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dyne posted:Thanks, buying a house is a great way to get more space (and a great excuse to buy more tools I bought a condo last year and there is no garage and the backyard is a teeny patio. All I've been able to do is small instructables projects. I've lately been cannibalizing furniture to change it into something else. Before: kitchen cart on wheels.  After: ottoman trunk   Before was a wooden shelf and after, 2 smaller window benches:  Before: a schooldesk  After: a hutch thingy... I may redo it, it's too cute and I want something more Colbert. 
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Dec 17, 2009 19:54
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McBeth posted:...I want something more Colbert. What does that phrase mean?
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Dec 17, 2009 22:33
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wormil posted:What does that phrase mean?
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Dec 18, 2009 05:01
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iwannabebobdylan posted:I'll get something together I guess, if nothing more than a bunch of photos and numbers. I need to figure out the chain connections and paint the thing first. Yes Please on the hand drums, I'd love to build a cajon but I've only found a few shaky plans online Did you use anything other than hardwood plys? Or are they all sheet goods.
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Dec 21, 2009 18:56
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Two things: 1) Anyone have recommendations for a compound miter saw? I'd like to be able to crosscut at least 12". This is the best thing I have come across so far, and is in the range of money I was looking to spend. I don't have room for a table saw, or the money to buy a good one so something this size would have to do. http://tinyurl.com/yk8d2wu 2) I'd love to see the write up you were talking about wormil ( all your projects ) If you'd be willing to type it up again. I'm sure I'm not alone in that.
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Dec 22, 2009 23:17
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Carta posted:2) I'd love to see the write up you were talking about wormil ( all your projects ) If you'd be willing to type it up again. I'm sure I'm not alone in that. Yeah, I forgot about that. Well maybe I'll have some time over the holidays. It's not as impressive as you probably imagine.
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Dec 23, 2009 07:49
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Good thing none of you posted nasty reviews of saw I mentioned 2 posts up... because my girlfriend likes the stuff I make her so much she bought it for me before I had a chance to buy it myself! Also got a router, chisels, clamps, some carrying bags, and very high quality safety glasses. Now I just need to find a nice bit set or just get what I'll use the most and go to town.  Wahoo!
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Dec 26, 2009 23:46
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I have the craftsman version of that saw, the screw that locks the sliding part in place broke off and now I can't lock it in place
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Dec 27, 2009 00:30
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I just returned from a trip to Jamaica where I picked up a wonderfully tacky hand carved mask from one of the beach shanty shops. Similar to these in style and shape, just different in the yellow wood area with the paintings http://www.cyberyaad.com/img/Mask.jpg Mine has a nice elephant not painted and some different design differences I guess. My question is, does anyone know of any good websites that could teach me how to make masks like these? I'm assuming that the tools would be hand carving ones judging on where I bought it. I have no experience with tools or wood working really, I'm trying to sift through the google results and trying to get started.
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Dec 29, 2009 10:01
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A friend of mine really wants a kidney bean shaped coffee table so I'm going to try and make one for her. The problem though is that the only wood I can find for the tabletop is 3/4" ply. I only have hand tools so buying solid pieces and gluing them together into a single sheet will be tricky, so I want to try to figure out how to use plywood and still make it look nice. What can I do to cover the edge of the plywood? If it were square I'd just attach some normal wood to the edge and it would look fine, but because it's going to be a constant curve that's not going to work.
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Dec 29, 2009 20:22
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joe awesome posted:A friend of mine really wants a kidney bean shaped coffee table so I'm going to try and make one for her. The problem though is that the only wood I can find for the tabletop is 3/4" ply. I only have hand tools so buying solid pieces and gluing them together into a single sheet will be tricky, so I want to try to figure out how to use plywood and still make it look nice. What you want is called edge banding. If you use oak ply, you can buy oak banding for the edges. They have iron on, glue on and probably others. You can buy it in variety that you can buy plywood in.
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Dec 29, 2009 21:56
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If you can't find edge banding to match (say you're using birch ply from home depot or something) you could always bend a thin piece of whatever closest wood you can find using steam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dg7mWlRHJw&feature=fvw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8tCbI8pnxw You can also use a heated piece of pipe after just soaking the wood in water for a while if you don't want to go to the trouble of setting up a steam thing. I used a pipe with a propane torch sticking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlc-kxBzvWk&feature=related
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Dec 29, 2009 22:27
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So I have a media stand with a crack on the top that you can almost see through and I was going to put a metal brace undneath to just stop the crack from spreading but it is a pretty thin piece of wood and I don't think I can get a screw into it with out breaking through the top. I'm going to put glue in the crack and stuff but I was also thinking of just gluing a wood block and use it as a brace but I don't know if wood glue would be able to get a strong enough bond to keep two flat pieces together with out any insert of some kind. What would be my best option?
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Dec 30, 2009 01:27
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Pooperscooper posted:So I have a media stand with a crack on the top that you can almost see through and I was going to put a metal brace undneath to just stop the crack from spreading but it is a pretty thin piece of wood and I don't think I can get a screw into it with out breaking through the top. I'm going to put glue in the crack and stuff but I was also thinking of just gluing a wood block and use it as a brace but I don't know if wood glue would be able to get a strong enough bond to keep two flat pieces together with out any insert of some kind. What would be my best option? As long as all the wood is clean and free of varnish etc wood glue should be fine. It is really strong, we use it to hold plinths together all the time, with no nails
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Dec 30, 2009 18:47
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Oh hey I actually, finally made something. Not too terribly proud of it considering some of the work in here, but it's been forever since I got to use my tools for something other than repairing the crappy crap that constantly breaks all around me. Mom called a few weeks ago and wanted a copy of the sawyer end table from Sturbridge Yankee Workshop, but wanted it to be a side table, with different dimensions and in 'natural' finish as opposed to painted white. I got pretty close I guess, ma was pleased. I did use plugs instead of those cutesy button things they put on knock together furniture because, well, gently caress buttons.
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Dec 31, 2009 05:20
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Another angle on it. I don't even know what 'cottage style' furniture is, google seems to indicate that it's some sort of shabby chic thing that furniture stores have invented fairly recently or something, some sort of unholy amalgam of arts+crafts, shaker and farmhouse specials where nothing really lines up right. I think I got that covered here. I put on some ipswitch pine stain, got three coats of fast dry satin poly leveled and got it down just in time for Christmas. Pallet wrap is a godsend for hauling stuff through the rain btw. Not even a drop on it.
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Dec 31, 2009 05:30
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mcrandello posted:Another angle on it. I don't even know what 'cottage style' furniture is, google seems to indicate that it's some sort of shabby chic thing that furniture stores have invented fairly recently or something, some sort of unholy amalgam of arts+crafts, shaker and farmhouse specials where nothing really lines up right. I think I got that covered here. I put on some ipswitch pine stain, got three coats of fast dry satin poly leveled and got it down just in time for Christmas. Pallet wrap is a godsend for hauling stuff through the rain btw. Not even a drop on it. Yeah I don't think I've seen that particular style. I love Arts&Crafts stuff though. It looks nicely put together. I think I'm going to work on an A&C bench sometime soon. Heres a couple boxes I did for Christmas. Design is from Doug Stowe, he has several books on boxes I'd recommend checking out.  
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Dec 31, 2009 22:39
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Continuing work on my dresser.. Trim! The right hand side vertical trim still needs to be clamped and glued, its just a single screw through the back so I could see how it would line up. This sucker has taught me a lot of things you should and shouldn't do.  Click here for the full 998x757 image. I think I'm going to get a bunch of harbor freight clamps.. I'd rather have way more than I need then not enough. Having the saw I had now 2 months ago would have been great as well, but this dresser is more of a need than a piece that I want to look perfect.
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Dec 31, 2009 23:42
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Carta posted:I think I'm going to get a bunch of harbor freight clamps.. I'd rather have way more than I need then not enough. Having the saw I had now 2 months ago would have been great as well, but this dresser is more of a need than a piece that I want to look perfect. Every time I go to the hardware store I make sure to buy 2 clamps. There really is no such thing as too many when it comes to clamps.
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Jan 1, 2010 01:16
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ChaoticSeven posted:Those look real nice. I can't tell from the pictures, but are the sides of the box square, or are they tapered like the lids? What is the lid in the quoted image made from? Very nice work!
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Jan 1, 2010 06:24
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The sides are square, the lids have um...I think it was a 14 degree bevel. The quoted image is spalted pecan. Thanks for the compliment.
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Jan 1, 2010 08:47
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FYI, they've started playing every episode of New Yankee Workshop in order on a schedule over on Norms website. Heres a link to the schedule. http://www.newyankee.com/onlineSchedule.php
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Jan 2, 2010 05:44
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JEEVES420 posted:Every time I go to the hardware store I make sure to buy 2 clamps. There really is no such thing as too many when it comes to clamps. My family ended up getting me a bunch of clamps for Christmas and I myself have added probably another 10 new clamps to the "clamp pile" in the last month. I've got a raincheck for two more Jorgensen CabinetMasters at Menards for $20/ea - hopefully they'll get more in stock. I wish I had gotten a raincheck for some of the longer clamps because I seriously underestimated how awesome the CabinetMasters are.
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Jan 2, 2010 23:18
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Finished a chair I've been working on the last few days. Other than those two little boxes, this is the first thing I've made with oak. I've always just written it off as uninteresting. I have to say it's now one of my favorite woods. It did prove that I need to replace the lovely Skill roundover bits I've been putting off and getting away with on cedar, though. Man.   
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Jan 3, 2010 03:08
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ChaoticSeven, you've got a Leigh dovetail jig, right? Did you use anything else before you bought the Leigh jig? I was eying that Porter Cable 4212 last fall but never ended up buying it. I'm planning a changing table that can be later converted into a dresser for one of my sisters and I'd like to do dovetailed drawers. I can't decide if I should go all out and get the DR4 or just go with the Porter Cable jig which is much cheaper. I'm not sure how much I'd need 24 inch dovetail cutting ability, which is part of the reason I was leaning towards the PC jig. Of course I could go middle ground and get one of the SuperJigs in 12 or 18 inches. Do you have the VRS for your jig? I'm thinking if I do end up buying the Leigh jig I'll get it with the VRS/accessory package since you save about $30 buying it that way.
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Jan 4, 2010 02:59
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The only thing I had before that was the Keller. http://www.amazon.com/Keller-Dovetail-System-135-1500-Journeyman/dp/B000022420/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1262572979&sr=8-2 It was sort of confusing even in it's dead simplicity and obviously, you aren't going to be playing with spacing. I think you may be a bit like me, in that if you even had an inkling of buying something bigger and badder in the first place, you'll end up with it sooner or later no matter what you buy in the meantime. I have upgraditis. The superjigs are a good deal in my opinion, if your absolutely sure you'll never need the 24 inches. They weren't out when I bought the D4R. I think I would have still bought the D4R just in case though. And yeah, the VRS works fine with a shopvac hooked up. It's like magic after blowing chips all in your face and all over the place. Plus it helps make sure you don't tip the router by accident.
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Jan 4, 2010 03:49
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Pants, you may also try looking at the Rockler jig http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17367&filter=dovetail. After an initial learning curve I was turning out blind dovetails for drawers in no time. The dust collection accessory is essential, I think, as there was absolutely no mess to speak of. That said, the guide bushing doesn't fit into a standard 5 3/4" Porter Cable router base-plate, but did on the 6" plunge router base plate. Going to have to order a new 5 3/4" plate that will work with it.
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Jan 4, 2010 15:45
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I'm a complete newbie to woodworking and since buying a house in October, I have been trying to set up a work area and acquire some tools now that I have a garage to work in. I have made a couple of hand-cut boxes that are shameful to look at after looking through this thread and what some of you are making, but I figure you have to start somewhere. I have a couple questions regarding some of my recent tool purchases. One: I bought a Craftsman 113.298032 10 inch table saw. It needs to be cleaned up but just a little attention has already improved parts of the top (nearest the blade) as seen below.   The saw didn't come with a blade guard or splitter/spreader. Sears still stocks the original for around $50, and it doesn't seem as if there are a lot of other options for different hardware. The price isn't an issue, I just didn't know if I should explore any other options for a splitter and guard before buying the official replacement. If it matters, the following picture is where that hardware would have to connect.  My other question concerns the router table I am putting together. It's not exactly pretty or properly built, but it is more than functional. I originally figured I would build it myself to save money, but I think I'll probably be spending more in the end.  I was looking at getting the Original Incra Jig http://incra.com/product_rtf_originaljig.htm and building a fence to go along with it since I have plenty of MDF laying around after cutting out the top of the table. Does anyone have any opinions of the Incra jig? The new ones are pretty sweet looking, but not only are they out of my price range, but I don't think I could fit one on my table the way it is currently set up. I could cut a new top, but again, price is the real issue. I think the original jig will fit on the table as is. The table is 24 inches front to back and the bit and plate are centered.  Sorry for the long post. I appreciate any replies and look forward to seeing all the other projects you all turn out. To make this post longer and embarrass myself with my lack of skill, please enjoy some less than impressive first projects. First attempt at making anything out of wood:  Trying a different joint:  Way too glossy birdhouse:  Utility bench trying and failing to act like a real woodworkers workbench: 
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Jan 5, 2010 05:18
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Just wanted to stop in and say you guys do some drat nice work here. I used to do alot of woodworking 10+ years ago, but have done little since then. I'm about to start the process of building a new crucible furnace, so I'll be picking up my wood tools again soon since I'll have to start making patterns of poo poo I want to cast.
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Jan 5, 2010 05:29
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PapFinn posted:I'm a complete newbie to woodworking and since buying a house in October, I have been trying to set up a work area and acquire some tools now that I have a garage to work in. Handcut anything is something to be proud of. I still haven't gotten many handtools beyond a basic chisel set and a #5 stanley. Partly because I don't have a workbench and vises to hold poo poo down while planing. Also, partly because I made myself stop buying poo poo, it was getting beyond bad. I decided to only buy new poo poo if it was paid for by using the old poo poo. The other day I ordered this Veritas scraping set paid for by the old poo poo. I'm super excited to be getting these metal cards and plastic handles. Kinda sad. I think next up will be some vises so I can build a real bench instead of using my assembly table and start using planes. I've been getting tired of being limited to 8" boards (8" Jointer). On the table saw splitter, contact this guy via e-mail. He can probably hook you up, and it'll be a lot better than the stock horseshit. Cost more though. He also has a lead time on orders. http://www.leestyron.com/contactus.php
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Jan 5, 2010 06:24
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PapFinn posted:One: Speaking of old Craftsman hardware, here's part of what mom and dad sent me home with for Christmas, a 103.24280 bandsaw that my grandfather bought. I lacquered the base since it was starting to get rusty and put a wood top on the base because it had always bothered me having the switchbox just kind of hanging off the side rail. Also I did a motor swap on it with my shopbuilt drum sander because the o.g. motor had some dead spots on it causing it not to start right for several years. Also I put the motor up top because the old one was getting covered in sawdust. Now I just need to put on a sharp blade, replace the tires and see if I can get some of those cool-blocks to replace the guides on it.
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Jan 5, 2010 08:59
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Been helping a friend finish his basement. We tore out the old stairs and put new ones in, and during the process, another friend says, "Hey, you should put a round step down here!" Owner agrees and I am tasked with the mini-project: It's fully anchored all the way around, so it feels as solid as the concrete it's sitting on. The whole thing will be carpeted, so looks weren't really an issue (I don't envy the guy who has to figure out how to wrap carpet around that bottom step...but that'll be done by a pro, so whatever) Also, it gave me an excuse to buy one of those router jigs for cutting circles.  Also of note: I offered to enclose the space under the stairs.  "You should have made it a door, you dolt!" Oh, well then...  And matching panels for the spaces above and beside the door (only one complete when I took the picture, and the facade isn't in place here, but it lines up with everything nicely, with just as much gap between the facade and the panels as between the panels themselves)  Anyhow, I'm sure there are some "bugs" in the construction here since we were sort of figuring things out as we went. On the other hand, everything feels super solid, so that's a plus. My other projects currently include refinishing a second-hand hutch I picked up for cheap, and a workbench for my garage. Completion of the former relies on completion of the latter, since winter sort of put a stop on the hutch work, and it rapidly became "main pile storage" in my garage. Once I finish the workbench, I can pull the hutch out of that space, put the workbench in, clean poo poo up a bit, and get back to work on the hutch in the spring since it'll then be accessible again. Exciting! Question: I have a nice Dewalt router, the plunge/fixed base one, and I'm happy with that. However, I recently inherited an old porter cable fixed base. I'm thinking about putting that in a table more permanently. Any recommendations on tables? I'd like something of reasonable quality, but I don't want to spend $500 just for a table. Specifically, are there any brands I should look for or avoid?
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Jan 5, 2010 19:52
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I vote for making your own router table. They are fairly easy to make. I've never even used a commercial router table in my lifetime. (Also router circle jigs are easy to make yourself as well BTW.)
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Jan 5, 2010 19:56
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Fair enough on both counts. I don't regret having bought the jig, though, even if they are easy. I like having all those little holes being calibrated for a half-inch spindle, and using it is a snap. The one I got goes from 7" out to something like 52" (diameter) in 1/4" increments. I hope to use it to build a poker table next. 
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Jan 5, 2010 20:03
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mcrandello posted:Oh man I love old iron. I've got my father's old contractors gear that some friends have laughed at that I continue to use. Then I laugh even harder when they whine about break downs or flimsy plastics etc.. My big peices are all old (25-30+ year) old craftsman when they built stuff to last. Nothing breaks (seriously over designed steel/iron is going to win over wood everytime) and works flawlessly with just some cleaning and oiling.
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Jan 6, 2010 05:16
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Bad Munki posted:Are you planning on installing that board over the stringers like that? It looks nice like that, but I'd be worried about people tripping over it when they take a right at the bottom of the steps. I agree with dv6speed on making your own router table. I made my own using two pieces of slick shelving face-glued together to make a very solid top, then just built an enclosed box base out of crappy plywood and included some little drawers to hold the collet wrenches, extra collets, and other accessories. The disadvantage is that it doesn't have the some of the features of a commercial base like a lift or a fancy fence. The advantages are that it cost about $10 total to build, is much quieter due to the enclosed base, and it does what I need it to. By just having one to use and get experience with, it gives me a much better idea what features I could use or don't need if I were to either build a fancy one or buy a commercial one somewhere down the road. ChaoticSeven posted:Other than those two little boxes, this is the first thing I've made with oak. I've always just written it off as uninteresting. I have to say it's now one of my favorite woods. I'm not much of a fan of oak, because, like you, I have always considered it a uninteresting wood. What made you change your mind?
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Jan 6, 2010 07:16
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I also have always considered oak uninteresting but lately I've been thinking of building something from white oak.
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Jan 6, 2010 08:26
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SkunkDuster posted:Are you planning on installing that board over the stringers like that? It looks nice like that, but I'd be worried about people tripping over it when they take a right at the bottom of the steps. Yep, that's going in. Of note is that you really can't turn right until you're all the way down unless you want to hit your head on the wall/ceiling. There's a beam that follows the near edge of the stairs and if you want to go under it, you need to be on the ground. Otherwise, we'll retrofit a banister.
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Jan 6, 2010 16:59
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What are some of the woodworking forums are you guys going to? I've been reading a bit on the sawmillcreek forums.
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Jan 6, 2010 19:21
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dyne posted:What are some of the woodworking forums are you guys going to? I've been reading a bit on the sawmillcreek forums. I used to read and enjoy the rec.woodworking newsgroup quite a bit. I say, "used to" not because it went downhill or anything, but because I got a new house a while back and haven't made much sawdust in the past few years. Some of the regulars there tend to be a bit opinionated and set in their ways, but they also tend to be extremely good at what they do and can be a fountain of extremely useful information. Just avoid using "cherry" and "stain" in the same post and that should keep you out of the deep poo poo When I first started visiting there, I asked some question or another about staining wood and got lit up by a guy named Larry Jaques. In a nutshell, he said, "Why would you stain one type of wood to look like another type when you could just use the other type in the first place? Wood is beautiful and smearing RBS all over it just hides that beauty." Like anybody else who has ever watched New Yankee Workshop, I just automatically assumed that the way to finish any woodworking project was to "stain and poly". Larry was a bit abrasive towards me, but I listened to him and bought Flexner's book, Understanding Wood Finishing and learned a lot from that. One thing I learned, and this is just my own perspective, is that pigment stain is a terrible idea unless you have a real good reason (matching, restoring) to use it. I learned to love shellac flakes and oils. I learned that RBS stood for "reddish brown poo poo". There was a guy named Tom Plamann that used to post there and his skills could put anybody to shame. I'm not sure what happened, but he took down his website and completely gave up woodworking to (please don't ban me for this because it is the truth) sell Mangosteen. I guess he isn't doing that anymore because now his site just goes to a list of mp3s. He'd talked about how he enjoyed making music on his computer, so I guess that is what he is up to now. Fortunately, his woodworking site has been archived. It is the religious equivalent of finding the Ark of the Covenant: http://web.archive.org/web/20060328020141/www.plamann.com/sys-tmpl/door/ After bringing Tom Plamann into the thread, I feel like I might as well be posting pictures of a used tampon, but I mentioned my $10 router table a few posts back and figured I'd post some pictures. Here she is in all her lovely plywood and spray paint glory.  I made some inserts in 1/4" diameter increments and keep them in the drawers. I mixed up some shellac and it left a stain.  This is the guts. A PC7518. I was kind of over excited when I got it, and did something unsafe that I probably shouldn't have, but I stuck a 3/4" straight bit in there and set the depth to 1.5" and ran a piece of 8/4 walnut through it. It cut through it like butter. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have taken such a deep cut, but I let my excitement get the best of me.  This is the side view of the top and fence. The top is made from a chipped piece of shelving I got from Menard's for $4 or so. I cut it in half, rough sanded the adjoining faces, then glued them together with some hardcore 3M spray adhesive. My fence face looks all warped and twisted in this picture, but that is just from the camera. It is quite square. I hold it in place by clamping it to the edges of the table. I never said it was fancy or pretty. I just said it works. 
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Jan 6, 2010 21:23
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