Woodshop Life Podcast

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

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

Guy’s Questions:

1) Hey guys, I hope all is well. When I was building my Roubo workbench I ran into a rust problem. I purchased kiln died lumber from a trusted source. I drilled a hole in some 4″ thick walnut for my tail vise end cap. I inserted my bench crafted screw to check the fit and left it for a few days. When I removed the screw it had rusted. Any thoughts on why this happened? Should I paint the section of the screw that will remain in the endcap? JD Messick

2) What do you guys think are the essential measuring tools that any woodworker should start out with; ie combination squares, rulers, etc. and any brand recommendations you might have. Any input is appreciated. -Travis

Sean’s Questions:

1) Gents, I’m torn at the moment as I am in the process outfitting my new 400sf stand-alone shop. Until recently, I’ve planned to install a 2 stage dust collection system with super dust deputy, externally venting fan and hard ducting with blast gates to each tool. I recently snagged up a used Festool domino ($675!) and ETC 125. I’m becoming a convert and seriously considering scrapping the dust collector plan and getting an Extractor to switch around as needed for each tool. What are your thoughts on going with 1 method over the other? I can’t afford both at the moment. Which extractor would you recommend? Is it feasible to hook a single extractor to all my other non-Festool equipment? I’m assuming that a little adapter would be needed for each. Other tools in the shop include a table saw, bandsaw, disc, and spindle sanders, planer, jointer, etc. Cheers! Clayton

2) I am planning to build a bookshelf for my son that will be around 5.5 feet tall, 3 feet wide and around 15 inches deep. I am planning to use plywood with a solid wood face frame and have two sturdiness questions. First, what thickness should I use for the plywood? I’ve been planning on 3/4 but am not sure if that is overkill/too heavy or if it’s what I should be using. Second, what are some suggestions for standing stability? It will be on carpet and I’m wondering if there are ways to stabilize it without attaching it to the wall. My son is one and grabs, pulls and climbs on everything so I want to make sure there is no way he can get it off balanced enough for it to come down. Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice you have to offer!

Regards,
Alan Dills

Huy’s Questions:

1) Hey guys, loving the podcast and listening to the back catalog. Topic for Huy, can you elaborate on the benefits, ease of use, and justification with your scope of work and the cost of the pantorouter? Do you think this is a tool where you will find a way to use it on nearly every project? That thing looks awesome! Thanks! Nutone woodworker

2) What’s up guys, I’m hoping by the end of the summer to have a much bigger shop space. First purchase I would like to make is a Jointer. Looking at the Grizzly 8” w/ a helical head. Any opinions on that specific one would be great, also open to suggestions on others. But my main question is, does a jointer replace a planer? Besides a planer being self-feeding, what are the actual differences? Thanks, guys look forward to the show every other week

Tom

Our Instagram Picks:

Sean: @justin_dipalma
Guy: @garagewoodworks
Huy: @ericreason

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

Guys Questions:

1) My question for the guys. With the internet providing information and inspiration for projects, do you still subscribe to woodworking magazines?
Eric (Poplar_shop)

2) Love the podcast guys. Got a question for the podcast. If you only get 3 Festool tools to that you could have in your shop what would they be? The domino can’t be included in your 3 tools. I have a track saw and looking into a sander possibly the rotex 125. I’m not sure I could justify the price of the kapex though I see you guys all have one.
Chris

Seans Questions:

1) This may be too basic to address on the shoe but you all talk of different benches. Assembly, work, and out-feed. I get what an out-feed bench is but what is the difference between work and assembly bench. Rick

2) Can you guys talk tack saws in a future episode? I’ve got some large panels to cut for a coffee bar i’m building and need some feedback on different brands. – W B Designs

Huys Questions:

1) I have a question about a stand-alone router table vs table saw extension wing router table. I’ve recently purchased a 3.25HP router and lift, and I’m now ready to build a dedicated router table. My workspace is a 20’x20’ garage that I share with the family van. Space is limited and everything has to be mobile. My vision has always been to add an extension wing router table to my cabinet saw. My recent concern is keeping the table flat over time. I’ll incorporate a torsion top, but I fear the saw will get too heavy to move around. Do you think I’ll have long term success with the extension wing or should go with a stand alone router table? I look forward to the input, keep up the good work!

Thanks

Jacob from North Carolina

2) Hi Guys, I love the show. I don’t have any woodworking buddies, so I love the Q&A format because you answer a lot of questions I have as a newish woodworker. I’ve been looking at building a new workbench and like any good woodworker, I’m doing too much research and not enough building. My question is about work holding. What types of vices do you guys prefer, why, what are the pros and cons. I was specifically debating between the Veritas twin screw or a Benchcrafted leg vice and could add a Moxon vice down the line if needed. Do you have any thoughts on either of these? I have a pretty small shop so I do mostly hand tool work since I don’t have much room for machines.
Thanks! Matt

Our Instagram picks:

Huy: @Mcintyrefurniture
Sean: @gregoryraiewski
Guy: @Woodreview