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Balsa isn’t really cut out for carving, check out basswood. It’s similarly soft but the grain is friendly.
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Dec 3, 2017 23:05
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dupersaurus posted:Balsa isn’t really cut out for carving, check out basswood. It’s similarly soft but the grain is friendly. Thanks! The only reason I thought balsa is because it's soft.
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Dec 3, 2017 23:08
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feelix posted:Why would it be intricate? The dovetails will be hard yes, I expect lots of failed attempts until I get it even remotely right. What else would be difficult? I plan to just trace the outline of the wing shape on the board, use a hand saw to cut roughly close to the outline, then file/sand off the excess. I guess I was imagining something with holes in the wings. If that doesn't match what you were imagining, then that simplifies matters. I'd recommend using a coping saw though; you're looking at a lot of sanding if you just rough it out with an ordinary hand saw. Still a lot of sanding with the coping saw, but it'll let you get closer to the lines. I'll repeat my recommendation for poplar, then, especially if you plan to stain or paint the piece (unstained poplar can look kind of green, which isn't to everyones' tastes). The nice thing about poplar is that it's cheap, so you don't need to worry much about making mistakes. Basswood, at least on the West Coast where I am, is rather more expensive. But I'm sure it'd work well too.
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Dec 3, 2017 23:22
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:I guess I was imagining something with holes in the wings. If that doesn't match what you were imagining, then that simplifies matters. I'd recommend using a coping saw though; you're looking at a lot of sanding if you just rough it out with an ordinary hand saw. Still a lot of sanding with the coping saw, but it'll let you get closer to the lines. Nah, no holes, I'm going to make some stencils and spray paint the black parts of the wings and then use a dark stain on the whole thing to hopefully get close to the color of a Monarch's wing
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Dec 3, 2017 23:27
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GEMorris posted:The Craftsman compact miter saw we discussed a few pages back is a noticable upgrade for not much more money than the Ryobi. Then I went and bought a dewalt 12" non-sliding. Should last me a while.
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Dec 4, 2017 03:06
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Javid your adventures in fetish furniture are delightful.Gounads posted:
What's the trick they did? I'm starting on learning to do dovetails and I'd love any help I can get. TooMuchAbstraction posted:Are there any (edit: power tool) saws that ship with blades that aren't mediocre at best? I've always taken it as given that I'll need to buy a new blade to go with any new saw I purchase. What kind of difference does a good vs bad blade on a miter saw make? I'm still using the saw blade that shipped with my Ryobi miter saw and, as best I can tell, it sails through wood pretty easily. My circular saw blade can eat poo poo though, god damned thing binds and kicks so easily.
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Dec 4, 2017 09:26
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I won a box of firewood: Everything needs sharpening & cleaning, I need to make 1 new wedge and a coupe of repairs. Then I knocked up a quick marking gauge:  Next is a set of legs for a little set of drawers my daughter painted up.
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Dec 4, 2017 09:47
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Magres posted:
Easier to cut / less stress on the motor Smaller kerf (possibly) Just everything is better.
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Dec 4, 2017 11:32
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Has anyone actually shopped Roy Underhill's tool shop? I'm about a half hour out and a am looking for a smoothing plane, and I'm not sure if his prices run closer to eBay prices or closer to boutique prices. I like the idea of getting something old (because everything new <$100 sucks), but I'm having a hard time buying something I haven't put my hands on off eBay.
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Dec 4, 2017 13:38
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I made a little sandpaper holder. I tried doing a “fast”project to avoid being a perfectionist and actually finish something for a change. The dovetails are definitely rough but they’ll hold just fine. Timber is unknown - came from a neighbours shed that was knocked down. Took about 5-6 hours using hand tools only. Finished with 2 coats of blond shellac.  
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Dec 4, 2017 13:41
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Huxley posted:Has anyone actually shopped Roy Underhill's tool shop? I'm about a half hour out and a am looking for a smoothing plane, and I'm not sure if his prices run closer to eBay prices or closer to boutique prices. This is probably too late, but: They have fair prices. Keep in mind that Ed tunes up a lot of the pieces he has, and he has to more or less make a living. He will also bend over backwards to help people find what they're looking for, and guide beginners towards good, usable tools. They do have rarer, more valuable stuff, and it's priced accordingly, but there are tons of bargains, too.
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Dec 4, 2017 13:50
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Huxley posted:I like the idea of getting something old (because everything new <$100 sucks), but I'm having a hard time buying something I haven't put my hands on off eBay. For what it's worth, I think people are more afraid of eBay than they should be. For the common-as-dirt tools like your Stanley 4s and 5s, hand saws, back saws, bit braces... They made a billion of them, so there's no reason to buy something that isn't obviously in good shape. Look at the photos, read the descriptions, review the sale prices of previous auctions. Avoid anything that looks broken or rusty. Shopping eBay is definitely a skill to learn, and you might get burned a few times, but eBay is a fantastic place to pick up old tools for decent prices.
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Dec 4, 2017 14:41
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Magres posted:What's the trick they did? I'm starting on learning to do dovetails and I'd love any help I can get. Take a small block of wood that's good and square. Hold it against where you're about to saw. Hold the saw against the side of the block so you know it's at 90 degrees. Apparently I can't eyeball if something is square or not.
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Dec 4, 2017 16:56
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A friend of mine asked me to make them 2 matching Crossed X leg end tables. She already has the tops so I just need to make the legs. I found these plans but they use pocket screws and I was hoping to make this a bit nicer. https://www.remodelaholic.com/xbrace-concrete-side-table/ I figured I'd see what opinions you all had for better joinery. My best idea is to do a half lap joint for the main X and then I'm torn for the other X. I'm debating another half lap for the 2nd X and then cutting half slot into each and sliding them together. But that seems like it could be hard to get flush and nice looking without a good band saw or some hand tool skills. I have some nice roasted maple for this and don't want to waste/ruin it. Another option is build it like the plans above in that the 2nd X is 4 pieces, and I could attach them with glue and dowels instead of pocket holes. This would be easier to get nice and flush, but seems less strong. Thoughts? Any better ideas? I'm pretty open on how to handle this.
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Dec 4, 2017 21:12
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I am just getting started in woodworking. Most of my projects have been shop furniture or made from plywood (or both). I'm building a dog kennel/end table for our living room from solid pine. The sides of the unit have gone together without a hitch. My first attempt to edge glue the top failed miserably. It was not flat at all. I tried again using lots of blocks above and below the tabletop and that worked out OK. The failed top will just become the floor of the inside of the kennel. I turned my attention to making breadboard ends for the tabletop. I wanted to try to do a tongue-and-groove style with visible ends for simplicity and because I like exposed joinery. I mic'd the depth of cut with my router and a 1/2" straight bit and put supports around the edge of the board so the router would stay straight up and down when it got to the edge of the board. The tabletop is 3/4" thick, so I cut 1/4" off the top and the bottom of the tongue using the straight bit. It turned out fine except for getting a little thin on both ends. I wanted the tongue to be 2" long and the groove to be just a hair longer. I did test after test using the my table saw to cut the groove, but it never even got close to a good fit. My blade has a 1/8" kerf, so I would align the fence, run the piece through, then run the piece through the other way to get it centered and to widen the groove. Every test piece was either really sloppy or so tight that it broke when tapped into place. I checked to make sure my blade was square, but for some reason the grooves ended up with kind of a dovetail shape. I think maybe the wood was trying to close up the groove? So this morning I got up early and set up my router with a 1/4" straight bit, eyeballed a fence onto my backwoods-engineered router table, and made a progressively-deeper set of passes on yet another test piece... and it worked on the first try. I'll have to cut the tongues down to 1" because that is about the maximum depth of the router bit, but I can accept that compromise for a joint that doesn't look like hot buttered rear end. I can also just chop off the outside edges of the tongues and not groove the very last bit of the breadboard ends and hide any flaws this way.
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Dec 5, 2017 14:05
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keep it down up there! posted:A friend of mine asked me to make them 2 matching Crossed X leg end tables. She already has the tops so I just need to make the legs. That's how I'd do it. If you have a table saw, you should be able to rig up a sliding table to get the 2 linear cuts for the joint.
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Dec 5, 2017 17:53
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What's a good hardwood to experiment with? I've only ever used pine (2x4's or whatever), poplar (so cheap) and ash (but it was really bad wood not from a reputable source), and I want to try something a little harder maybe. Oak? Maple? Those are relatively cheap around me.
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Dec 7, 2017 20:20
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White oak is fine, red oak can be splintery IIRC. Maple is good but very hard. Cherry is a classic; hard but not too hard, and very fine-grained. Walnut's also good but expensive at least in my area.
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Dec 7, 2017 20:32
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If you want to challenge yourself, try finding some sapele or similar crazy-grain wood.
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Dec 7, 2017 20:33
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Tres Burritos posted:What's a good hardwood to experiment with? I've only ever used pine (2x4's or whatever), poplar (so cheap) and ash (but it was really bad wood not from a reputable source), and I want to try something a little harder maybe. Oak? Maple? Those are relatively cheap around me. Poplar is slightly harder than pine but still cheap. If you're experimenting, or you're painting it, it's fine. Not so much for great looking things. e: o.m.g you said poplar right there. Sorry Gounads fucked around with this message at 20:54 on Dec 7, 2017 |
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Dec 7, 2017 20:47
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Tres Burritos posted:What's a good hardwood to experiment with? I've only ever used pine (2x4's or whatever), poplar (so cheap) and ash (but it was really bad wood not from a reputable source), and I want to try something a little harder maybe. Oak? Maple? Those are relatively cheap around me. Play around with oak. Maple's grain can get squirrely and frustrating.
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Dec 7, 2017 21:02
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Man sometimes I just lay back when I have a moment to myself and watch lathe turning videos on Facebook. It’s so engaging and just... relaxing. I want to do that one day.
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Dec 7, 2017 21:25
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Feenix posted:Man sometimes I just lay back when I have a moment to myself and watch lathe turning videos on Facebook. It’s so engaging and just... relaxing. I know what you mean. I often wind down before bed with woodworking or blacksmithing videos. Especially ones where there's no talking or the host is softspoken, it's just so relaxing. Hand Tool Rescue and Mr. Chickadee are among my favorites.
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Dec 7, 2017 21:31
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Newbie woodworking question, how would you finish this piece? Walnut. Purely for show so it doesn't need a hard coating. I don't think I want it to be particularly glossy, so maybe simply oil of some type? It's natural patina is nice, too, but is there any concern with leaving it unfinished?
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Dec 7, 2017 23:23
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dupersaurus posted:Newbie woodworking question, how would you finish this piece? Mineral oil, maybe? Since it's not going to be handled, it should last for a long time without needing to be reapplied and it's not going to change the character of the wood too much.
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Dec 8, 2017 00:25
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I'm still on a big kick for oil & urethane on walnut. Really keeps the depth of the wood, and brings out the natural yellows and rose tones, without darkening it.
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Dec 8, 2017 00:30
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dupersaurus posted:Newbie woodworking question, how would you finish this piece? Very nice work. I would just hand rub a coat of walnut oil into it. Wait a week between coats if you want another. It'll look darker at first, and definitely glossy, but the gloss fades away quickly and more slowly so does the color. That last bit is hard for anyone to answer unless they predict your humidity and heat range, how dry it is already, etc. I use a $7 bottle of food grade walnut oil from the grocery store and it lasts me forever, but my projects are probably smaller than yours. Tres Burritos posted:What's a good hardwood to experiment with? I've only ever used pine (2x4's or whatever), poplar (so cheap) and ash (but it was really bad wood not from a reputable source), and I want to try something a little harder maybe. Oak? Maple? Those are relatively cheap around me. Speaking from experience with greenwood in my area and not much experience with dried or processed wood: I would think cherry is a good option but expensive if you can't find it for free, in terms of common finds birch might be your best bet if you want something a little softer than oak and maple. If you're using power tools it sounds like you know the answer; oak or maple. extra stout fucked around with this message at 10:19 on Dec 8, 2017 |
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Dec 8, 2017 10:04
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I finished my hybrid dog crate/end table project. We have two dogs, so I will eventually build another unit to complement this one. The sides are put together with half-lap joints and the top has my second attempt at an edge joint glue-up and my first crack at breadboard ends. The breadboard ends didn't turn out quite the way I wanted, but the whole thing has a rustic look to it anyway. We now have a safe place to set drinks and phones where our 11-month-old can't easily reach them.  The tabletop is a probably little bit high for an end table, but my dog Rusty is huge. I am really happy about the way the stain turned out. I used a Varthane gel stain called "Golden Pecan," and it reminds me of the color of an old baseball bat. The main body has two coats of poly, and the top has three coats. It has been cold around here, so I'll let it cure for a while indoors before I polish up the top a bit.
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Dec 8, 2017 18:54
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That looks real nice. Excellent work on those new techniques. The finish looks great too.
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Dec 8, 2017 21:15
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PBCrunch posted:We now have a safe place to set drinks and phones where our 11-month-old can't easily reach them. Enjoy the next 3-6 months while you can.
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Dec 9, 2017 00:24
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Hubis posted:Enjoy the next 3-6 months while you can. If they keep grabbing drinks, he can just put a door on the crates.
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Dec 9, 2017 00:43
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sivad posted:If they keep grabbing drinks, he can just put a door on the crates. 
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Dec 9, 2017 00:57
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Well it's not the most glamorous of things, but at least it's a thing done...
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Dec 9, 2017 13:09
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White oak trip report: Wow you actually have to pay attention to grain direction and stuff. Holy poo poo this stuff is heavy, and boy it seems a ton stronger than poplar or pine. There was absolutely no way I could get that apart without a hammer, it wouldn't wiggle even a bit, no glue at all. Also it doesn't break off huge chucks when you chisel across the endgrain like pine did for me.
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Dec 10, 2017 07:00
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I'm thinking of buying a Jet 18/36 drum sander. Any feedback? Used ones keep showing up just under the cost of a new one ($1100 on sale) and we have a lot of old trim/lumber to strip. http://www.rockler.com/jet-723530k-18-36-drum-sander-with-stand
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Dec 10, 2017 07:03
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sivad posted:If they keep grabbing drinks, he can just put a door on the crates. Well, that'd be my move, at least.
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Dec 10, 2017 08:43
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the spyder posted:I'm thinking of buying a Jet 18/36 drum sander. Any feedback? Used ones keep showing up just under the cost of a new one ($1100 on sale) and we have a lot of old trim/lumber to strip. Don't expect super precision when it comes to thickness across the width (open arm drum Sanders flex, but this only matters if you are working on something where a 64th is critical), and definitely have a good dust collector. Also don't plan on using it on pieces shorter than 10" or so. Trim seems like a good use for one if you're only talking rectangular profiles.
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Dec 10, 2017 15:06
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A while ago someone posted attachments for track saws for making 90* and 45* cuts. Does anyone have that link handy?
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Dec 10, 2017 16:06
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Tres Burritos posted:White oak trip report: Wow you actually have to pay attention to grain direction and stuff. Holy poo poo this stuff is heavy, and boy it seems a ton stronger than poplar or pine. Nice dovetails, dude. I haven't worked with lots of woods, but my favorite so far is white oak. I love turning the ugly, shaggy, rough lumber into beautiful, glass smooth oak.
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Dec 10, 2017 16:20
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Atticus_1354 posted:A while ago someone posted attachments for track saws for making 90* and 45* cuts. Does anyone have that link handy? https://tsoproducts.com/tso-products-guide-rail-squares/grs-16-guide-rail-square/
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Dec 10, 2017 19:00
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