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Looking for some help on finishing a project. I'm working on a set of stairs for my dog to get up on the bed. I'm new to woodworking, and the only other "project" I've completed is slapping together a big work table out of plywood and 2x4's. My only tools are a drill and driver, circular saw, drill press, a hacksaw, orbital sander, and a bunch of clamps. I made a cross-cut and ripping jig for my circular saw, but it turns out they don't cut very straight. I'm building the stairs out of 3/4" thick pine boards. I cut them to size and used dowels to assemble the sides, then sanded them smooth. None of the matching edges of the boards were level -- some were off by almost 1/4"! The bottoms are even at the end, but one board is bowed in significantly in the center:  Every pair of edges is like that or worse. I tried to even them out by clamping the sides together and using the orbital sander to even them out. They're level now, but no longer even close to flat. The more I sand the worse it gets.  How do I fix this? I imagine some kind of hand plane (never used one) could get them flat again, but how do I get into the corners? Should I just attach (planning on pocket screws and glue) the front and tops of each stair and add some kind of wood filler? Should I go back in time and make sure the boards are flat and level before I glue everything up??? I'm really just looking to complete this project to get my dog to stop crying at me, and hopefully prevent it from being a complete eyesore. Luckily as a beginner to all this my bar for "not an eyesore" is much lower than all of yours. I'm planning on getting a band saw, miter saw, hand plane(s?), and chisels over the next year, not sure if any of these are immediately applicable to my problem. Please help!  (No I didn't built this lovely deck.)
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Jul 15, 2018 22:53
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| # ? May 16, 2024 15:59 |
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Just leave it as it is, nobody's going to notice and you'll have forgotten about it yourself in a year. Yes you could use a plane to remove the excess on the longer part, then use a chisel (or even just a plain knife) to fix the corner. But seriously, nobody's going to notice, especially not if it's partially covered by overhang. nielsm fucked around with this message at 23:00 on Jul 15, 2018 |
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Jul 15, 2018 22:58
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There actually won't be any overhang, I'm just holding another board against the edge there to show the gap. But I'll probably leave it anyway based on your advice.
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Jul 15, 2018 23:15
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Yeah for reference "go back in time and make them straight before glueup" is most of the answer, but also be aware that whenever you take a flat plank of wood and you cut parts of it off, it may stop being flat because that's what wood likes to do. Plywood is the exception because it's made of sheets of wood alternating directions of grain so they collectively keep each other from warping. Usually. So one option for what you were doing is to buy a sheet of ply and cut your stringers out of it, then put your planks across those.
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Jul 16, 2018 00:39
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simble posted:Unless it's rotten, yes. I have a piece of plywood strung between 2 studs that's holding my dust collector which must weigh at least 75 pounds. I have that! But the bottom 48 inches is, well, the bottom. And stuff is in front of it. Pegboard is above. 
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Jul 16, 2018 00:42
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Oh by the way forgot why I came in here. Just went to our local Rockler, they're having a sale through the end of the month. I'm thinking about a bandsaw. They have a Jet 10" 1/2HP for $300. It's basically a benchtop saw that comes with a stand. Space in my garage is pretty limited. I've been debating whether the next serious tool I get is a bandsaw or a planer/jointer, but I think given I'm enjoying doing the hand-planing thing, and given a bandsaw has a lot of uses (like, cutting things that aren't wood) I might go that way. Is the Jet well-regarded at that price?
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Jul 16, 2018 00:58
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a 10" bandsaw is only useful for making small circles and various curves a 14" delta are $300ish all day on CL with some patience. 20" inca 710s can be found for 400.
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Jul 16, 2018 01:03
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No matter how many times I do it, I don't think the transformation that wood undergoes when you put that first layer of finish on will ever get old.
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Jul 16, 2018 15:35
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:No matter how many times I do it, I don't think the transformation that wood undergoes when you put that first layer of finish on will ever get old. Hear, hear!
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Jul 16, 2018 15:57
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I want to do more with softwoods, so I'm starting a couple of wall cabinets from sugar pine or redwood (because it's what I have) with really figured hardwood back panels. Haven't cut dovetails by hand in 2ish years. Gave really easy ones a shot in Maple last night and it went better than expected, but not great. Look okay glued up, but not even close to good enough to make me confident in crazy soft softwoods.   Have any of you tried grinding a spare chisel to a very low angle for less endgrain tearing while paring? Rob Cosman talks about it in a video (I think he recommended buying his 17 degree ground chisel for $$$), and I know it's otherwise somewhat common. Hypnolobster fucked around with this message at 16:41 on Jul 16, 2018 |
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Jul 16, 2018 16:36
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Phone posted:a 10" bandsaw is only useful for making small circles and various curves drat. I really already knew this, and didn't bother to think about it, because <shiny new thing in store>. But you're right, and that's exactly how I got my table saw. What should I look for in a used bandsaw? As in, where are the most likely wear/failure points, and what are the best brands? Delta, Inca... anything else?
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Jul 16, 2018 16:49
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Sugar pine is absolutely one of my favorite woods to work by hand. Such pleasant, soft, stable wood. I've generally found dovetails easier to do in softwoods-they'll sort of bash together if they're too tight, where I find hard woods have to be fit much more closely.   Looking at my paring vs. bench chisels, they look fairly close to the same angle-the paring chisels are an old set I've just honed and never ground, and they are maybe a bit lower of an angle. Interestingly, the chisels are slightly curved along their length to get the handle up out of the way, and contrary to the usual advice to flatten the bottom of chisels, they are honed with a bit of a rounded/angled bottom which also helps get the handle up out of the way, and they cut beautifully. Probably worth trying grinding one to a lower angle, you'd just have a weaker edge but that should be less of an issue on a chisel just used for paring. I find the best help on end grain is to make sure you are sort of slicing when you cut and not just pushing. Edited for accidentally huge pictures. Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 23:59 on Jul 16, 2018 |
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Jul 16, 2018 17:01
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HAHA, ya'll thought the Charcuterie Board saga was over. IT IS NOT! So, recall, I flooded with mineral oil, then applied a wax later on, and then weeks later, attempted Tung. After some time I realized it was not the best and I sanded it all down. (60, 100, 120, 220, wet sanded higher, etc) It ended up nice. I reflooded it with mineral oil. (3 coats.) Sanded all but last. Here's the thing. It still has a strong odor. It's either the tung, or the paste wax, I would gather, as the mineral has no odor. I guess it's leftover from soaking into the wood. Is that going to eventually go away? It's been airing out for a week since I sanded and mineral oiled it, but the paste wax is from months ago and the tung was at least 2 weeks ago. [Ed] it’s from the Odie’s oil /Odie’s wax. Kind of a citrusy-menthol smell. Feenix fucked around with this message at 18:54 on Jul 16, 2018 |
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Jul 16, 2018 18:48
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At this point? Just be happy with it like it is or start over from scratch.
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Jul 16, 2018 23:24
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The best worst part of woodworking is you'll always have some aspect you feel like you could have done better, you're always learning. At some point you just gotta call it and move on (not saying I know when that is for you)
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Jul 16, 2018 23:28
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ilkhan posted:At this point? Just be happy with it like it is or start over from scratch. Was that post meant for me? If so, I mean, sure I can be happy with craftsmanship defects, but I'm not sure if "very strong smell" coming from a board you serve cheese and meats on is something I can just be happy with. I was just wondering if even what appears to be deep penetration of Odie's oil or Odie's wax will eventually be done smelling. I sanded a poo poo ton off the board when I started over. So maybe it's a fail, maybe not. But I was just curious if it was or was not considered normal to still have such an aroma.
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Jul 16, 2018 23:45
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Just think how great your next cutting board is gonna be!
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Jul 16, 2018 23:53
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Some period of offgassing is normal. But with everything you did to that hapless board, who knows how long it will take to clear up.
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Jul 16, 2018 23:56
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Some period of offgassing is normal. But with everything you did to that hapless board, who knows how long it will take to clear up. Lol. Too true!
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Jul 17, 2018 03:31
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I realize this is a very broad question, but: what's the availability of wood in Denmark? We're looking at opening a Europe branch but the business model may not be viable outside the land of infinite cheap fir where we're at now. What, if any, wood species is the basic common stuff there and what's the general price look like? (I'm of the personal opinion that it's a dumb idea and won't happen but whatever, I'll research for it)
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Jul 18, 2018 02:38
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Javid posted:I realize this is a very broad question, but: what's the availability of wood in Denmark? We're looking at opening a Europe branch but the business model may not be viable outside the land of infinite cheap fir where we're at now. What, if any, wood species is the basic common stuff there and what's the general price look like? Is your business being a sawmill, lumberyard, or furniture/other finished procucts? Fir and spruce are common construction lumber, with larch also being relatively easy to obtain. Native hardwoods are for the most part oak and beech. Horse chestnut is also rather common as a tree, but I don't think I've seen lumber of it advertised. (Edit: Ash is also relatively common.) You won't find hardwood lumber in common construction stores, but there are some lumber yards and sawmills around selling it. I've bought my hardwood from https://www.hvalsoe-sawmill.dk/, they also import various African species. nielsm fucked around with this message at 11:50 on Jul 18, 2018 |
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Jul 18, 2018 07:34
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Furniture. We use mostly fir. If that's readily available there then great.
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Jul 18, 2018 07:43
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Putting my hand up to move to Denmark and make
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Jul 18, 2018 11:15
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Hey guys. A couple questions for advice. Feel free to answer one or both (or none, I suppose? That's an option!) 1) Want to make an end grain cutting board. What is good (for end grain cutting boards) wood, that isn't TOO fancy/expensive. Just something that will look nice and work well for that purpose and won't break the bank. 2) I need to put a shelf on my kid's wall. Something like 6-8 feet long, at about 7 feet off the ground. I have never been fond of how L brackets look under a shelf (I suppose I could get fancy ones, though) but I was wondering about other alternatives, like a hanging shelf. Nothing that moved/swung, but something mounted on poles or industrial pipes or something? Thoughts? Any other suggestions for a nice shelf on a wall?
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Jul 18, 2018 23:45
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Hard maple and cherry are my favorites for cutting boards, endgrain or otherwise. Both have fine grain and closed pores which are good for cutting boards. Soft maple is okay too and a bit cheaper than hard, especially if you get paint grade stuff-which depending on your lumberyard also often has lots of curly maple hidden in it. My lumberyard mostly sells to cabinet and millwork shops and they consider curl a defect, so they stick it all in the paint grade pile for cheap. It's as hard or harder than cherry, and especially for end grain boards is plenty hard. Walnut is also popular, but I don't love it because it is open grain (and theoretically little salmonellas or whatever can hide in those pores) and it's not as hard as I like, but does make a nice contrast with lighter woods. Mahogany, oak, ash etc also go in the camp of open grained stuff that I don't love for cutting boards. Beech is sort of open grained but gets used in all kinds of kitchen utensils so I guess it's fine. It's pretty bland looking too, but often available quite inexpensively.
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Jul 19, 2018 01:22
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Seconding the maple and cherry. Also consider purpleheart, if it's available in your area.
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Jul 19, 2018 01:50
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Seconding the maple and cherry. Also consider purpleheart, if it's available in your area. I actually did my cursed charcuterie board In purpleheart and black limba. (See earlier in this thread.) does Purpleheart have good end grain? Is it nice and hard? (Seems so from what I have handled of it...)
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Jul 19, 2018 02:09
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Feenix posted:I actually did my cursed charcuterie board In purpleheart and black limba. (See earlier in this thread.) does Purpleheart have good end grain? Is it nice and hard? (Seems so from what I have handled of it...) It's pretty comparable to maple, really. Hard, tight grain, easy to accidentally burn, is hell to work with hand tools especially if you need to bring down the end grain.
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Jul 19, 2018 02:16
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hard maple can die in a fire, s2s that poo poo from the lumberyard
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Jul 19, 2018 02:26
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Word, maybe I’ll do a Purpleheart and Maple mix. Fun.
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Jul 19, 2018 03:05
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is poplar any good for cutting boards?
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Jul 19, 2018 04:33
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Leperflesh posted:is poplar any good for cutting boards? A bit soft isn't it? Easier on your knife I guess but it won't last as long.
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Jul 19, 2018 05:08
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As I understand it, even hard end-grain boards should be pretty easy on your knife blade, because the blade goes between the fibers and gets stopped by wedge action, instead of by something directly blocking the edge. I definitely wouldn't use poplar though. Way too soft. Look up the Janka hardness to get an idea of how hard different woods are.
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Jul 19, 2018 05:17
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Had this axe head for a while now and finally getting around to making a shaft for it. Couldn't finish though, the weather is too punishing, was 34C last night which is loving nuts. Went to the beach for the rest of the day.
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Jul 19, 2018 06:57
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And done
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Jul 19, 2018 19:42
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His Divine Shadow posted:And done That's cool as hell. What type of axe is that (function, not maker)? Axes are such elegant tools for such a seemingly brutal, basic job and I've always found the little nuanced pedigree/niche purpose stuff interesting.
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Jul 19, 2018 20:02
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It's a Billnäs model 12 axe head. I know you weren't interested in the brand but that denotes it's function. Which in this case is a general purpose axe, both felling and splitting. I am considering using it more for timbering.
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Jul 19, 2018 20:07
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I am not an axe expert but I think given the angle of the face, it's intended for cutting things that are low to the ground. For splitting logs usually you have the log balanced on a stump or whatever so it's much higher, and bringing that axe down on something at waist level is going to drive the sharp corner of the lowest part of the face into the wood. I'd want to be chopping at something closer to knee or shin level with that one. That would make sense for felling, and for segmenting logs on the ground, then?
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Jul 19, 2018 20:15
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/\/\/\ Ha, I was going to guess it WAS for splitting-- the backward curve of the handle keeps the face closer to being in-line with the knuckles instead of letting it jut out like a straight handle would, so the prominent 'chin' of the blade wouldn't hit until the rest of the blade was closer to horizontal. I'm no expert either, though, so what the hell do I know? Thanks for sharing, HDS, that's really cool.
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Jul 19, 2018 20:35
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| # ? May 16, 2024 15:59 |
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Hmm, handle shape definitely affects that geometry, you're right.
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Jul 19, 2018 21:10
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