Category: Uncategorized

This Episodes Question:

Guy’s Questions:

Why hello gentlemen. I have a crazy question for you all. I am about to build a vanity for my bathroom out of poplar. I am leaning towards staining the vanity, but I don’t know what to put on the vanity to protect it from moisture. Do you guys have any suggestions? If so, it would be very helpful.
P.S. I am always looking forward to listening to show keep up the amazing advice
Thanks, Ethan Thompson !

Hi guys!
Alissa’s question from the your last episode spurred a question if my own. Alissa asked about homemade box joint jigs and the consensus seemed to be that making your own box joint jig is more trouble than it’s worth because of the precision required (down to a few thousandths if an inch) and because of wood movement.
I was wondering if you had any thoughts on using 3d printers for jig construction. My only experience with 3d printing was about 15 years ago when we got to use a primitive 3d printer in middle school woodshop class, so I don’t really know the capabilities of 3d printers today.
Do you guys think it would be beneficial or even possible to 3d print components to homemade jigs (anything from a miter bar to a complete jig)? It seems like 3d printing would give you more precision and no movement, unlike wood.
If it is possible, What jigs do you think would lend themselves best to bring 3d printed? Andrew

After hearing Guy mention Target coatings and Emtech finishes I signed up for their email. They had a nice year-end sale and I ended up ordering their Emtech spray kit which is the Fuji LX-20 and some accessories. I’m new to spray finishing. I’m lucky enough to have a large 80 gallon 5 HP compressor, so I have plenty of air.
I’d like to know Guy’s procedure for spraying small shellac projects. I’ve heard him mention he just whips out his spray gun and it’s a quick process. Do you lay down drop cloths? Do you do anything for ventilation – I know with solvent and oil finishes you’re supposed to, but I’m wondering if you bother if it’s a small piece. Do you have a fan setup to blow overspray away? I will, of course, wear an organic filter respirator for any spray finishing I do, whether water based or not. I haven’t purchased a respirator yet, any recommendations? Scott Goldthwaite

Huy’s Questions:

Hey guys, I’ve finally got caught up on all the podcasts and look forward to hearing the next one. I have a multiple part question here. I just got a commission on a 12 foot walnut bar and matching 8-10 foot table. My next purchase is going to be a jointer and I was wondering if a 74 or 76 inch bed jointer will be long enough or if I should just cut with my tracksaw and build a shooting board and joint everything with a hand plane? Also what would you use to dye and finish? Do you use pore filler to get a glass smooth surface or just let the finish take care of everything? Arntz Construction

Hello guys, I found your podcast a couple months ago and I’m hooked and really enjoy all the knowledge you share. I appreciate you guys taking your time to produce the podcast. My question is for my Rikon Benchtop Radial Drill Press (Model 30-140). I purchased this drill press a couple of years ago but have rarely used it mostly because of time constraints. But when I do use it, I have an issue with chuck runout. I’ve spent more time working on it then using it at this point. I checked the chuck spindle runout, and it is about .001 and once the chuck is installed, the chuck has .003 to .005 runout, with a new Fisch drill bit installed the runout on the drill bit shank varies .005 to .007 runout. Given the runout I have, I can’t get a decent hole when drilling anything. I’ve followed the instructions closely and cleaned all grease from the spindle and chuck and have reinstalled several times. I’ve tried several techniques of tightening the bit in the chuck which changed nothing. Is this a problem that is common, and do you have a recommendation to fix it, or can you recommend a better chuck? I’m considering purchasing a Grizzley Keyless chuck. Or should I sell this drill press and purchase a different one that would meet the needs of woodworking better? Thank you for your advice and keep up the great job on the podcast. Daniel Held, Fort Colllins, CO

Hey fellas. A buddy of mine asked me to replace some bad fence slats on his driveway gate. The boards are 1/2″ thick tongue and groove and look a lot like pine to me. I have a couple questions. First, do you think it’s safe to use pine to get the best match with the existing boards, or should I just go with redwood and hope that it blends in when the entire fence is restained? This gate is in Los Angeles, so we don’t get much moisture. My second question is regarding the design of the tongue and groove. They have a sharp “v” profile and don’t look like anything I’ve ever seen in the big box stores. (Photo attached). Have you guys seen this type of profile on a board before? Where would you recommend I try to source these replacement boards from? And do you have any recommendations for how I might go about milling up my own stock if I cannot find a match here in town. Thanks for all your advice. Matt Miller

This Episode’s Questions

Guy’s Questions

Hey, fellas. Great show. I’ve been listening for a couple of years, and have really elevated my game based on tips from y’all. Guy, thanks for the Incra TS/LS videos. I got the combo version when I moved my router table to the wing of my Sawstop. I really love it. I have a follow up question from the Feb 24 edition: Guy, you were pretty emphatic on your answer regarding connecting 2 Festool rails. I’m curious to know if your opinion was formed on the original style or the new version? If the former, have you had a chance to play with the new ones. I replaced my old set with the self-adjusting version and they seem rock-solid to me. I leave a small gap between the rails in case the rails aren’t exactly 90 degrees. I’m also careful when moving the joined rail from one sheet to another that I don’t torque the joint. Just wondering which version your judgement was associate with? Pat Engel

Hi guys! My name is Elisa and I’m new to woodworking. I have a few fairly straightforward projects under my belt including a crate topper to go on top of my dog’s crate, a few blanket ladders, and a mobile workbench with a spot for my Ryobi 8 1/4 table saw.
I’m working on box joints right now. I’ve watched a ton of videos and made a lot of sawdust trying to make a jig and have been unsuccessful. I’m using a single blade with a kerf of .0665 in but I can measure the blade and make several cuts and not get the same measurement between them all, so there’s one problem. I’m trying to set the spacing up to be 1/2 inch but I can’t seem to get it right. The distance I’m off is small but bringing my pin closer or further from the blade seems to change the width of the pins and the slots and I can’t see a correlation between the changes that would help me figure out how to correct it.
In addition to the Ryobi saw, I have been using a sled I made, digital calipers, clamps, a set of steel thickness gauges. I’m using a variety of test piece’s including 3/4 in plywood, 3/8 and 1/2 inch S4S poplar and pine. If it helps to know, I have a miter saw, jig saw, a trim router, a regular size router, cordless drill and driver and basic hand tools.
I’d appreciate any help you can offer and if you can recommend some really good YouTube videos!
Thanks! Elisa Gonzales

Hello all. I have a veneering question. I want to wrap a elliptical cylinder with walnut veneer. It measures 18” inches long and 16” tall with end radiuses that are 4” round. The cylinder is made with stacked mdf each layer is cut in the elliptical shape and stacked to my desired height. I don’t have a vacuum press. mdf is notorious for absorbing solvents and water. I’ve ruled out PSA backed veneer since this will be adhered to the cut edges of mdf and most likely would peel away. I am thinking maybe 2 coats of solvent based contact cement on the mdf and one coat on the veneer. I need an adhesive that will hold those radial ends. Do you think contact cement will be strong enough and if so good recomm ndations? Also should I seal the mdf before applying the adhesive? Maybe with shellac or WB poly. I’d say lacquer but concerned the solvent in the cement would have a negative effect on the lacquer seal coat. Veneer hammer? Jeff (Maker)

Huy’s Questions:

Gentlemen-
Sorry to not have rapped at ya in a while, winter is for snowboarding, and I tend to loose the plot in the shop. But whilst schussing down the slopes, I have been contemplating spring projects, namely, a bridge for my stream/river. The “slash” is because it is usually a stream, but two or three times a year gets very rowdy; the last time it washed the existing 16′ long bridge off its moorings 90º, so it now sits parallel to the stream instead of across it. This bridge was made of pressure treated 2×12’s, 4′ wide, heavy, and chained to pins in boulders, so the water has some force when she’s angry.
Instead of trying to lever and pulley the bridge back into place, let’s build a new one. You guys know I love black locust and it’s perfect for something like this with water and ground contact outside. But I want to get fancy, do an arch (which will also help with the bridge-washing-out issue). For something of this size how would you go about creating the curve? It needs to be at least 16′ long (flat length, arch will rise probably 2′ on a 20′ radius) so steam bending is out. Would you glue up a “panel” of 2x material and then cut the curves out of it (or maybe even just use one big slab), or make a big form and bent laminations? I figure I need to make 2 of these curved beams for the sides of the bridge, and I probably won’t paint it, just one more thing to keep up with.
This is one time where I probably won’t have already done the thing I am asking about by the time I hear your answer, so I wait with bated breath. @figurawoodwork out. Tom Figgity-Figura

Good morning from Okinawa, Japan

This one is for Guy mainly I think but hey open game on for Huy or Sean to wiegh in on things.
First Japan is not great on space. My shop is large and very disorganized. I run a side business making some regular wood working projects but mainly custom military plaques usign the 2.5 D carving made possible by the yeti and shapeoko cnc. Almost went full time but my own disorginzation, project management, and efficency made things difficult. I havet really been set up to best handle slabs of local woods that I started useing mainly in my prjects.
slab milling to directional lumber
shop layout
spot one
10 by 12 tin can shed
yeti smart bench 4×8 cnc
spot two (next to the shed)
Kreg bench 44×64 table holding a Shapeoko XXL
12 ft miter station (6/8 ft for miter last part open for bench sanders and grinders.)
Router table (wood peckers premium)
Dewalt 745 table saw on a small cart
12 x 20 co2 laser mounted on a cart (36 x 28 cart)
questions
I am trying to save space and be more efficent. Have a chance to pick up a used Grizzly 10 inch table saw and new Laguna 14BX (I am 6’5 and i remember Guy saying the saw is low. but its the best band saw I can find out here)
Most of my work is taking slabs and turning them into lumber for projects. Guy mentioned he would give up a table saw before a band saw. I can only find a laguana 14 BX in my area from a local online retailer which has a flesmy feence. So would anyone pass the table saw for geting more shop space or buy both and make it work?
second question, (using google chrome it will translate the pages to english)
Kerv https://www.off.co.jp/category/A02B10/T_3114.html
Laguna https://www.off.co.jp/category/A02B10/T_3820.html
Otoro https://www.off.co.jp/category/A02B10/AA2014.html
These band saws do not have a solid fence clamping to both sides of the table for better resawing and straight cuts. Is there a after market feence that could be used, similar to the incra fence Guy pointed out in the recent episode?
future plans
tool buying. Would include a 100 watt co2 laser with 24 by 36 working space(foot print roughly 64 by 48 inches). Selling the old co2 laser and shapeoko to make room, moving the 4 x 8 cnc to the outside for keeping the shed a clean engraving and finishing area.
Tried to support the show but your button is not working 🙁

Hey Guys,
Every so often I have a great excuse to buy a new tool (usually a valid reason for my wife).
What tool(s) have you bought that you found more or less useful than you anticipated?
Thanks Chuck Lovelady

This episodes Questions

Guy’s Questions:

Hi guys, I’m current up to episode 43 of the podcast and can’t get enough. During this episode you discussed the merits of having a radial arm saw in your shop, or lack thereof in todays workflow. This got me thinking and I wanted to ask: what other tools are you aware of that were once used in woodshops that are no longer in general practice? I’m not talking about rocks and flints from the Stone Age, but rather anything in the past 60 or so years that have gone out of vogue. I can’t wait to hear Guys comments on my use of the word “vogue”. Hope you are well, and thanks again! Jarrett

Gentlemen,
Thanks for your thoughtful responses to my questions and observations.
This might be a potential topic: Do you think youtube and maker communities have created a renaissance for encouraging young people to get into wood working as a hobby or a profession?
I watched some amazing videos of young people making incredibly complicated turnings (among other things).
Thanks again. Chuck Have a great day.

Hi guys,
I love your podcast and have listened to every episode. I spend a lot of time on the road and have listened to many woodworking podcasts, yours is by far the best. I especially admire the work you do at “Purposeful Design “
I’m from Montreal and started woodworking as a hobby 5 years ago. I have 3 kids (9 & 2×6) and I only have limited hours/week of shop time. Additionally, I’m quite sensitive to sawdust…
I have a wall mounted 1hp dust collector with a dust separator and a 1 micron filter bag.
What is your opinion on bypassing the filter bag and venting outside?
Thank you for your contribution to the woodworking community,
Many blessings. Mike

Huy’s Questions:

I think that my next tool purchase might be for a tracksaw-like guide for a circular saw or something similar. We sometimes run into situations where we need to rip a straight line. This would actually be more for ‘carpentry’ applications than fine ‘woodworking’. Things like ripping a long 2×6 or 2×8 at an angle, or rip a sheet of plywood in the field (so portability and reasonable durability would be important).
Whatever we buy would be used by a lot of different guys and we’d keep it in our shared workshop. Most of the guys have Dewalt circular saws but several guys have other brands (Milwaukee, Ridgid, etc.). So the track would have to be adjustable for the bases of the various saws. I’ve spent zero time investigating this. Thought I’d start here. Any recommendations?

• Mark

Hello everyone, I was wondering if you could help me with figuring out a process for flattening double angled barstool legs in my shop. Last fall I was commissioned to build a set of saddle barstools for a client. The legs from front and back have a 5 degree angle on them, while the view from the sides had a 6.5 degree angle. I tried running them through my table saw (on the front and back sides) on a cross cut sled but this still produced some wobble from the 6.5 degree sides. I wound up just taking some adhesive backed sandpaper and sticking it on the flattest spot in my shop (my tablesaw) and sanding down for multiple hours. Do you know of anything that I can build or use that wont take the hours of sanding like I did for any future commissions.
Thanks, Paul Genereux (Twin Lake Woodshop)

Hey guys, I have a question around piston fit drawers and their longevity and overall use. I know they are a sign of the highest craftsmanship but how well do they hold up? In the summer will everything swell and the drawers will stick? If you ever moved how would that affect the piece? I don’t have an exact project in mind but debating the idea of trying my hand at this in my next build.
So when would you use piston fit for drawers over soft close mechanism, wooden runners ect? Is the juice worth the squeeze?
Thanks, Jesse

Brians questions:

Gentlemen,

Thank you all for the time, effort, and expertise you put into the show.  As many listeners have said before, it really is the best woodworking podcast out there!
As a beginning woodworker, I am curious about what projects you have done that helped you learn new skills or refine key foundational skills to progress along your woodworking journey?  Perhaps there are some “benchmark projects” that take a woodworker from sloppy beginner to capable amateur and beyond towards fine craftsmen?  Where do the common projects like a cutting board, a cabinet, a dining table or something else fall along that spectrum?
Thanks again for all you do in support of the woodworking community.
Kind regards,Evan

One of my close friends just had a baby. I wanted to make the new baby something, but I wasn’t sure what. I don’t have the time to make any piece of furniture, but I would like to make a little gift or two. Do any of you have ideas for small gifts that the baby could either use/play with, or something they could keep for a long time?Thanks Matthew

Hi all,
Hobbyist woodworker working out of his 1 1/2 car garage (it doesn’t quite fit two cars and I share it with house storage stuff). Mobility has been key for me when working. One thing I struggle with is that my garage floor is not level. There’s two different angles and it can be an issue at times. For example my small outfeed table can’t be level with my worksite table saw because at times they may not line up. My work bench is in a fixed location but can’t hold anything round as it might roll off if I have to use it.
Any advice for my workshop woes or any sort of leveling feet you might recommend? Since I move things around, leveling a tool or table each time I use it can be a pain. Lifting the end of the workbench doesn’t seem to create stability when I am hand planing wood or chiseling.
Thanks, Jose

Huy’s questions:

Hey all, love the podcast. Been listening for quite a while and always ready to take notes. 
 I have a bent lamination/ vaccum bag question. How do you handle epoxy squeeze out? Or any Glue for that matter? My last question is how long do I leave a bent lamination in the bag? Is there a rule of thumb? 
 I need a really rigid glue line for the tight 3in inside radius I am trying to achieve and think epoxy is my best bet. I’d rather not use urea resin. 
 I really appreciate the help. Casey the maker

Hey guys: I’m a loyal listener and am very grateful for all the great info you share. I have a finishing question for you. I make wood fishing nets for family and friends and might want to make a business of it. I have been using spar varnish as a finish which looks great but is a pain to apply (I brush it on), takes forever to dry and always seems to be a bit soft even when fully dry. Is there an alternate finish I could consider that would be easy to apply. I am willing to invest in a spray system to up my finish game so that’s not a limitation. Important to note is that I use walnut in all my nets. In episode 115 I learned that walnut will turn orange in the sun- something I didn’t know. So will the suggested finish have UV protection or will I need to dye the walnut to ensure it maintains it’s brown color after sitting on the bottom of a boat for many seasons. Thanks again for spending your precious time educating the less knowledgeable.
 Liam, Indianapolis

Hey Guy, and other guys. 
 How many pocket holes/Screws do you actually need? 
 I watch people on youtube building stuff with pocket holes and 9 times out of 10 I think to myself, “Surely that doesn’t need that many pocket holes.” I see guys building something like an end table or maybe a small piece of shop furniture and inevitably they use about 17 to 239 in this relatively small piece of wood and I just don’t understand it. Would love to hear the logic or what the general recommendation is. Jacob

Brian’s Questions:

Hey guys,

First of all, thanks for the most helpful woodworking podcast around! My question(s) revolve around a home library project. I’m planning on bookcases on all four walls of a small room and wondering how you’d approach that, specifically:
(1) what would you do about the inside corners of the room where two sets of bookcases come together? Just blank them off? Something else?
(2) as far as the cases themselves, for cost reasons, I’m planning to do 3/4 plywood carcasses close to 8’ high with one fixed shelf in the middle (Domino construction) and shelf pins for the rest of the shelves. How wide can I reasonably go without sag in the shelves? Is one fixed shelf enough for stability or do I need two, say? Do I need a plywood back on each case?
Any other general tips on a library project or this type?
Thanks! Mat

What tools you guys do regret to buy?
Marcello

Alright fellas first question from me. I finally got a Makita track saw and went for the full 110″. I’m going to tear down my old 2×4 oversized work bench and start over with a nice miter saw / work area cabinet wall.
My plan is to go about 30″ deep to accommodate my DeWalt sliding dual bevel giant miter saw while also giving me ample assembly area. Maybe an mft style work area on one side, maybe t tracks here and there.
I’m going to leave it a little open ended for you guys to play around with the idea. What would your dream work area like this include? No limits, all the bells and whistles. No one to tell you no.
Thanks for taking my question. Jim G.

Huy’s Questions:

Hi Guys,
Really enjoy the podcast and all the useful information. I wrote before about a walnut table I am making. I have a couple of questions. I looked at the walnut at the local lumber yard. Great selection but lumber is pretty expensive. Question 1: The lumber distributor has a great selection. For the table top should I spring for quarter sawn at roughly 1/3 more per board foot? Question 2: I am trying to bring some order to chaos in my shop and am considering some shop cabinets. a) should I consider casters? b) should I spend the extra to install side mount drawer slides or will homemade runners be good enough?
Thanks for your help and the great podcast.
-Scott

Good day guys..My question is probably primarily for Huy.
I am getting back into woodworking after a lengthy hiatus to a career that did not allow me the time. Now that I do have the time, I am diving right back in. I am a lifelong contract mechanical designer, and have been a SolidWorks user/license holder since 1999, dont do the math on how much that has depleted my bank account in the past 24 years, and I am no rocket scientist like Huy, I have only done work on 70 ton vehicles designed outside detroit.
SolidWorks is amazing, and I have designed many projects for my woodworking with it. However I feel it is a bit heavyweight on the design side for the projects I want to do. I want to be working in my shop, and not spending hours designing parts, making assemblies etc. Dont get me wrong, the end results are incredible on the design side, but design for my woodworking shoudlnt be 60% on SolidWorks and 40% on tools. Any suggestions for the best solution for this? I have not spent alot of time researching, but have looked into Fusion360 and other solutions but not greatly as I know there will a thought process change required.
I am just looking for something simple, quick and of course accurate. We live in a 3d world, and that is an important aspect for me.Thank you so much.
Kurtis, DutchMillWorks

Hey guys, Josh here, hope this is the right way to contact you all. My question is, what machine do you think you can get away with in order to produce the most projects? I was thinking a lathe for drinkware, baseball bats and so on depending on a mini, midi or full size lathe. But I’m no expert by any means, I only had a couple years of shop experience in school and most of the terminology has escaped me since, but all the hands on experience is still fresh in my mind and I’m hoping to get this hobby started up again. Thank you. Joshua