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Seconding the just buy one idea unless you really want it to be a DIY project. My friend has this one http://www.pongalong.com/store/ViewProduct.aspx?product=8_foot_portable_beer_pong_table It's $99 and it's built solid as gently caress. It folds up to the size of a large briefcase or small suitcase, we've beat the hell out of it taking it to tailgates and parties, and it still looks good as new.
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Oct 17, 2008 21:19
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Another, bigger cutting board and a sewing machine table. Zero clearance insert for the new saw. Also, I have to remake all my jigs because the miter slots are slightly different on this one. I started with the cross cut sled.   
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Oct 18, 2008 00:28
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ChaoticSeven posted:Another, bigger cutting board and a sewing machine table. That is an amazing board. What woods are you using? Also, I'm a pretty novice woodsmith, but learning quickly. What is the purpose for the zero-clearance insert?
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Oct 18, 2008 00:39
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Hey, thanks. The one up front is walnut and cherry. The one behind is the other I posted before. Cherry, walnut and jatoba. Zero clearance inserts help eliminate tear out and keep small cut off pieces from dropping down between the blade and the rather large gap that exists with the standard or stock inserts. With the standard insert if you have an off cut smaller than a half inch or so, its all to likely it'll get wedged or hit the blade at a bad angle when falling down into the saw. This usually ends up with said piece making both of your eyeballs explode in a shower of blood and gelatinous goo or impaling you through the heart. Both of those things have happened to me multiple times in the past.
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Oct 18, 2008 00:56
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Ah, thanks for the info! I've had that happen to me as well, but never even considered just closing the gap. My table saw is just a /cheap/ 10" Ryobi whose table is pathetically small, and doesn't have any means for me to block off the gap without replacing the whole table (which I'm not against as I'd actually be able to cut stock wider/longer than 2')
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Oct 18, 2008 01:04
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OK, so I have a similar question to Sasquatch's all the way back on the first page about what exactly I need to get started, except I am basically starting from zero. Upon some of the other advice in this thread, I looked into some local woodworking classes, and the best I can find is a 4-day "Intro to Woodworking" class that is offered by a local woodworking shop. My dad is an avid woodworker and not too long ago built a full-on shop in his backyard, but of course he lives hundreds of miles away, so the only thing I can ask him for is advice. I am basically starting from scratch on equipment, save your most basic home improvement stuff like a good drill. So -- where do I start? Should I still head straight for some kind of table saw, or should I start slow with a circular saw and some other stuff? For what it's worth, the class isn't until January so I won't be getting started until then, and I will be with my family for Christmas so I am going to raid my dad's shop for anything and everything I can get my hands on.
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Oct 19, 2008 13:32
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You want a table saw fer sure. Cuts your big pieces down to size and also makes a great build table. I'd recommend finding a good name brand one used over a cheaper newer one. A band saw is a good thing to have as well, it allows you to make curved cuts on small/thin stock and also to resaw thick pieces of wood into thinner pieces. A drill press, no matter how many times you sight up a hand drill or whatever jigs/gimmicks you make to drill straight, it'll never be perfect so a drill press is good for that. Also sanding drum attachments make it worth having. A lot of guys will say you need to have a planer, jointer or thickness sander but depending on what you're doing it might not be a necessity, at least at first. You definitely want to include a hand plane or two in your hand tools collection though. They're great for leveling and smoothing after you make cuts and can be used to (reduce the) thickness wood as well. Buy this stuff as you need it and also when it's on sale: Measuring devices, a few different squares, a small digital micrometer/caliper if you're doing anything small scale or want nice tight joinery, a palm sander or belt sander for larger work, hammers, mallets, chisels, a full set of screwdrivers. Get sandpaper whenever you can and keep it in the house or somewhere air conditioned lest the glue go bad on the sheets. A cabinet scraper is also good and though it's harder on your hands, it will save it's cost in sandpaper and then some. And clamps. Buy them every time you see them on sale, even if you don't think you need them. Just remember the golden rule: every tool in the shop is a hammer, except chisels. Those are screwdrivers.
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Oct 19, 2008 21:04
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Thanks for the advice, sounds like a plan. Also, I don't want to turn this into a personal shopping thread, but any thoughts on this table saw from Craigslist? Delta brand, $300 so price is definitely right. I don't mind spending more cash on a better table saw, but if I can get a deal here, that's more $$ for other tools.
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Oct 20, 2008 02:09
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"[panic posted:"] The fence is too weak for serious woodworking and the saw will slow down cutting hardwoods; plus its too much money for the saw. These are probably as good and cheaper: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/885381470.html http://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/877532056.html If you want a real saw and have some dough, this is a good deal: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/884215952.html http://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/877652424.html Who knows that this is: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/872635620.html I strongly suggest you check out Triangle Woodworkers. They generally have an auction this time of year where you can get some nice equipment inexpensively. http://www.ibiblio.org/twa/
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Oct 20, 2008 03:01
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mcrandello posted:Get sandpaper whenever you can and keep it in the house or somewhere air conditioned lest the glue go bad on the sheets. Have you personaly run into this problem? I have always kept my sandpaper in my Garage...in Texas and I have never had any problems.
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Oct 20, 2008 17:13
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Decided to finish this...free form table I started last year when I basically only had a circular saw and a hand full over other things. Got it flat, finally, thanks to the drum sander. I'm totally stumped as to what to use for legs or which way to mount them. Somehow I don't think nice square legs with double tapers will look quite right with this thing...   
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Oct 20, 2008 18:29
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ChaoticSeven posted:Somehow I don't think nice square legs with double tapers will look quite right with this thing... I wouldn't rule out square or tapered. My choice would be trestle. Trestle works with anything and gives you the opportunity to show off some nice figured wood. Then again cedar is distinctive enough, a plainer wood like mahogany stained dark would detract less from the cedar. It is a coffee table correct?
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Oct 20, 2008 21:59
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Yep, coffee table. I originally planned on a clear poly finish, but after seeing a piece of slab cedar finished that way it seemed too bright and pink. I use a spar varnish on my Adirondack chairs, and I also used it on my cedar chest I posted awhile back. It really tones down the cedar, takes out the bright white and pink and gives some warmth. Still shows the grain nicely though. What I'm saying is, the final piece will mostly be darker in color much browner. Today I looked out back in the giant woodpile I have left after the tornado rolled through and found a nice cherry crotch piece. It has two legs, but they're cut close to the Y. So unless I cut them off even and flipped the piece upside down they wouldn't really show. I chiseled most of the bark off today, I'm not sure how it will work with the cedar top when finished though. Another thing I'm trying to figure out is how exactly to cut this giant cherry crotch to be flat on the bottom and legs...Chainsaw might get me in the ball park but after that I'm lost.
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Oct 21, 2008 00:17
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JEEVES420 posted:Have you personaly run into this problem? I have always kept my sandpaper in my Garage...in Texas and I have never had any problems.  Right now it's all in a box under one of the kitchen cabinets but when I get my own place there's going to be a file cabinet drawer with manilla folders labeled for each grit.
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Oct 21, 2008 03:43
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zeek40 posted:Seconding the just buy one idea unless you really want it to be a DIY project. My friend has this one http://www.pongalong.com/store/ViewProduct.aspx?product=8_foot_portable_beer_pong_table It's $99 and it's built solid as gently caress. It folds up to the size of a large briefcase or small suitcase, we've beat the hell out of it taking it to tailgates and parties, and it still looks good as new. I'm pretty set on building my own. I think I'm gonna do one split in the middle and maybe some folding legs to stabilize the middle, as well. Gonna draw up(very poorly, most likely) some plans for it soon and hopefully be able to get on it in about a week. With it folding in half it'll be easy to move; I'm gonna put a pair of handles that lock together on the side, as well. I'm just wondering why I've gotten multiple "Just buy one"s when this is going to be cheaper and I'll be able to make it look how I want, I don't see how that isn't as good as a "more sturdy" table when I could easily make mine sturdy enough.
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Oct 22, 2008 21:58
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Johnny Truant posted:I'm just wondering why I've gotten multiple "Just buy one"s when this is going to be cheaper and I'll be able to make it look how I want, I don't see how that isn't as good as a "more sturdy" table when I could easily make mine sturdy enough. Beer pong is a fad and generally when I make furniture I make fine furniture. Usually you can't reproduce cheap furniture for less money, it just makes more sense to guy buy one. But if you really want a beer pong table that looks a certain way then there is nothing wrong with building one. ChaoticSeven posted:...found a nice cherry crotch piece. It has two legs, but they're cut close to the Y. So unless I cut them off even and flipped the piece upside down they wouldn't really show.
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Oct 23, 2008 03:43
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Working on a "Tahitian Ukulele" or Tahitian Banjo. Working with hand tools as they're much cheaper and less noisy. But mostly much cheaper. Progress thus far:  Immediate problems: Made of pine; most/all instruments are made of hardwoods. Laminated two pieces of pine together to resist warp, and inside the neck is a steel rod for reinforcement just like they use in electric guitars. Besides the strings, in Tahitian Uke tradition, are made of low, low tensioned fishing line so you've got about as much tension on the neck as an unreinforced classical guitar (using 6 nylon strings). Also the neck/headstock are really thick and are going to take forever to carve down to a usable size. This is a great project to try out if you've graduated from making laminated cutting boards but aren't quite ready to start on large pieces of furniture. The body is essentially a large custom shaped cutting board with a conical hole cut through the middle and holes drilled for the tuners. A thin piece of circular wood makes the sound board. With 8 strings and the unique soundboard, you end up with something sounding like the bastard child of a banjo and mandolin. Sturdy enough for a six year old to play with (tune it to open G) if the wife doesn't like you making cork guns for the little ones. But it's something to kill time. One major question though; how should I finish this? I'd like to finish it in a dark cherry stain with a matte finish if possible, but I'm not sure how to go about that. Koa wood acoustic guitars have this fantastic matte finish that I'd like to replicate, but more red. Tahitian Ukes look something like this (not mine; sample picture):  Also I built a table! Out of lumber! The top is just three pine 2x12's screwed together with mending plates, screwed to two 2x6"s as crossbeams, which are in turn screwed to four legs purchased at the hardware store with some mending plates here and there for good measure. Finished in minwax "red mahogany". I didn't even bother to sand it; gives it a smooth, but textured finish so you know it is definitely wood. There's about a 1/4" of wobble if you get rough with it. I'm thinking about adding some L shaped metal shelving pieces as anti-wobble reinforcement. Thoughts?  
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Oct 27, 2008 08:39
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Im planning on making a nice cribbage board out of some leftover hickory. I'm wondering what's the best way to make a place for storing the pegs inside the board. I have a commercially made board that has a spot routed into the bottom with a little metal cover that slides into a groove. Id like to do something like this, or anything that would look nice, but I'm not really sure how to get started.
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Nov 6, 2008 21:07
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Golden War posted:Im planning on making a nice cribbage board out of some leftover hickory. I'm wondering what's the best way to make a place for storing the pegs inside the board. I have a commercially made board that has a spot routed into the bottom with a little metal cover that slides into a groove. Id like to do something like this, or anything that would look nice, but I'm not really sure how to get started. If the board is elevated on legs the only idea that sprang immediately to mind is... You know those electric griddles that have a grease catcher underneath, that slides in on a t-shaped track? You could take some 1"x1" strips, route a t-slot in it, and make a box large enough for the pegs to fit. Use a dado blade on the sides of the box leaving about a 1/4 at the top to slide into the grooves on the stock you cut earlier. You'd just mount them under the board. Thats my idea anyway. I decided to try some boxes that weren't bandsawn. Still trying to figure out what to use for hinges, and what to use for a catch on the front. I have no idea how to mount hinges or do the mortises either. Any ideas?   
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Nov 8, 2008 18:59
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Measure and draw out where you want the hinges to go. Then Lay the hinge across the wood the way it's going to go and carefully trace around it with an exacto knife. Take a sharp chisel as close to the size of the area you're mortising and gently tap it, flat side to the outside of the mortise until it's as deep as you want it. Use the exacto score-lines as guides. Once you've got the cutout all scored gently work the chisel with the grain going both directions until it's just deep enough for the hinge. Put the hinge in the mortise and then take a sharpie/pencil and mark the screw holes. Using a drill press or hand drill on low speed make a pilot hole a hair smaller than the shaft portion of the screw you're using (ignoring the threads). DIY network's website probably has some videos online if you dig around a bit on doing this. Now your turn. How did you do the dovetails? Loving the maple/black walnut thing, especially the top.
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Nov 8, 2008 22:05
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Thanks. I actually have a decent set of chisels but I've only used them to scrape dried glue lines on panels, sadly. I might just chicken out and use some of those hinges you just nail into place with little brass nails. With my pathetic chiseling knowledge I'm afraid I'd gauge way too deep and peel a strip half the length of the back off or something. The dovetails were cut with the Leigh D4R. I got it earlier this year but haven't had the time to use it much. Did some dovetails in a couple solid cedar blanket chests, referring back to the (massive) reference manual at each step. I really like it, I can tell once I have everything set in my mind I could crank out dovetailed drawers and such at almost production speeds.
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Nov 8, 2008 22:44
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Assuming your wood is thick enough (>9/16") Try McMaster-Carr PN 17725A41. These are invisible hinges you can mount in simple drilled holes. The steel invisible hinges on the same catalog page are stronger and have a more positive attachment method, but you'll have to router/machine the correct elongated mortises. http://www.mcmaster.com
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Nov 9, 2008 07:35
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ChaoticSeven posted:If the board is elevated on legs the only idea that sprang immediately to mind is... You know those electric griddles that have a grease catcher underneath, that slides in on a t-shaped track? You could take some 1"x1" strips, route a t-slot in it, and make a box large enough for the pegs to fit. Use a dado blade on the sides of the box leaving about a 1/4 at the top to slide into the grooves on the stock you cut earlier. You'd just mount them under the board. Thats my idea anyway. I'll think about that. Sounds tough though, for me anyway. Another question: A family friend recently had to take down a black walnut tree and I went to help saw it up. I cut a few 2-3" cookies off with the chainsaw in hopes of using them for something, maybe a stool, clock, or cutting board maybe. However I'm wondering if these things are likely to split once they dry out. Is there a good way to prevent this short of buying a wood drying kiln or is this something I even need to worry about?
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Nov 9, 2008 22:20
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Golden War posted:I'll think about that. Sounds tough though, for me anyway. If it's anything like red cedar it'll split pretty deep before it stops drying. Mostly around the sapwood. Theres got to be a way around that, because I've seen cross section tables and such. Maybe treating them with green wood sealer on the faces would slow the drying process, but it might take a long while before you'd be able to use it. Finished the box, the mortises weren't as bad as I thought they'd be. Locating the ones for the lid after cutting the ones in the base seemed to be way too fussy, probably some trick I don't know to do it fast and accurately. I need to learn how to sharpen chisels, too.  
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Nov 9, 2008 23:22
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ChaoticSeven posted:I need to learn how to sharpen chisels, too. Watch this for a primer.
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Nov 10, 2008 04:26
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ChaoticSeven posted:I need to learn how to sharpen chisels, too. Nice little box. Many people laugh at the idea but I use sandpaper on glass (aka Scary Sharp method) and its very quick, very easy and my chisels are sharper than the razor I shave with (really). I go up to 2000 grit and don't bother to strop with leather. I think mine our 600, 1000, 1500, & 2000; you can get those grits at auto parts stores. The glass is 1/4"x4"x9" and cost me a few dollars each from a glass company. It is also perfect for flattening the sole of bench planes.
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Nov 10, 2008 04:35
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I went to a woodworking show yesterday in Dayton called Artistry in Wood. It was put on by the Dayton Carver's Guild, and there was a lot of neat stuff up there. A few of the exhibitors specialized in chip carving, and their projects were absolutely beautiful. I picked up a book on chip carving while I was there, but it absolutely sucked balls (it was more of an advertisement for the guy who wrote it, he makes his own knives). I found this kit (at the bottom) that looks like a good starting point, but I wanted to see if anyone on here was into carving and could maybe give me some other ideas on where to start.
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Nov 10, 2008 21:02
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You guys are building some very nice stuff. I just finished this end table out of cherry.  I am going to build a sled like ChaoticSeven has next.
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Nov 10, 2008 23:13
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wormil posted:Nice little box. This, this right here ^. I start at 400 then work through the ones you listed, 320 the first time I do it to a new/new-to-me blade. For the record I've shaved patches off of my arm before. You can get a decent angle guide for sharpening or under $20 at either Woodcraft or on line. Very nice job on the hinges, by the way. Locating the door portion has been tricky for me as well. For something smaller like that maybe eyeballing for center and taping the thing in place. Also I just noticed I had recommended an exacto for scribing, they actually make cabinet maker's scribes but you could sharpen say the pointy side of a school compass and use that just as well and it might be easier to go around the hinge.
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Nov 11, 2008 06:10
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Does anyone know if it is possible to add a riving knife to a table saw like the Ridgid TS3650 or the Grizzly G0444? Or do I just have to pony-up some more cash and get a saw that comes with one installed? Looks like the cheapest Grizzly with the riving knife is $725 plus shipping. The 2 saws I previously mentioned are each in the $550 neighborhood. Of course, I guess I could just go all the way and save-up for a SawStop contractor saw, but that could take a while.
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Nov 12, 2008 18:58
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The Rigid looks like it has one built into the blade guard.
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Nov 13, 2008 05:50
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wormil posted:The Rigid looks like it has one built into the blade guard. Aha, I thought that was just a splitter. Guess that solves that, then.
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Nov 13, 2008 06:19
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Nacho Cheez posted:You guys are building some very nice stuff. I just finished this end table out of cherry. Thats a cool little end table. Perfect for a plant or something like that. Did you make it up or did you find a plan somewhere? Anyway, finished flat work box number 2. Couple more coats of wipe on poly and I'll call it good. 
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Nov 13, 2008 17:17
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Thanks. It was a plan that I used out of this book http://www.amazon.com/Popular-Woodworkings-Arts-Crafts-Furniture/dp/1558708464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226596083&sr=1-1 There are some pretty good projects in there if you are into the arts and crafts style.
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Nov 13, 2008 18:12
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PMan_ posted:Aha, I thought that was just a splitter. Guess that solves that, then. Maybe it is. I confess I don't know the difference. I took that stuff off my saw when I got it and never thought of it again. Fake edit: okay, I looked it up and remember Kelley Mehler talking about this and a few other safety features when he spoke at our woodworking club. But to be honest, even after reading and seeing pictures of one, it still looks like an improved splitter. Mehler also told us a about a blade brake that would stop a blade within like one rotation of coming in contact with fingers, making it nearly impossible to cut your fingers off. The downside is that it ruins the blade but I'll trade a blade for my fingers any day.
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Nov 13, 2008 18:31
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wormil posted:Mehler also told us a about a blade brake that would stop a blade within like one rotation of coming in contact with fingers, making it nearly impossible to cut your fingers off. The downside is that it ruins the blade but I'll trade a blade for my fingers any day.
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Nov 13, 2008 18:44
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Yeah, I actually saw a live demo of SawStop at my local WoodCraft the other day. I wanted to volunteer to use my pinky for the test, if I could get like $1k off of a SawStop, but they just went ahead and used a hot dog. It really was pretty amazing, the hot dog touched the blade, and seemingly instantly the blade was suddenly no longer there. For those unfamiliar with SawStop, the saw projects a minor current onto the blade, and when it comes into contact with something that is human flesh or flesh-like, a brake is triggered and the blade retracts. Supposedly this process takes 5 miliseconds, and from what I saw, I would guess that's accurate since one instant the blade was there and running, and the next it was not. Taking a look at the hot dog afterwards, it had a pretty minor scrape on it. Like, honestly I don't think any blood would even have been drawn if it had been a finger, it appeared to be very very minor and superficial. Looking at the blade, the guy said that sure you could send it out and have the teeth stuck in the break removed and get some new teeth put on, but eh, probably best just to get a new blade. Also, the brakes themselves are $70, which is less than I had expected them to be. Of course, the point is to never actually need to use the brake, but it is nice to know it's there. The downside, of course, is that the contractor saw just got a price increase from $1599 to $1779, while the cabinet saw it somewhere in the $3k range. But, like wormil said, having all of my fingers at their proper lengths seems to be worth an extra $1,000 over a comparable non-SawStop saw. They also happen to be high quality USA-made saws, which doesn't hurt.
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Nov 13, 2008 18:48
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A riving knife as I understand it maintains a constant relative distance and height behind the blade. If you raise the blade three inches above the table, the knife is still whatever fraction of an inch under the blade height as it was if you set the blade to 1/2 inch. Of course it also tilts with the blade and is hopefully easy to pop on and off. I forget the cutoff date is, but all newly designed saws intended for sale in the US are required to have a riving knife.
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Nov 13, 2008 18:57
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ChaoticSeven posted:Zero clearance insert for the new saw. Also, I have to remake all my jigs because the miter slots are slightly different on this one. I started with the cross cut sled. This looks cool, but aren't you concerned that the wood shrinks / swell over time and make it not flush to the table?
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Nov 13, 2008 19:29
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IsaacNewton posted:This looks cool, but aren't you concerned that the wood shrinks / swell over time and make it not flush to the table? Not too much, both sides are exposed to open air and its pretty low in moisture content, so it shouldn't do too much crazy twisting or warping. If it does swell slightly in thickness my workpiece would bump into it before even reaching the blade. I put the leveling screws in and made it thinner than it needed to be in case that happens.
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Nov 13, 2008 19:40
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