Category: Uncategorized

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

Hi guys! Love the podcast, as always. My question for you guys this time is about design. Specifically, it’s about design based on that “special” piece of lumber. For example, I purchased a large piece of mahogany in the late 1990’s to build electric guitars. I made two guitars from it and was left with a chunk of beautiful lumber that traveled with me for the next 25 years. Two years ago, I bought a mid-sized slab of black locust. I don’t make “slab” furniture or use copious amounts of epoxy, so it’ll end up getting cut up into a project.
I know you guys normally design your projects and then buy the lumber, but have you ever bought (or acquired) that unique board and then had to design a project to do it justice? If so, what was the project? As a follow up question, what is the longest that you have ever owned a piece of lumber that you just couldn’t get rid of?

Thanks, Joshua from The Black Dog Woodworks.

I’m a new listener and your podcast has been a blast to listen to on my evening runs. I just finished a 3-year, gut-to-the-studs home renovation, and my 1 car garage was the renovation workshop. Now that the home is finished I am transitioning the shop into a proper woodworking space. During construction, I used a lot of 16D nails and 3″ construction screws and tried to have a variety of fasteners on hand so I wouldn’t be running to the hardware store 3 times a day.

This got me thinking. What are some common fasteners you like to keep in your shop? Any common screw sizes? Bolts? Washers? Nuts? Nails? Staples? It seems in woodworking shops that there’s always a balance between having so many supplies that you’ll never use most of them in 10 years to having so few supplies that you’ll be running to the store 5 times a day. What is your approach to hardware consumables? Thanks for the great podcast.
Adam

Guys Questions:

Really appreciate the podcast, i have been listening for about 18 months and am also working through your previous podcasts. I am starting the dive into spray finishing. I have previously used wipe on or brush on finishes. I like shellac, but often coat with wipe on poly for extra protection. I would picture doing the same going forward. Question: What are considerations/benefits to using a water based conversion varnish over wb poly? What type of ppe is appropriate? I have a relatively large shop which is climate controlled, not attached to house and can set up an area for finishing when needed, what type ventilation would be desirable for occasional finishing in this situation? I build furniture and smaller items.
Thanks,
David at xcuse4tools custom woodwork

Hello everyone. Love the show. Great dynamic between you all and I really enjoy the lack of ego in the question answering. Your answers are efficient, helpful and easily digestible to a beginner woodworker.
I recently acquired a Jessem Pocket Mill Pro for loose tenon joints. Like many, I had lusted after a Festool Domino but couldn’t justify the price tag for a hobby shop. The Pocket Mill Pro is a fraction of the cost and does everything I need it to do for my projects.
The workstation that pairs with the pocket mill pro can also accept Jessem’s dowel jig. My question to you all is would a dowel jig even be necessary when I have the ability to make loose tenon joints already? Is there any advantage to adding the dowl jig to my arsenal or is it a waste of money when I already have the Pocket Mill Pro?
Thanks in advance for any insight.
Jason

Huys Questions:

I’m planning on making a face grain chess board. I’ll use 3/4″ MDF as my core and glue the chess squares on top (grain from all squares facing same direction). Chess squares will be about 1/8″ thick. I assume I’ll also need to glue some 1/8″ wood on the bottom to balance out the stresses. I’ll orient the bottom grain in the same direction as the top. My question is, do I need to glue both sides at the same time, or can I glue one side, let it dry, then do the other?
Scott Goldthwait

I love to use my handplanes and can’t get over the smooth, glass-like feeling that it leaves on wood. However, many finishing manufacturers reccomend applying the finish to a surface sanded to a specific grit (e.g., Rubio reccomends applying to 120 grit, no higher). What are the advantages/disadvantages to applying finish to a sanded surface versus a hand-planed surface. I would like my handplane to be the last think that touches the wood, but I want to respect the manufactueres’ reccomendations since they obvioulsy know information I don’t (like what the ideal porosity of wood is). Thanks!
Peter Diaz

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions

I have a question for you about glueing up table aprons. And I’m mostly referring to large dining tables. The aprons I’m making are generally w 8/4 stock roughly 4” width. I can manage to get the legs and the aprons milled and cut square. All my joinery is w dominoes. Whenever I do the glue up everything is slightly out out square despite everything being square prior to glue up . I have pipe clamps and parallel clamps and have tried both. For some reason I can’t get the clamping pressure or positioning right. Any tips would be appreciated. Bryan

Hello everyone,
Wanted your advice on dados and what I may be doing wrong. When I cut the dado and mating piece I make sure to get a good tight fit during the dry fit. My issue comes up when I’m sanding. I’ll take all the pieces apart and sand them to the desired sand grit (180 or 220 depending on finish). But when I go to glue up my mating piece is now loose in the dado. Should I be making the dado smaller, should I just wait to sand till it’s all glued up or do you have any other advice?

Thanks,
Paul at Twin Lakes Workshop

Guys Questions

I have listened to all your podcasts and have very much enjoyed and learned from them. I listen to primarily three woodworking podcasts and Woodshop Life is far and away the best.

I have to confess I am a wood hoarder. I do a lot of small projects (scroll saw, boxes, and the like) and end up with small pieces left over that should be good for something. But how do I organize them and what size is too small, in your opinion, to be useful? The same applies to pieces left over after building furniture or other large projects? Do I just throw everything in the burn pile or is there a logical way to sort and store small pieces of lumber?

And one small criticism: need to update the website with Brian’s information since he is officially part of the podcast. Roger Martin

Hey there fellas! I’m with a small furniture and cabinet shop called Silt Studio in Atlanta. Love the podcast and the great wealth of knowledge you guys bring to the world of woodworking. Guy, don’t let anybody tell you you’re wrong, they’re never right. I have a question about the relevance of our table saw. It’s a Powermatic PM2000 (I know guy loves his)with a 5×5 outfeed and a 36” rail extension. It’s really been a great workhorse for our shop. The space is about 3000 sq ft and we are quickly outgrowing the footprint for the amount of kitchen and cabinet jobs we’re taking on. There are also columns on a 9’x 14’ grid pattern so the space isn’t wide open. We’re talking about getting a large slider to facilitate speedier and more accurate square cuts. Currently we’re ripping down sheetgoods with our festool track saw then finishing on the table saw. If we get a slider, a large chunk of our milling/cutting space would be taken up. Is it worth keeping the powermatic and just losing the outfeed to save space or can we do everything we need to on the slider? We’re considering the laguna 12/8 model slider. Looking forward to your thoughts! Thanks so much, Sam

Huy’s Questions:

Hello gentlemen.
Great woodworking podcast. I am in the market for a drum sander. Currently I have a Jet 22-44. It is a love/hate relationship with all the known issues. The budget would be around 2,000-3,000. I was thinking arbor open ended powermatic 22-44 o it would be better to get Grizzly 24 or 24, or something similar that is closed ended. Also would you recommend single or double. What about finding bigger 37” or a similar from shops liquidations. I know there is wiring and things like that. I have a hobby workshop with some 220 equipment. Like I mentioned it is a hobby now maybe it will grow may it will not. I originally got the openeded sander hoping that I can send wider boards (stupidly table tops) but obviously it is not as easy as it would seems to be. I do not know if that helped on made my question more murky. Sometimes there a good deals on Facebook Marketplace place but those deals do not last long and you need to be ready. There was Grizzly G1066R for $1,300 and now I regret not buying it. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you. Derek

Question for the podcast: When using white oak for trim, what fasteners can I use that won’t cause the tannins in the white oak to react to the metal of the fasteners? Thanks guys. Jay

This Episodes Questions:

Brian’s Questions:

Ashtin here Hey guys love the podcast thank you for putting out good content for all of us to hear

My question is I’m very new to the woodworking community I don’t have a shop or a space I work in I use all mobile equipment I do all my work outside I want to know what projects I can do that will help build my skills in and my confidence
I have a DEWALT Dw7491rs Table saw
A Bosch router table Ra1181
A craftsman jointer Cmew020
A wen 6524 spindle and belt sander combo
A dewalt Dws 780 miter saw
I do have a Incra 1000se
Also what blade would you recommend for my table saw for an all around use? I have been using Diablo blades sense I have had it. Ashtin

Brian also gives a nice PSA on shop safety and how thiungs can go wrong quickly

Guy’s Questions:

I’ve been doing some veneering using a vaccum bag. Mostly just panels for doors and box lids. When I join two pieces of veneer together at a seam I’ll use blue painters tape to hold the seem together. My.problem is when I get it out and start taking the tape off I’ll get some of the veneer fibers coming off with the tape. How can I prevent it from happening? Thanks
John

Hi guys. Love the podcast. I’ve learned a bunch from you all. My question is about end grain. I’m building a cherry night stand that has a shelf that will be 20″ long and about 17″ wide. I’m making the shelf from solid cherry as well. The 17″ dimension end grain will show on the left and right sides of the night stand. I made my own cherry veneer from the stock I have (it’s about 1/32″ thick) and was thinking I could edge band it to the ends. But if I do that, the glue holding the veneer will prevent the wood from moving, right? I was even thinking about using the banding so that the grain follows the top (like a waterfall). But it doesn’t solve the glue issue. Am I correct in this thinking? How can I dress up the ends so that it doesn’t look like amateurish? Or should I just sand the end grain to a very fine grit and/or seal the end grain before finishing so that it doesn’t get darker than the shelf itself?
Thanks so much.
Anthony

Huy’s Questions:

Hello Gentlemen,

I’m planning on replacing the cheap hollow-core door that leads from my conditioned basement to my workshop garage.

Any advise on materials? I know MDP is flat but edges are brittle. Can I use an mdf or plywood core and dress it up with thinner material? How should I go about this while accounting for wood movement? My jointer is the limiting factor, bench-top with only a couple feet in totable bed lengths combined.

Thanks Again, Dave

I’m an “aspiring” woodworker in Harvest Alabama. I have a 1 car garage with a 5x8x6 tornado bunker in the middle of the floor. If you had that, is there any way that you would reuse that space to your advantage? Not just storage space, but actively- like dust collection, or an extra long panel saw.
Tom

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