Woodworking: it was hella tight and took a lot of pounding to get in

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Woodworking: it was hella tight and took a lot of pounding to get in

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

PMan_ posted:

Wow, those mouseboats are pretty wild. Cool, though. Perhaps I shall attempt one someday.

Also, I'm putting a router table together and, despite my resistance to wanting to use biscuits, I picked-up a biscuit bit set for my router from Woodcraft ($15.99, thanks to a special "Overstock" deal). Of course, the thing won't only be held together by biscuits, I just wanted to practice with the bit, since I like the idea of using them to sort of keep things in shape.

I have a biscuit-joinery kit for my router- one with a bit and a spring-loaded push plate and all, but it was such a pain in the rear end to set up and use that we went ahead later and just invested in a real biscuit joiner, and have not looked back. It's so much easier and so much more accurate, and they're really not all that expensive. If you're to the point in this hobby where you're using biscuits, do yourself a favor, and just pick one up

Cobalt60 posted:

Hey wood experts: Let's say I live in a NYC apartment and have no tools, but I've always been interested in woodworking. Is there anything I could do that's interesting, and would build useful skills for later when I move to the suburbs and can get power tools and space to use them?

I'm happy to buy a few things, especially if I could make cool stuff. It would be really cool if I could learn useful skills in my limited space that I could apply to bigger projects later. But I'm not sure where to start, or if this is just a bad idea.

Any thoughts?

You *can* make some stuff in your home, even if you have to do all the work in your living room. Sanding would be rather messy, but simply cutting really isn't that bad, and wood chips vacuum up off the carpet

I made several projects in the living room of my old apartment, using my coffee table as a workbench. You just have to think small and within the limits of your shop.

Don't just start buying tools, conceive of a project first, and THEN buy what you need.

Tools that work fine indoors:
* Power drill
* Circular saw (small trim saw with a 4" saw will be quieter than an 8" saw, but works best with 1x lumber; 2x will take two passes)
* jigsaw
* All hand tools are fine- plane, coping saw, screwdrivers, hammer, etc
* hand-saw miter box is great for trim and furring strips. Not so great for 2x4s.
* speed-square, framer's square & level

- Avoid power sanders, table saws, routers, etc, until you get a proper workshop.

grover fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Sep 20, 2008

# ¿ Sep 20, 2008 22:37

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 11:51

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

Dadoes are much stronger, but you don't really need to do any fancy dadoes or anything for a first project, just screws through the side will be plenty strong enough. As for the backer, Get a sheet of 1/4" thick luan cut to the dimensions of your shelf (lowes/home depot will do this for free, btw), and nail it to the back using brads. It will stiffen the shelf up considerably. It's not an option, you really do need to put a back on to keep the shelf from racking and collapsing. Also, it makes it a lot easier to hang it, as you can screw through the luan into a stud

I'd use 1x6 pine for the shelves and sides, and 1/4" luan for the back.

I made a shelf just like this for my first apartment project 10 years ago, just as described. I put dowel rods through the middle of the shelfs, too, to hold the books upright. Simple and strong, and has been a great shelf.

Protip: Making your shelf 48" wide instead of 60" will let you use a single continuous sheet of luan as a backer and will save you a LOT of work in the long run. Don't forget to account for the thickness of the wood, either

grover fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Sep 30, 2008

# ¿ Sep 30, 2008 02:29

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

wormil posted:

I hate to disagree but with 33 pounds per shelf X 7 shelves = 231 lbs + the weight of the wood and hardware. Brad nails aren't going to hold and the backer will not be secure enough to support the weight. The shelves could fall forward leaving the backer screwed to the wall. I don't believe the brads will even be strong enough to prevent the shelf from sagging. He's safer using screws through the backer into the shelves and attaching the shelf to the studs using the case sides. Nothing wrong with running screws through the backer into the wall studs but I wouldn't depend on it.

Good point, brads are fine for a fascia backing/stiffener, but he'd really want to use screws if it's going to be a weight-bearing structural component.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2008 22:58

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

ChaoticSeven posted:

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.

Looks great! I made three boxes exactly like that (well, out of leopardwood and wenge) and posted some photos of them in another thread last year... I can't help but ask- did I inspire you, or did we just see the same plans in some late 90s woodworking magazine?

# ¿ Nov 14, 2008 00:47

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

My problems were more basic- I have a cheap table saw that can't accept a zero-clearance insert, so I kept losing pieces into the slot and ruining them

Since I made 3, I just picked the closest pairs for each box (same with the legs), so even though I was a bit inconsistent, you can't tell!

I did make velvet linings for all the boxes, too, that turned out awesome

A friend of my Dad's was huge into woodworking and had subscriptions to ALL the woodworking magazines, and would give me his back-issues, grocery-bags full, every time I saw him. Whenever he upgraded, he'd give me his old tools- he also gave me a lathe (with all the tools), a router and his old 4" joiner/planer (including his thumb, which as I understand, is still inside it...) which was just awesome of him. When he died, his family signed over all his woodworking magazine subscriptions to me. That was 2 years ago, and I'm still getting new issues.

A bunch of tool collectors and resellers converged on his estate sale, so I didn't get much at the auction. I'd have loved to get his table saw, man it was a nice one... Oh well, back to my deathtrap of a Delta

grover fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Nov 14, 2008

# ¿ Nov 14, 2008 01:55

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

80psi is fine for just about any nailer. It will be cycling on a lot if the tank is too small (especially if you're using larger nails, or an air tool that requires a lot of air), but that $60 kit is fine for brads, and really just impacts the duty cycle of heavier tools- you can still use them, you might just not be able to machine-gun slam 16D nails for very long without them starting to underdrive as the compressor tries to keep up pressure in the cylinder.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2008 04:39

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

PMan_ posted:

Oh yeah, unless I'm way off base, Delta is generally a step-up over the "house brands" of the big box stores and what not. Seems like a pretty good price for it, too.

Not much of a step up, at least not the base models. They're useful enough for tasks that really require a table saw to do, but the cheap table saws give terrible quality cuts. By which I don't just mean the blade chatters and leaves scorch marks and scratches (it does), but that the fence is usually not only not perfectly straight, but not adjustable to make it straight, and the throat plates aren't interchangeable and have a wide hole so small things tend to fall into it and jam. And my delta had a safety defect (they mistakenly drove a screw for the power switch THROUGH the black wire, and it shocked me three times before I figured out what was going on.)

But they're cheap and it's a table saw

grover fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Nov 29, 2008

# ¿ Nov 29, 2008 23:03

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

ChaoticSeven posted:

I'm going to be making a couple dozen of these and shopping them around, money be running low and I need to make some extra cash.

A friend of mine used to sell peep-holes door-to-door. He'd carry a cordless drill and a pocket-full of peep holes, and charge $50 to install 'em in the door. He says it was the quickest and easiest money he's ever made.

I think yours is the 2nd easiest, man that's a simple looking project

# ¿ Dec 4, 2008 01:25

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

A good workbench doesn't have to be elaborate or a work of art. My workbenches have all been simple 2x4 frames with a sheet of 3/4" MDX screwed on top. And they've all been GREAT! My latest iteration has a 2x2 lip on the end to make it easier to clamp stuff down.

I used this workbench for about 7 years. (My wife and I built the 12x12' garden shed/workshop too):

I'd moved most of the tools to the new workshop in my garage when I took this photo, but I had a radial arm saw on the right-hand side of that whose table formed a contiguous bench. Even put a little door in the side of the shed so that I could cut boards too long to fit in the building

# ¿ Mar 10, 2009 11:44

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

wormil posted:

Yes and no. Obviously the tablesaw is an inherently dangerous machine but it's also relatively easy to use safely. What is true is that some people are inherently unsafe and get away with it for a long time, then they lose a finger and suddenly preach safety like it's the second coming.

One of my dad's best friends is an avid woodworker, well equipped shops, very skilled, and does beautiful work. When I got into the hobby, he would give me all sorts of advice, boxes full of his old magazines (he subscribed to about 6), and even his old tools when he upgraded. He gave me (free!) a full-size lathe, lathe tool kit, a plunge router, and a 4" joiner when I finally built my shop.

He was always always always careful. Yet, one day he got complacent, and lost his thumb.

It wasn't until 6 months after he gave me the joiner and I'd used it on several projects that I found out his thumb was still inside it...

grover fucked around with this message at 12:44 on Mar 28, 2009

# ¿ Mar 28, 2009 12:41

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

PMan_ posted:

Oh man, losing a thumb to a table saw is one thing (a horrible thing, to be sure), but to a jointer? I can't even put together a mental picture of that, and that fact does not bother me.

He got complacent. It's a non-threatening tool, but still horribly dangerous. He was passing a board through (right to left), pushing it with his right hand, placing pressure down and forward, with his fingers on top of the board, but unfortunately with his thumb against the metal of the joiner... and when his thumb got to the blade, the blade pulled it down and pureed a good 50% of it before he could yank his hand back. There was nothing to reattach, it was GONE.

My point is that accidents like this are not inevitable, but experience does not make you immune to a brief moment of stupidity.

Unfortunately for me, I need to open the joiner up to make some fine adjustments to the blade height and table alignment, but I'm afraid of what I'll find...

# ¿ Mar 28, 2009 21:56

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

WildFoxMedia posted:

GEMorris - Stupid question, is it possible to attach riving knife to a cheaper table saw like a $150 Ryobi. I know how to Arc & MIG weld and was thinking that I could possibly buy a new blade guard (Not sure if thats what its called, but the insert on the table that has the slit for the blade) and weld on a DIY riving knife.

Even the cheapest table saws have riving knives. They don't work, however, when you remove them and blade guard they're attached to. Which you have to for certain projects, but shouldn't just because it gets in the way/is annoying.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2009 01:54

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

Bensa posted:

Well as the name says the first transfers the torque via a belt which means there might be slippage or a slight delay. The belt can also break so direct drive tends to last longer and not shake as much due to the weight and twisting being centered.

Actually, it's the other way around. Belt saws are higher-end. The belt decouples the blade from motor vibrations and gives better quality cuts. It also allows bigger/beefier motors to be used, and with a better geometry with respect to the table.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2009 01:09

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

anaemic posted:

Hmm, guessing wood types is an art unto itself, but if in doubt guess oak. So I say, it's oak.

I don't think that's oak, oak is pretty distinctive. Maple, perhaps?

# ¿ Aug 27, 2009 10:53

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

Saint Melmoth posted:

Okay. I'm planning out a project to build a workbench in my garage. I'd appreciate any input into the design.

The overall size will be 8' wide by 2' deep, with the top made of two pieces of 3/4" plywood. The bench will stand 36" high and will be supported by 6 4x4 posts at the corners and in the middle of the sides.

Along the back and front of the bench, I'm going to lap a 2x4"x8' board flush with the top and back (or front in the case of the front one) edge of the posts. I'll probably glue and screw these together. In between posts I'm planning to span the posts between front to back with more 2x4's cut to size and pocket screwed to the posts, flush with the outside edge in the case of the ends and in the middle of the center posts.

About 6-8" from the floor (suggestions, advice very welcome) I'm going to lap and pocket-screw another rectangular frame of 2x4's to support a lower storage shelf.

I've done a fair bit of remodeling, but this is the first real attempt I've made at something which could generously be called furniture. I'd appreciate any advice or criticism of my plans. I'd rather plan right than build wrong. I'll post drawings if needed to clarify what I'm planning.

Most importantly, will this design support a reasonable amount of weight?

You don't need 4x4 posts, 2x4 will be plenty strong enough. You will need cross-bracing, though, if you want it to stay stable. Also, some means to level it. (You can dispense with much of this if you bolt the back of it directly to the studs in your wall, as they're already cross-braced with the sheathing, and plenty strong enough for any vertical loads.)

I would recommend not messing with the pocket screws or anything like that. Just frame it up out of 2x4s 16" OC like you're building a house, set the posts inside this, and screw or bolt them together. Then throw one sheet of 3/4 ply on top (two is overkill- you can always add it later if you want) and BAM!

Lesson learned: you can't clamp very well to a bench built this way. When I built my new bench, I built the 2x4 box 1.5" narrower than my plywood, and screwed a 2x2 board under the overhanging edge. Gives a great place for reasonable sized clamps.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2009 17:03

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 11:51

grover: Jan 23, 2002; PEW PEW PEW

complex posted:

I want to recreate this sill piece. What are the best tools to do this? Assume I have nothing (well, I have a drill and a circular saw, but nothing else).

I'm not adverse to buying new tools; in fact I'd love for this to be an excuse to do so. However, I don't want to buy something to use it only once.

I'm guessing a router with a 1/2" doevetail bit would work for the inside edge? I guess I would need the wave profile bit too. Any suggestions are welcome.

This is most definitely a job for a router and a dovetail bit, but you could probably rig up a way to do a reasonable facsimile with a table saw and an angle-cutting jig in a pinch. It's OK, though- routers are a shop essential, and not a bad tool to add to your shop. You'll need a router and a router table for this project. If you think you'll be a hobbyist, buy it, you'll be glad you have it. You can build or buy the table. Otherwise, if you ask around, you can probably borrow a router from a friend/coworker; anyone who does woodworking will have one.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2009 15:01

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Hobbies, Crafts, & Houses > Woodworking: it was hella tight and took a lot of pounding to get in