|
So I'm fairly new to making furniture, have mostly done small projects then had a year off from anything really as I recovered from a partial basement flood. I'm thinking about designing a small bench that will serve a combination of letting my dog chill out and stare out the window/ but also be seating for one person or two kids if I'm having more people over for dinner/board games. Does anyone have any resources for starting out with doing your own designs. I'm hoping to do a mcm sort of leg/skirt feel for this bench then a rougher top that I'll probably get upholstered with a cushion. I've watched a bunch of youtube vids/scanned the web but most of the benches out there where people have plans are really simple or magnolia farmhouse type stuff. At this point I'm getting close to stealing a coffee table design and fiddling with the dimensions a bit to see if it works but figured I'd ask here first.
|
#
?
Mar 15, 2023 23:12
|
|
Generalissimo
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 09:52 |
|
|
Build a Chris Schwarz staked bench, they’re awesome.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 00:10
|
|
|
Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Do you notice a big difference in noise and dust collection? My jointer with a spiral (but not helical) head is waaaay quieter than I would expect even face jointing very wide stuff and the dust collection never clogs. My planer with straight knives clogs up a lot though, especially in softer woods where the chips don’t break up. I’ve been thinking of getting a spiral head for it but they’re like $3500 and the planer is 20 years old and I’m not sure I want to put that kind of money into it. I wear Isotunes earbuds under a set of 3M muffs most of the time, so I can't say that I've noticed a difference. My dust collection is much better with the helical head though, yeah. I enjoy using the planer way more now. Meow Meow Meow posted:edit: benchtop jointers in general are poorly regarded. I have an 8" Rikon helical-head benchtop jointer (I mention Rikon so as to say--bought for form factor and not because it was cheap) and I quite like it, tbh. I do clamp it down because I don't need a piece of wood carrying it away, but the cut is really nice. I rarely have occasion to use longer boards, and it would probably struggle there, but for the simple furniture-y stuff I do it's fine. It is, however, loud as gently caress.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 00:24
|
|
|
Toast posted:Does anyone have any resources for starting out with doing your own designs. My strategy is, I head to Google image search, pick out a handful I like, and then plan out a design that incorporates the details I like and meets the dimensions I need. For more general knowledge, I follow a few woodworkers I like online and listen to podcasts and also read woodworking magazines and books. Pick up some design ideas through those, alongside all the other info they present. Favorite woodworking design Instagram follows: Christian Becksvoort, Mike Pekovich. Some books that are especially good at design stuff: By Hand and Eye (George Walker & Jim Tolpin), The Why and How of Woodworking (Mike Pekovich). Fine Woodworking magazine sells an Unlimited subscription that includes their entire magazine back catalog and some books as well. Lots of design ideas there, though you'll have to dig for them. Toast posted:At this point I'm getting close to stealing a coffee table design and fiddling with the dimensions a bit to see if it works but figured I'd ask here first. Nothing wrong with that! Since people/dogs will be sitting/jumping on it, you'll want to make sure it's extra stable compared to a table that receives relatively little abuse.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 00:26
|
|
|
ColdPie posted:My strategy is, I head to Google image search, pick out a handful I like, and then plan out a design that incorporates the details I like and meets the dimensions I need. Thanks and yeah, I feel like a couple designs I saw would be ok with an added stretcher
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 05:44
|
|
|
Mederlock posted:I'm an Insulator by trade myself and I've been debating getting a egg beater hand drill like that for just that scenario as well. I got stuck on a 135’ manlift yesterday without their normal tool tray, so I got busy making some shop level poo poo out of my pile scraps. Usually they have that little cup holder setup on the smaller ones I toss my poo poo into but this one is just control panel and wide open basket.  So fabbed up some scraps into a tool tray, screw holder, and some sliding tie off points with swivels.  Brought it up and worked out great.  Locks onto the mid rail and is easily removed - lest any other trades take off with it. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 15:37
|
|
|
Sockington posted:I got stuck on a 135’ manlift yesterday without their normal tool tray, so I got busy making some shop level poo poo out of my pile scraps. Duuuuuude that's hella dope. Yeah that tray is a godsend. gently caress working on vessels and towers from a manlift though. Nothin like holding the 20' boiler sheet as a wind gust picks up and you hold for dear life as the lift sways back and forth 
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 15:49
|
|
|
Sockington posted:I’ve got this hand one I picked up at a yard sale and haven’t really found the right job to use it on. Yeah that reamer looks like it's really long, the angle would put a pretty small chamfer on a hole... plus doing it by hand... plus it's got straight rather than spiral flutes. I'd love to have one to hand to kind of test & compare the two, but I don't actually need this reamer for anything in particular, it was just like $2 so I had no choice but to buy it. It was basically forced.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 18:22
|
|
|
Has anyone seen such a thing as a water based oil modified polyurethane? Just ran across this and I think my brain just broke. Imagine it's either the best or worst of both worlds, and thinking the latter. https://www.minwax.com/en/products/...wE&gclsrc=aw.ds Bob Mundon fucked around with this message at 20:33 on Mar 16, 2023 |
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 20:27
|
|
|
Bob Mundon posted:Has anyone seen such a thing as a water based oil modified polyurethane? Just ran across this and I think my brain just broke. Imagine it's either the best or worst of both worlds, and thinking the latter. Can't speak to polyurethane, but in the art world water-soluble oil paints have been around for awhile. I'm sure there are reasons that traditional oils are "better", but for the most part they get you the good of both worlds.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 21:20
|
|
|
Bob Mundon posted:Has anyone seen such a thing as a water based oil modified polyurethane? Just ran across this and I think my brain just broke. Imagine it's either the best or worst of both worlds, and thinking the latter. I ordered a quart, we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping for the low odor of water-based poly with the color of oil-based. I don't care how long it takes to dry, but the reviews say it goes off fast.
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 22:27
|
|
|
I don’t know anything about that particular product, but yes, wild things are happening in finish chemistry. Keep in mind that just because something is water-borne or water based doesn’t necessarily mean it is safer. Many water borne finishes use glycol ethers (antifreeze) as solvents and miscibility agents that may be toxic so still use appropriate PPE. I know at least industrially/commercially there are some water based 2k polyurethanes that require full bunny suit and respirator, so still read the MSDS (or at least the can)
|
|
#
?
Mar 16, 2023 22:30
|
|
|
Trip report from my Home Depot visit today to try to exchange the Dewalt planer that showed up all beat to hell. I checked the website and saw they had none in stock, so I wasn't expecting to be able to exchange it today, but thought if I brought in the planer and receipts, they could get one delivered to the store and I could come back in a few days and do the exchange. gently caress no. They said the only way they could get one in the store is if I bought another one for $800 and change and had it shipped to the store, then I could bring mine in and get a refund on the original purchase. It could have been simple to get a refund on the purchase today if I also brought the stand in (because I bought the planer and stand as a set), but I spent over an hour crouched down on my lovely knees putting it together so I do not want to return a the stand I already built to get a new one that I will have to build again. I just want to exchange the planer and keep the stand. I told them I don't have an extra $800 kicking around to buy another planer, so how about Home Depot buys another planer and I'll come back when it arrives and exchange it. Nope, that won't work because they don't want to get stuck with their best seller and the #1 selling planer on Amazon if I don't come back. The only way they can get one to the store is if I purchase another one and have it delivered to the store. Then I will have to bring my planer and stand back into the store and exchange it for the new stuff. So, I ordered one to be delivered to the store and I guess that's what I'm going to do. Except, when I go to do the exchange, I'm going to tell them to keep the new stand and I'm going to take the stand I already built back home with the new planer. I give them a 50/50 chance of doing it. The two people I dealt with in customer service today seemed pretty dense. Edit: Anybody know why the hell they wouldn't stock their best selling planer in the store? Are they intentionally trying to drive sales to the online store? Skunkduster fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Mar 17, 2023 |
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 02:39
|
|
|
welp I'm the moron who forgot to readjust their miter gauge good news is: I know the new SawStop works 
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 04:43
|
|
|
Skunkduster posted:Trip report from my Home Depot visit today to try to exchange the Dewalt planer that showed up all beat to hell. Sucks about the rigamarole. You just gotta follow the steps sometimes. What you ran into is actually pretty common. They have to have at least 1 of the items available at the advertised price, but that is all AFAIK. It's what's called a loss-leader. They lose money on the planer itself, but because they don't actually have a lot of them, they don't lose that much. Meanwhile, dozens of people with their hearts set on getting a new planer are frustrated, and many buy something else instead - something they make more money on than the advertised item. The cheap planer ad is just an enticement to get you into the store, in other words. Once you're there they're betting you'll buy stuff on impulse.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 05:03
|
|
|
My parents have a kitchen table that's 30+ years old, but they really want to keep it. It's got legs that look like this, pretty standard with hanger bolts: The last time I was over, I saw a bottle of titebond and a clamp in the kitchen, which was concerning to me because my dad is not particularly handy. Eventually I got out of him that a leg had broken, he had tried to fix it, the fix didn't take, and now the leg was just loose under the tabletop and he was just hoping the table wouldn't collapse while he was making dinner. His fix was to take the chunk that broke off, glue it back on, and shove wood filler in the holes, hoping the hanger bolts would bite into it. They did not:  My plan is to cut out the damaged part to get a clean and flat face, glue on a block of wood that's a close enough color/grain match (they don't care that much about this part, so I'll probably use a scrap of maple or something), cut the curve in the inside, drill new holes for the hangers, and apply some kind of finish to try to hide the repair. It's on the inside face, so there's little chance it'll be obvious, and they can always turn the table to have it against the wall. The main problem I have is cutting it cleanly -- I have a crappy 10" bandsaw that isn't super well-tuned, and honestly the leg plus a jig to hold it at the right angle might be too tall for the cutting height of it. I could set up a jig kind of like a router flattening sled and carve away at it, but that feels like a lot of work, and I don't know if I have a straight bit that would go deep enough. If I put together a jig to hold it at the right angle, I could probably use the Ridgid belt/spindle sander to get it pretty good, with maybe a little chisel work to clean up the face. The other option is to keep the hackjob repair, drill out some new holes, and fill them with hardwood dowels, or maybe a rectangular mortise. Am I missing an option here? I have a relatively well-equipped woodshop, so there's probably a lot of options.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 17:30
|
|
|
I’m sure someone will chime in with an eloquent solution, but if I’m understanding the problem correctly, I would just drill the holes all the way through and then use through-bolts. Yeah you’ll see the bolts on the outside, but it will take 30 seconds and be plenty solid.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 17:42
|
|
|
I would freehand that cut with a coping or fret saw, and then sand it to reasonably flat, and then glue on a block like you suggested. With a small cut like that my preference is to clamp in a vise and go slow and careful with a hand tool so I don't have a split second huge fuckup. I might do a practice cut on scrap first to make sure I'm not about to have a huge problem with it. But your plan is otherwise reasonably sound. e. drilling all the way through is another option although you still need to fill the gap so it fits snug against the inside surfaces of the tabletop.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 17:43
|
|
|
Pretty good chance a whack with a chisel along the break/your dad's lovely glueline will break the old chunk off. Clean up what of the glue you can (if he used TB1 it will come off easily enough with water), then epoxy it back in place and epoxy the hanger bolts in too. Helps a ton to wax the surface of the piece well before gluing to make cleanup easier. Touch up with marker/crayon/paint as needed.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 17:47
|
|
|
Another option for that shape would be to just go at it with a rasp (specifically, the kind that's a metal rod, not a Japanese rasp, since you need to get into the inside of a curve). You don't need to remove a lot of material to get that shape, and the hand tool would be easier to control.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 17:50
|
|
|
Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Pretty good chance a whack with a chisel along the break/your dad's lovely glueline will break the old chunk off. Clean up what of the glue you can (if he used TB1 it will come off easily enough with water), then epoxy it back in place and epoxy the hanger bolts in too. Helps a ton to wax the surface of the piece well before gluing to make cleanup easier. Touch up with marker/crayon/paint as needed. I took the chunk off, it's pretty gnarly:  But I got the surface mostly cleaned up, when I get another chance I'm going to take a sanding block to it to try to flatten it reasonably well:  Man, paring with a nice sharp chisel is satisfying work.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 19:12
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:I hope you can find original parts for the Pexto It would cost enough with shipping that I could buy a whole other set. I put the hardware from this rougher set on the clean pair I just picked up, but that left me with fixing my older set. Grabbed a stainless 6-32 wingnut from Lowe’s and then tapped the screw hole to 10-32. Cut down a new thumb screw, filed it flush, and re-tapped the first couple threads. Back in service. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 21:50
|
|
|
oh, oh geez. Can you like, soak them in acid for a bit or something? That just don't look right. I mean, functional is functional, I don't wanna knock that. Use the tool. But that stainless isn't going to wind up with a nice patina eventually.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 21:57
|
|
|
PBCrunch posted:I ordered a quart, we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping for the low odor of water-based poly with the color of oil-based. I don't care how long it takes to dry, but the reviews say it goes off fast. My pot of Minwax water-based oil-modified polyurethane came in. I didn't have a lot of time, so I just dipped the end of a scrap of baltic birch plywood in and shook off the excess to see what the color looks like. It didn't look like oil-based poly, but it wasn't the ghastly white of water-based poly either. I'll take a picture when it is dry.
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2023 22:02
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:oh, oh geez. Can you like, soak them in acid for a bit or something? That just don't look right. Given they're an industrial insulator, that tool is gonna be used out in the elements year round, thrown around filthy metal scaffolding, and covered in insulation on a regular basis. That there is a work horse, not a shop queen 
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2023 16:56
|
|
|
PBCrunch posted:My pot of Minwax water-based oil-modified polyurethane came in. I didn't have a lot of time, so I just dipped the end of a scrap of baltic birch plywood in and shook off the excess to see what the color looks like. It didn't look like oil-based poly, but it wasn't the ghastly white of water-based poly either. I'll take a picture when it is dry. How long did it take to dry? Any higher fumes than water based?
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2023 19:43
|
|
|
Oh my god. I bought one of those Delta hybrid saws on sale from Lowes last year and I have had a hell of a time with it. I thought that I was doing something wrong with the rails/extension wings because the typical adjustments never really got the fence moving smoothly. I was pretty busy with wedding planning all last year so I never really had time to dig into it, but today I got out there and really dialed those fuckers in and it still was behaving weirdly and after moving it around and looking at it from all angles I finally figured it out. The aluminum extrusion on the right side that's bolted to the square stock had been installed just a couple mils too at this end of the fence. It's fixed in the picture but it was just barely dragging most of the time and kept getting caught in the miter slots and at the transition between the wings and the main table. The fence is supposed to be the good part of the table and it just never occurred to me that it would need to be adjusted in that particular way.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2023 21:43
|
|
|
That bit me too when I got the saw. I got mine dialed in the first week, but I also wasn't dealing with wedding planning. It remains a Nice Saw.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2023 22:00
|
|
|
Bob Mundon posted:How long did it take to dry? Any higher fumes than water based? I didn't notice any smell at all. I only put it on about three square inches of surface though. I do not know how long it took to dry because I put it on at lunch time, went back to work (computer touching in my home office), and came back to look at it when the work day was over. So all I can say is that it was dry in under four hours.
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2023 23:40
|
|
|
tracecomplete posted:That bit me too when I got the saw. I got mine dialed in the first week, but I also wasn't dealing with wedding planning. Yeah I'm excited that it's working now. I still need to re-square the fence and I'll double check the blade while I'm at it, but it seems great now. Every time I used the miter gauge it was v. smooth.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2023 03:37
|
|
|
Anyone have any good ideas for bandsaw dust collection right at the blade under the table? We used to use a cut up gatorade bottle andit was better than nothing but it was a pain to get on/off and it only worked with a vacuum hose, not a 4" hose.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2023 18:54
|
|
|
Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Anyone have any good ideas for bandsaw dust collection right at the blade under the table? We used to use a cut up gatorade bottle andit was better than nothing but it was a pain to get on/off and it only worked with a vacuum hose, not a 4" hose. If your bandsaw is like most, there's no convenient or built in way to seal around the under-table area. The only way I can see it being effective is something shop made like this: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1a/4b/8a/1a4b8a7dcd4a2def72e583d4a0aaa4b6.jpg Use a standard hose fitting and custom shape the wood to leave as few air gaps as possible. It's always going to be leaky as hell but the tighter it fits the better it'll work. The comedy option is to build a box around the entire bottom half of the bandsaw, with the top of the box being level with the table. You'd still need to custom cut the top surfaces of the box to fit tightly around the rest of the saw. Just attach a port to the side of the box and you're good to go.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2023 19:24
|
|
|
You're friendly reminder to both A) peruse the scrap in when you stop by Home Depot et al, and B) always bring a saw. Was just looking to pick up some cheap southern yellow pine to make a planer cart/stuff like that and stumbled across a split 2x12x12 in the scrap bin. Had to use 100% of the diagonal of my minivan for it to fit because I'm an idiot and didn't bring a saw. They wouldn't cut it for me so I had to go full Beautiful Mind to get that guy in.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2023 21:58
|
|
|
There's a saw in the section where they sell trim, because they sell it by the foot. Of course, nobody has sharpened that saw in a decade, but if you're very determined you might manage to hack through a plank or whatever eventually. But bringing your own saw, maybe a clamp or two, and cutting in the parking lot is a time-honored tradition, and very good call.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2023 22:23
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:There's a saw in the section where they sell trim, because they sell it by the foot. Of course, nobody has sharpened that saw in a decade, but if you're very determined you might manage to hack through a plank or whatever eventually. Didn't even think of the trim section. But my battery powered circ saw would have made it a 10 second operation hanging out the back of my van.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2023 23:01
|
|
|
I once used the godawful trim saw to break down a sheet of 3/4” plywood to fit in my car. It was a good workout
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2023 23:47
|
|
|
I once drew the saw in the trim section, with some force, directly across the back of my forearm, as a demonstration to a home depot person that the saw really maybe should perhaps get sharpened or replaced.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2023 00:11
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:I once drew the saw in the trim section, with some force, directly across the back of my forearm, as a demonstration to a home depot person that the saw really maybe should perhaps get sharpened or replaced. You know that within 45 minutes of being replaced, some twit would have tried to use it to cut a steel pipe or something and it'd be back to being uselessly dull.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2023 00:17
|
|
|
Might not be the right thread for this, but I am looking for advice on how best to take down a valuable tree and come out ahead. I have a pretty old American elm in my backyard that needs to come down due to where it's located, but it is healthy. Back of the napkin math tells me there's at least $50k worth of lumber in there, probably more to a furniture maker. I would likely mill it to live edge rounds and live edge slabs. ~150 ea 3-4' rounds and ~150ft of 1-2ft wide slabs. I can store it and air dry it. I know I could make much more by finishing and selling the pieces per order or even just raw to individual buyers. To be honest, I don't want to deal with that trouble. I would love to sell it as a lot to a furniture maker or lumber yard after milling and 1-2 years of storing and drying on my property. Am I way off on the potential value of the wood in the tree? What is a fair price to sell the lot for? Would it be weird to ask for a down payment on the lot that would end up covering the cost of taking down the tree and getting it milled? I don't have a ton of money sitting around, but I could eat the cost for as long as need be.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2023 03:17
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 09:52 |
|
|
Well, to begin with, be careful that you do not run afoul of tree law. This varies a lot by state and even county or city. Even if this tree is wholly yours and on your property, if it is endangered or a protected species, it may be illegal to cut, or may require a permit. Second, few large companies have any interest in working with individuals over a single tree. You can sell trees of value to a timber company if they can justify the cost of the labor and equipment to show up and harvest the trees, based on volume and price and condition etc., but if you call a company and say you want to sell them one (1) elm tree you may not get a lot of bites. But it sounds like you intend to harvest, mill, and dry the lumber yourself. At that point you might be able to find some small local place that sells wood, or perhaps an urban forest renewables type outfit, but that's going to depend a lot on where you live. You should assume that the final retailer needs to take at least half, maybe more like 60%+, of the retail value of the wood, just to be in the ballpark of interested. Since you presumably don't own a mill, you'll lose board feet to whatever process you're milling with - e.g. an alaskan chainsaw mill has a lot more waste than a large bandsaw mill - plus more loss as you dry the cut slabs, from checking, insects, etc. Don't assume because the elm looks healthy and good from the outside that there's no inclusions, rotten pith in the middle, or other flaws that decrease the value, possibly by a lot. Not coincidentally this is part of the reason why no big timber company wants to deal with a single tree: even if that tree looks like it's very valuable, it could wind up not being valuable after they've invested the money to harvest and mill it. Dealing in volume helps to mitigate the hidden loss potential of each individual tree. Anyway I don't want to overly discourage you because this is poo poo I've contemplated myself. If you want the experience of felling and milling your own timber, I say go for it. Your slabs may wind up being worth a lot or just a little, you may find a buyer for all of it or maybe have to sell it piecemeal, but if the elm is in good shape and there's a local market, you should at least break even on your costs. Hopefully. Unless you drop that tree on your house. Please don't drop a tree on your house.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2023 03:34
|
|