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For my birthday present, my wife got us a class at the local community college, on hand joinery! For the first class I'm supposed to bring a plane or chisel to tune up, which is perfect because I have those three old planes I got at the white elephant sale. We spent the last three days up in Mendocino, CA and there's a cool wood store there called Anderson's Alternatives that sells giant slabs of reclaimed redwood, walnut, etc. all sourced locally. I only had my car and didn't want to spend too much, so I got a nice long board of unsteamed black walnut with a beautiful reddish purplish heart and lots of live edge and some sapwood, and another piece of walnut with a special kind of grain... wavy? $175 for both.              The long board is a smidge over 2" thick, and the shorter fatter board is about 1 1/4". The short fat one is half of the piece, the other half the owner had made into a nice low coffee table that he had in his showroom, so I could see exactly how the wood looked sanded down and finished (it was gorgeous). They're awesome and I'm a little intimidated because I don't want to ruin this stuff. Right now this is looking to me like a shelf and an end table. Might take the two ends of the long piece that don't have a flat back off, and use them as the supports for the shelf. Then again that's super thick for a shelf, so maybe... a bench? Or a long end table, or a narrow coffee table? I'll get around to cleaning off the short fat piece to get a better sense of the figuring but for now I think you can just make out the grain lines in the photos. It's obviously a bit waterstained and filthy but that's all just on the surface.
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Feb 19, 2018 04:15
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So here's my little canoe thing: I know it looks like crap and I need to smooth it out and even it out (i'm showing the good side), but at least it looks like something. It actually floats too so it's functional. I don't know why I didn't expect a really light piece of wood to float, but I was happy about it nonetheless.
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Feb 19, 2018 22:49
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yeah I eat rear end posted:So here's my little canoe thing: Good stuff, keep working it out and get a mast and some rigging on her and do some tilt shift photography with it It was stormy near my house the other week and I really wanted to try and float a little paper boat down a newly formed stream by a trail I hike regularly but I had nothing, that would be perfect haha
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Feb 19, 2018 23:11
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:Good stuff, keep working it out and get a mast and some rigging on her and do some tilt shift photography with it I appreciate the encouragement but it does look pretty jacked up compared to the things I see when i googled "whittled canoe". If I ever do float it down a stream and it goes down a storm drain, I'll just let that rear end in a top hat clown down there keep it. Anyway, will regular sandpaper work to smooth a curved surface like the inside? Or is there a better way to do it?
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Feb 19, 2018 23:16
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yeah I eat rear end posted:I appreciate the encouragement but it does look pretty jacked up compared to the things I see when i googled "whittled canoe". If I ever do float it down a stream and it goes down a storm drain, I'll just let that rear end in a top hat clown down there keep it. There are flexible sandpapers you can get, I bought some but haven't used it yet. (Example) So that might work - alternatively you could use carving gouges to do most of the work.
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Feb 20, 2018 00:10
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yeah I eat rear end posted:I appreciate the encouragement but it does look pretty jacked up compared to the things I see when i googled "whittled canoe". If I ever do float it down a stream and it goes down a storm drain, I'll just let that rear end in a top hat clown down there keep it. I would most definitely chunk most of what I wanted out first by carving lines to the depth I wanted with a chisel, dremel or even a xacto knife and then busting those out before I got close to using any sort of sandpaper which I don't think would be very easy to work with in a tight space like that. I googled whittled canoes and you're closer than you think. Sandpaper and a stain will do a lot to the final piece
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Feb 20, 2018 00:28
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Preorders are up for Schwarz’s new book that come out in April https://lostartpress.com/products/ingenious-mechanicks I can’t wait to my hands on it.
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Feb 21, 2018 21:09
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Always pre-order from lost art press if you can, cause you get the PDF instantly and for free. Will be purchasing this as soon as I get home.
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Feb 21, 2018 21:26
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So I started dabbling in woodworking as a hobby recently and decided to make a woodworking/assembly bench to make my life easier. Its a quick and dirty job, but I have two questions about it.  unnamed by Maciej, on FlickrFirst: since this is a big table (3 ft x 6ft) do I need to add more vertical supports to the middle for structural reinforcement, or the four posts be enough to support it? I will be adding 2 more 2x4s at each leg to make them beefier. Second: What would be a decent and cost effective table top solution? Two sheets of 3/4 Baltic birch plywood stacked on top was my first idea, but that would run me around 100 bucks and I was planning to clamp stuff to the edges of the top so I figured plywood might not be the greatest for it? Other solution would be to get 50 bucks worth of 2x4s and laminate them but that would take a while and I would probably have issues getting a level surface at my skill level. Thoughts? Suggestions? Admonishments?
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Feb 23, 2018 20:18
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For the top, get two layers of the cheap plywood then a layer of that thin, dark brown hardboard. Gives you a smooth work surface with the added benefit of being replaceable.
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Feb 23, 2018 21:03
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Putrid Grin posted:So I started dabbling in woodworking as a hobby recently and decided to make a woodworking/assembly bench to make my life easier. Either one. Go with KD 2x4's and you'll have something to feel proud of too.
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Feb 23, 2018 22:36
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I do what superwaffle does (cheap plywood with a hardwood top) for basically any piece of shop furniture I can. Cheap, durable, drive screws into it, spill epoxy, whatever. If it gets too bad spend a few bucks on new hardboard and you’re good for another few years of regular (ab)use.
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Feb 24, 2018 05:54
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feeling slightly more confident about this one I'll take it out of clamps either tonight or tomorrow after work
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Feb 25, 2018 13:57
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coathat posted:Preorders are up for Schwarz’s new book that come out in April https://lostartpress.com/products/ingenious-mechanicks His next book is going to be on finishing, presumably from his usual historic perspective. I'm super interested to see how that turns out. I've read Flexner's book, and I keep up with his articles in Popular Woodworking and on their blog, but I always find modern finishes really unpleasant to use, mostly because they reek like death. I'm curious to see what Schwarz comes out with. At the same time I'm skeptical that he can get any long-term analysis, either from projects built over the past few years, or from historic examples. Anyway, he posts a lot about his research on the LAP blog, so it'll be cool to see it come together.
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Feb 25, 2018 16:55
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ColdPie posted:His next book is going to be on finishing, presumably from his usual historic perspective. I'm super interested to see how that turns out. I've read Flexner's book, and I keep up with his articles in Popular Woodworking and on their blog, but I always find modern finishes really unpleasant to use, mostly because they reek like death. I'm curious to see what Schwarz comes out with. At the same time I'm skeptical that he can get any long-term analysis, either from projects built over the past few years, or from historic examples. Anyway, he posts a lot about his research on the LAP blog, so it'll be cool to see it come together. That's kind of odd to me because Bob always preferred the old style shellac and hide glue. I suppose he covers the modern ones out of practicality. My sister had a hilarious anecdote about him and a class in faux finishes she taught. Does he cover that?
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Feb 25, 2018 17:25
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That doesn't ring a bell, but it's been a while since I read it. I think you're right, though. Every time he writes about finishing he comes off as really annoyed about the finishing industry today, with how they mis-label every product and don't tell you what it's made of. A lot of his writing is about how to identify what the gently caress is even in the can you're holding. I don't recall him advocating for shellac flake or anything like that, though. Maybe I've just missed it.
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Feb 25, 2018 17:33
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ColdPie posted:That doesn't ring a bell, but it's been a while since I read it. I think you're right, though. Every time he writes about finishing he comes off as really annoyed about the finishing industry today, with how they mis-label every product and don't tell you what it's made of. A lot of his writing is about how to identify what the gently caress is even in the can you're holding. I don't recall him advocating for shellac flake or anything like that, though. Maybe I've just missed it. "Tung Oil Finish"
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Feb 25, 2018 17:53
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ColdPie posted:That doesn't ring a bell, but it's been a while since I read it. I think you're right, though. Every time he writes about finishing he comes off as really annoyed about the finishing industry today, with how they mis-label every product and don't tell you what it's made of. A lot of his writing is about how to identify what the gently caress is even in the can you're holding. I don't recall him advocating for shellac flake or anything like that, though. Maybe I've just missed it. He's an A+ "get ur drat government regulations off my industry" crank. The libertarian streak runs deep in the woodworking field (which makes sense as it's a hobby largely practiced by white middle to upper middle class men).
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Feb 25, 2018 17:55
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GEMorris posted:He's an A+ "get ur drat government regulations off my industry" crank. The libertarian streak runs deep in the woodworking field (which makes sense as it's a hobby largely practiced by white middle to upper middle class men). Meaning what, VOC stuff? Bob is the last guy I'd identify with white middle to upper middle class. He, and his wife (who is Danish) are more socialist, iirc. If you mean making solvent-based lacquer practically illegal, he never did that in a commercial or large scale sense. The guys that did, yeah, working blue collar and libertarian, they'd all be like that. They're all dead or in nursing homes from using it too, the ones that I knew.
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Feb 25, 2018 18:06
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Ingenious Mechanicks is a pretty good book. I’m for sure going to build some variation of a low bench. Although I’m probably going to go for laminated pine instead of a slab just due to cost none of the trees I need to cut down being good matches for a workbench.
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Feb 25, 2018 18:14
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Mr. Mambold posted:Meaning what, VOC stuff? Bob is the last guy I'd identify with white middle to upper middle class. He, and his wife (who is Danish) are more socialist, iirc. If you mean making solvent-based lacquer practically illegal, he never did that in a commercial or large scale sense. The guys that did, yeah, working blue collar and libertarian, they'd all be like that. They're all dead or in nursing homes from using it too, the ones that I knew. He's been ranting pretty hard about any government VOC regulations for the last year or so. If his politics outside of health, safety & environmental regs is more socialist then great, but what I've read from him lately is more "don't tread on me" than anything. And yeah, the white & middle to upper-middle class maleness is more about the hobbyists. Anyone doing woodworking for a living is lucky to make it to middle class. I used to work in the printing industry (doing letterpress work) and the old guys there had a astonishing number of mental and other health issues, likely due to the long term chemical exposure.
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Feb 25, 2018 18:30
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GEMorris posted:He's been ranting pretty hard about any government VOC regulations for the last year or so. If his politics outside of health, safety & environmental regs is more socialist then great, but what I've read from him lately is more "don't tread on me" than anything. I would hope it's not about the VOCs, because those are just terrible for your health. I'd be more upset about not having a clue what's inside the product because it's not actually labeled in a way to give me any clue about what's in the can, the viscosity of it, or how it's going to spread/soak into the material. I feel like trying to find a decent finish for me right now is a bit like playing darts for the first time. I have a general idea of what to do, but I'm more likely to bury the dart into the wall than I am to hit the bullseye. In other words, I hate trying to figure out finishes because none of the words make any sense to me and they're just expensive enough that trying new things is not likely to happen often.
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Feb 25, 2018 20:41
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https://www.popularwoodworking.com/...ely-and-legally In which he posits if you can't smell the solvent its probably fine to breathe. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/flexner-on-finishing-woodworking-blogs/titanium-dioxide-a-carcinogen That second blog entry references the popwood article where he comes off as a libertarian crank regarding the EPA regulating or requiring labeling for, certain chemicals. In his overall body of work he comes off as the type of libertarian that is also fearful of big business, so like more of a mutualist than an ancap
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Feb 25, 2018 21:12
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If he is upset about ingredients not being labelled correctly, wouldn't having government regulation covering that kind of thing help?
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Feb 25, 2018 23:06
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GEMorris posted:https://www.popularwoodworking.com/...ely-and-legally I don't get that  attitude from these articles, but the gently caress-off-and-leave-me-in-peace aka libertarian attitude does sound like him. He's always been like that though. In the titanium dioxide article he's just articulating what's going on with studies, from what I read. I think he's about what constitutes common sense.Ironically, that first quote you mention of him not being able to smell solvents reminds me of a conversation I'm pretty sure we had on that same thing 35 odd years ago in his shop. He was using some thinner, maybe mineral spirits, but I think it was toluene based lacquer thinner, and I mentioned using a respirator. His shop wasn't ventilated at all, as I remember. He shrugged and gave me an Alfred E. Neumann look and said it never bothered him.
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Feb 26, 2018 01:19
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Salvaged a bunch of drawer bottoms out of the office throw-away pile and noticed these legs were solid, so I took them home and sanded off the finish (50, 120, 220). I got them to this point, where I can't decide if sanding them further might take that color out, or if it's a natural feature of a wood I don't recognize, or if I'm best off just finishing them however and doing my best to hide the ugly. 
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Feb 26, 2018 19:48
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To my eyeball that looks like primer.
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Feb 26, 2018 19:53
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I bet if you give them a dark stain, that'll just look like some antiquing or whatever. My wife and I refinished an old wooden file cabinet and we also couldn't get 100% of the staining off, but it looks good anyway and we didn't even use a stain.
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Feb 26, 2018 20:33
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Huxley posted:Salvaged a bunch of drawer bottoms out of the office throw-away pile and noticed these legs were solid, so I took them home and sanded off the finish (50, 120, 220). I've had wood with that type of coloration all the way through it and usually it's been weather that's done it, don't think you can sand it out. A dark stain is what I'd suggest as well.
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Feb 26, 2018 20:45
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I finally realized my gently caress up... I accidentally used a non-taped side of the batten on the top row. A little torque by hand popped it off, though.
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Feb 26, 2018 23:01
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Nice! That looks like a victory to me.
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Feb 26, 2018 23:26
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Huxley posted:Salvaged a bunch of drawer bottoms out of the office throw-away pile and noticed these legs were solid, so I took them home and sanded off the finish (50, 120, 220). Try wiping it down with laundry bleach. Rinse it off with water, then sand it again when it's dry.
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Feb 26, 2018 23:48
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I've got a hankering to build something and I need a coffee table. This one seems kind of attractive, but I'm not a fan of the exposed plywood edges on the mitered faces. Would I need something like a router and router table in order to flush trim any edge banding on a beveled edge like that? Baltic birch or bamboo plywood would be kinda neat in this application, but I have no idea where to buy either locally. (And the bamboo plywood is probably way more spendy for a complete amateur such as myself.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RdwbiHcPFc&t=2s
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Mar 2, 2018 06:29
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You can trim edge banding with a razor blade.
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Mar 2, 2018 06:36
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But what if you want to use solid wood edge banding instead of the iron on variety?
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Mar 2, 2018 08:57
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MetaJew posted:But what if you want to use solid wood edge banding instead of the iron on variety? The glue it on, and plane it flush.
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Mar 2, 2018 16:10
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Phone posted:I finally realized my gently caress up... I accidentally used a non-taped side of the batten on the top row. A little torque by hand popped it off, though. This turned out great! I've done a few pixel art cutting boards as well and really enjoy making them.   I'm thinking of doing a Zelda or Tetris one next. I need more clamps though. It's like a 8 day process with all the glue ups required.
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Mar 2, 2018 19:15
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keep it down up there! posted:This turned out great! I've done a few pixel art cutting boards as well and really enjoy making them. Oh snap, those turned out nice. What types of wood did you use in those? I'm also curious about your process/which tools you're using. If I manage to do another one, I'm probably going to justify buying a router and making a sled to flatten it. I'm halfway through planing that DQ one by hand, and I might be able to have it finished by next week.
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Mar 2, 2018 19:32
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Phone posted:Oh snap, those turned out nice. What types of wood did you use in those? I'm also curious about your process/which tools you're using. Thanks! They are both maple, walnut, and padauk. I have a video of making the Mario one. But basically I cut all the pixels to 3/4" wide but slightly larger in length. I then glue up those into strips of 16 pixels with 3/4" pieces side by side. This way I can plane the strips after to get them down to 3/4" as well and then I know each pixel is square and I can get a clean glue up. I then glue those 16 strips into the 16x16 block. then sand like crazy. With cauls to keep it flat it's not too bad, but a router sled might speed up the process. Then finish with mineral oil. One issue I'm still trying to resolve is different clamping pressure per strip can cause some of the pixels to compact a bit and then my alignment gets slightly off. For my next one I'm going to try clamping them between cauls that are the exact width I want so I don't over tighten them. Hopefully it works. keep it down up there! fucked around with this message at 20:11 on Mar 2, 2018 |
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Mar 2, 2018 20:07
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I'm surprised you go for sanding for getting the top/bottom on the same plane of all of the individual pixels. My concern with that was that walnut would sand much faster than the maple or purple heart, the fact I'd be doing with a random orbital, and the real possibility of the discs getting all gummed up. I started using the small bevel up smoother to plane it both flat and smooth, and I'm planning on finishing the planing tonight before I have to hop on a plane in 2 weeks.  I have a bit of blowout, but it not toooo bad. The low spots are killing me, though. I did the glue up in one giant go like what Hypno did, I dimensioned all of the strips into 3/4"ish blocks of various heights, and then did an 11 hour glue up (45 minutes at a time; 15 min to get it out of clamps, add a new row, get it back in clamps, then let it sit for 25-30 minutes).
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Mar 2, 2018 20:47
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