustrated Cabinetmaking

The Why and How of Woodworking

The Anarchist’s Tool Chest

Understanding Wood

The Complete Illustrated Guide To Joinery

Our Social Media Picks:

Guy: @tim_noone_furnituredesign

Sean: @haltaylor_rocks

Huy: @bbumslife

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife

Guys Questions:

1) A follow-up question that may get Guy going:

I’m currently upgrading my 3hp sawstop pcs 52 inch because I’m moving states and gifting it to my father.

Originally, my thoughts were to go right to the 5HP Sawstop ICS without much consideration for other saws. I do like the safety feature just as an insurance Policy because you never know – we all do stupid things from time to time. Can you speak on times where the sawstop does not operate as intended and fails to save the injury and other saws that may be better but do not include the technology? I am typically pretty careful.
-Ray

2) I emailed a little while ago to ask about MFT tops and all I have found premade so far are MDF tops for the MFT. BUT I found these tops and benches by Armor tools. https://armor-tool.com/products/woodworking/workstations/benches/

It is a butcher block top and has 3/4 inch holes. I do use Festool sanders, a router, and track saw but is there any reason that using a 3/4 inch dog hole top would be inferior to the 20mm top Festool uses? I know the Festool dog hole devices will not work but there are lots of 3/4 inch accessories. If the dog holes are aligned correctly I can bump the Festool track against the dogs to line up cuts. Am I missing a downside?

The armor tool top is $200-250 but seems more sturdy than the MDF.

Lamar

Sean’s Questions:

1) Hey guys. Love the podcast as always. Please keep it up! I have a quick question about finishing. I know you covered this topic but I’m curious about protection from water marks.

I had a client recently that wanted a long desk for her children out of walnut. I explained that water in wood or wood finish is never a good idea. (Leaving standing water, cups rings, etc) is there a finish out there( besides epoxy) that will withstand this water. I am also wondering about hot items. I’ve noticed some finishes(lacquer) will leave a ring if you put a hot cup on it. Are there finishes that won’t fail with either of these issues? Thanks so much.

Ryan Wilging

2) Hey guys,

Love the show, definitely one of the best Woodworking podcasts out there.

I’m going to build a 2 car garage (approx. 24’x30’) for use as my new shop. I’m a hobbyist woodworker, mostly a couple of hours here and there nights and weekends. If you were building a new shop from the ground up, what features and considerations would you recommend?

Thanks, Ron

Huys Questions:

1) My question is regarding Baileigh Industrial tools. I currently own an 8″ Baileigh jointer (IJ-875) and really like it. I’ve been contemplating purchasing a free standing router table and possibly a cyclone style dust collector. My current shop is outfitted nicely with good tools i.e. Powermatic planer, drum sander and mortiser, Sawstop TS, Laguna bandsaw, etc but I’m wondering if any of you have experience with Baileigh and what your opinion is of them. I find their prices are slightly less than say Powermatic and other top brands so it makes sense to consider them only if they’re a trusted brand. I don’t see or hear much about them and all I have to go on is the jointer I have. I will say their manuals leave a lot to be desired. Thanks for any input! Michael

2) Huy, how is the baby? My wife and I had our first not long after you, he is a 4-month-old little boy now – The work life/home life balance came relatively easy, but I’m having trouble adding in shop time especially during the week – if I only have between 5 and 9 with the family how do I justify spending a quarter of that time fooling around in the shop? Or am I now destined to be a weekend warrior? Oh, actual question, how is Huy handling it? Matterhorn woodworks

Our Social Picks:

Sean: @CTFineFurniture

Guy: @prusawoodworks

Huy: Kevin0611

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife

Guys Questions:

1) What’s your least favorite wood species to work with and why? Eric

2) Thank you for all the great content and for coming together to create this podcast. I’ve learned a lot from all three of you over the last few years. Here’s my question:

I live near the coast in North Florida which is a very warm and humid climate. Huy, I know you live in Alabama, so maybe you can relate to this. My shop is climate controlled in that it has central A/C, but it’s an old building and the humidity level varies greatly throughout the year. I don’t have local access to a lot of hardwood lumber, but what I can get is typically kiln dried and stored in non climate controlled environments before I get my hands on it. It seems like invariably the lumber I get warps in some way, almost regardless of how long I let it sit before milling it and the moves again after I mill it. I know this is common, but I think the amount of movement I’m seeing is not what you’d see in a climate with more moderate humidity, but maybe I’m wrong. The exception to this is a batch of air dried cherry that I picked up from someone that had been drying for about 20 years. Given that I don’t want to wait 20 years before starting each project, is there anything I can do to reduce the amount of movement I’m seeing in my lumber and can you talk a little bit about techniques you might employ if the wood does move so that it’s not just all wasted. For example; alternating cups and bows when gluing a panel together so that they kind of cancel each other out.

Thanks again for your willingness to share your experiences with the community.

Dave

Seans Questions:

1) Seeing other woodworkers invest into the community is awesome, I appreciate that you guys are doing your part to keep our craft alive.

I have a question for you guys.

I have found in many cases its easier to break out a hand tool, than to set up an operation using power tools. In what cases will you choose a hand tool over a power tool, and why? Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

regards,
Mike Miller
MillerWoodcraft

2) My wife and I recently bought our first house and are looking to freshen up the kitchen. Looking to do a painted finish but I am trying to weigh the pros and cons of refinishing what we have or purchasing new cabinets. The current cabinets are solid oak boxes with MDF doors with veneered front, original to the house. Originally I was going to build new shaker style doors and then paint everything to match. However, after doing some test doors on the router table with tongue and groove bit, I am not feeling so confident(novice woodworker) with that and also the amount of work involved to remove the finish and repaint all the boxes as well. Given all that, it seems easier or more cost and time effective to buy new cabinets that I can finish myself or possibly pre-finished in the color we want. Any insight or advice you guys could provide would be very beneficial. Thank you in advance and absolutely love the podcast! Andy

Huys Questions:

1) Question – I have a Delta 28-243 14″ bandsaw with a riser block kit that I’ve been slowly upgrading. I’ve put new wheel bearings and urethane tires on. Next step I’m thinking about is ordering the Carter wheel guides instead of using cooling blocks. They are spendy, so do you think it’s worth the upgrade? Thanks, love the show!

-Larry

2) Hey gents, love the podcast here is a question/show topic for you. What are your top 5 productivity techniques when building furniture? I’m sure there a ton of juicy nuggets in there that can help a ton of people including myself. I’m running a furniture business on the side and I’m trying to get faster while increasing/maintaining my quality. Thanks guys, Brad

Our Social Picks:

Sean YouTube pick: Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restoration

Huy: @willowswoodworks

Guy: @tektonguild

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife

Guys Questions:

1) Hello Guy, Sean, and Huy – I am about to begin making two solid walnut dressers and I would love to hear your input on web frames. I’ve seen a few methods for attaching them to the casework, such as sliding dovetails, shallow dado grooves with the frames glued at the front of the case and floating in the back, and screws with elongated slots to allow for the casework to expand independently of the web frames. One of the dressers will have two columns of three drawers with a vertical center divider in the middle, and the other is five drawers high. Each case will be 18” deep with dovetails as the joinery. How would you guys go about attaching the web frames? Thank you for all of the invaluable work and education you continue to put into the woodworking community! Gregory Raiewski

2) What is the piece you’ve built that you are most proud of? Eric

Seans Questions: 

1) I’ve actually had several questions over the last few weeks but never got around to sending them. I’m wondering what your thoughts are on using 1 runner vs 2 on a table saw sled. Thanks, Brian

2) Can you talk about the potential disadvantages of putting the right side of your table saw up against a wall? I have a 52” sawstop and want to maximize shop space, as I work out of a 2 car garage that is about 500 square feet. – Ray

Huys Questions:

1) Absolutely love the podcast! Y’all have some great information and I’d like to thank you for taking time out of your lives to share your knowledge with others! 
I had a question about how you go about choosing a finish for a piece you’re going to build. At what point do you figure out exactly what finish you’re going to use? A side question to this would be how would you know when to use a dye or pigment rather than a stain or a particular type of oil on that project? I have seemed to “struggle” in a sense on narrowing down exactly what route to take for a finish to give my builds the best finish for color and longevity. Just would like to hear what your input would be on this topic. Thank you again for the wonderful shop talk podcast. Keep up the great work!

Clean cut woodworking

2) Hey Guys, I’ve got a question for the podcast that I’ve never heard anyone address. Is it worth it to invest in high-dollar drill bits?

As a hobbyist on a tight budget, I generally get new bits at the box store, but sometimes I can look at them while they are spinning, and tell that they are not spinning straight. They seem to do the job, but I always wondered if having better bits (or possibly a better drill, I guess) is worth the money?

Thanks, and love the great show format.

Sincerely,

Scott A.
Jackson, TN

Our Instagram Picks

Sean: @Kyllesebree

Guy: @crosscutvintagedesigns

Huy: @w_squared2