|
Ah, a timely thread. The "build a canoe" thread has inspired me to try my hand at woodworking in general. Being that I don't think I've done anything remotely like it since my 7th grade shop class, I signed-up for a class at the local community college. Only $15, not a bad deal. Anyway, looks like a lot of great info here. Hopefully I can actually manage to turn some stuff out eventually..
|
#
¿
Apr 9, 2008 16:53
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 02:58 |
|
|
So, have been attempting to learn some basics and terminology and what not so I don't appear to be a total fool when I start my woodworking class. I've watched a lot of the Wood Whisperer videos and poked around at some of the websites from the OP. I'm now wondering if there are any books or magazines I should check out? Or would I not really understand those until I get some actual experience? Also, can somebody please explain to me what a jig is? I see people talking about jigs everywhere, and I think I have an idea, but I imagine the idea I have is wrong. And do you have a place to get plans or a how-to guide for those cutting boards? Because they are pretty awesome.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 21, 2008 16:12
|
|
|
Fantastic, the wife works at a library so I had her snag that book for me. It does appear to be a really great resource. Granted I've only read the table of contents so far, but hey. The cutting board does sound relatively easy. I'm sure I'll find that it's actually fairly complex, but we shall see. Thanks for the info!!
|
|
#
¿
Apr 24, 2008 04:05
|
|
|
Wow, I was on Amazon checking out those books that were recommended, and there are certainly a ton of woodworking books out there. Tons of books in the "Customers who bought this also looked at..." sections of the ones recommended here, and before I know it I've got 15 or so books added to my "stuff to remember" wishlist. Got to keep focused, though, and concentrate on just getting through these introductory books first.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 25, 2008 17:41
|
|
|
Yeah, what is that? Purple heartwood? Looks very nice.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 28, 2008 22:22
|
|
|
Does anyone know where I might find plans to build a stand for a "portable" table saw? I found a table saw and a band saw in my mother in law's garage that was there when she moved in, and I have commandeered them. This fits perfectly into my plan to not spend very much money while I figure out if this is something I'm going to stick with. Problem is, I don't really have anything to put the table saw on. I figure that building a stand for it myself will not only yield a stand for the table saw, but also allow me to get some woodworking practice in. I've looked around for some plans on-line but haven't really found anything. Is this the sort of thing that there just aren't any plans around for because it's so basic?
|
|
#
¿
May 17, 2008 14:04
|
|
|
Alright, thanks much for your suggestions. I am indeed inspired to get something done on my own here. I came across a design I like (more or less) in the google sketchup model area. Seems like it could work pretty well, but I have a couple of questions. First, here is a picture of it: Now, I presume that most of this is made with plywood. I don't understand what's going on with the top, though. I don't think I need to do the "raised surface" that's going on there. It also looks like the lighter colored wood surrounding the top is just attached to it somehow, so I imagine that is "normal" wood like 2x4's trimmed down and not plywood. So, I guess my question is, would just one sheet of plywood along the top of this thing be sturdy enough? Should I glue 2 pieces of plywood together to make the top thicker, if something like that would even work? Also, what kind of joints would be going on here? Just butt joints with screws or something more complex? Sorry for the questions, just trying to get a good understanding of what exactly is going on here before I actually attempt to start stuff. And thanks!!
|
|
#
¿
May 18, 2008 16:43
|
|
|
Fantastic, thank you much. Hopefully I can get started on that soon. But first, another question. Any recommendations on "entry level" table saw blades? The one in the table saw I salvaged from my mother in law is pretty rusty, and the teeth appear to be bent in various directions.
|
|
#
¿
May 20, 2008 15:32
|
|
|
Excellent, thanks for the suggestions. I'm pretty excited, hit up a "tool blowout" I saw on craigslist last night, came away with a 6" bench grinder, a Stanley bench plane and block plane, a water stone, and a set of 5 Marples chisels for a total of $40. Now I've just got to whip these planes back into shape (which I think I know how to do thanks to "The Handplane Book"), and get this table saw cleaned up and I should be good to go.
|
|
#
¿
May 21, 2008 16:37
|
|
|
Alright, first of all, I'd totally like to see that jewelry case for your wife. Second, yes, surprisingly I have some more questions. My shop, such as it is, is coming together pretty well. I will soon attempt to put together some cutting boards, as shown on one of those wood whisperer videos. The problem for me comes in with the "handle" area. He uses a router to take a chunk out around the bottom for hand-holds. I don't have a router, and I don't see one too close in my future since the great majority of the budget for this has already been spent elsewhere, and it wasn't that big to begin with. Also, clamps are expensive. So, I've been trying to come-up with a couple solutions for this. I was thinking I could maybe just cut the straight-line edges of the handholds with the tablesaw, and then chisel the rest of it out. Or, as I saw in that Taunton's Complete Woodworking, perhaps I could use the tablesaw to cut a small cove and chisel-out the curvy parts so it's smooth. Or, it just occurred to me that instead of just making the edges with the tablesaw, maybe I should pretend I have a dado blade and make many thin cuts right next to each other with my normal saw blade? I dunno, just trying to decide what the best method would be here. Thanks again for any insights.
|
|
#
¿
May 27, 2008 16:35
|
|
|
Cmdr. Chompernuts posted:Are you sure you can't get a router? You could get a cheapo fixed base at lowes for ~$60. That is definitely much cheaper than other routers I was looking at, but would that router be decent, or am I better off just socking some money away each month for a more expensive router? I had been previously eyeing up a DeWalt router kit that goes for around $250 on Amazon. i81icu812 posted:Dang, the 'build your own canoe' thread went off into the abyss of the archives. Anyone have the links to the canoe building sites saved? I know he built with plans from Chesapeake Light Craft, http://www.clcboats.com/ That's a pretty good site for some tips on boatbuilding, as well as buying plans and materials.
|
|
#
¿
May 30, 2008 15:26
|
|
|
Ooh, I had not heard of this T-Chisel. I shall have to check it out. It's been mentioned before, but I would also recommend hitting-up lumberjocks.com for a pretty helpful community (from what I've seen so far). Very welcoming and open to questions. It was odd - but nice - that I started a profile and then within a couple hours had like 20 private messages from people welcoming me to the site. Anyway, I have begun construction of that table saw stand I was talking about a while back. It has definitely been a learning experience, but so far so good. My first class from the local community college is tomorrow, so that is also fairly exciting. On a side note, anyone tried one of these GRR-Ripper things? People seem to love them, and they're on sale at Rockler through the 15th, so I was thinking about swinging by and picking one up.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 9, 2008 14:41
|
|
|
ChaoticSeven posted:I've started working on a torsion box assembly table Wow, nice looking torsion box. Looking forward to seeing some more pictures.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 26, 2008 14:17
|
|
|
Okay, here's another question. As we know, I’m new to woodworking and had initially wanted to plane my boards down using hand planes. Since then… Well, planers are looking better and better. As far as jointing goes, I figured I could just use the table saw to get a minuscule amount off. I was thinking about getting one of those $250 Grizzly planers, but then I saw this on Craigslist for $90, a 6 1/8" Jointer/Planer: http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/tls/735970990.html Having not much money in the woodworking budget at the moment, this seems pretty nice. My question is, can this actually be used for planing boards, as well as jointing, and how would it work for that as opposed to having an actual planer? I have found some information on it thanks to google, but I would definitely appreciate any insight offered here.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 29, 2008 17:13
|
|
|
^^That looks pretty nice!! Well, as far as any "planing" aspect of that jointer, I guess I was inspired that it could be used to plane boards of less than 6" thanks to this picture on the GRR-Ripper site:  To my novice eyes, it seems like using the jointer that way could flatten boards like a planer. But I see Cmdr. Chompernuts has said it won't do the other side parallel. So, I dunno. Maybe I will just wait and get an actual planer, but it'll have to wait until we get a new house, possibly 4-6 months. I just thought that using the jointer to plane could be a quick-fix in the meantime.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 30, 2008 02:04
|
|
|
Aha, I believe I understand now - finally. Sorry for the confusion, and thank you for correcting me. Edit: Once again, thanks for being patient with me on this. The more I thought about it after I realized I was completely and obviously on the wrong track with the whole planing / jointing / face-jointing thing, the dumber I felt, and thus all the more grateful that you guys took the time to respond and explain things for me. PMan_ fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Jun 30, 2008 |
|
#
¿
Jun 30, 2008 04:11
|
|
|
Well, after some delays, I finally finished that rolling table saw cart I mentioned earlier in this thread. It is not very pretty, but hey, I just needed a flat and stable base that I could bolt the table saw to. Ah, here we have the reason that a lot of the plywood cuts aren't very straight. My extremely low-budget "fence" that I used with the circular saw to cut-up the bigger pieces of plywood.  And here we can see some glue drying.  Finally, we can see my crooked creation. Oh well, at least now that I am able to have the table saw secured to something, hopefully I can go ahead and make some straight cuts.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 4, 2008 17:15
|
|
|
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. Anyway, after spending a weekend with that bit, I've got to say, I now know why they have a dedicated tool for cutting biscuit slots. I used one in my class at a nearby community college when building an end table and thought, eh, I don't really need to shell-out for one of these, let's try the bit. Maybe it's just because it was my first few times using the bit, but setting-up stop blocks and coming up with way to orient the boards and what not was much more time consuming than I had expected. Ironically, it would occasionally occur to me that the whole affair might be easier, were I using a router table instead of handheld, heh.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 2, 2008 19:00
|
|
|
Boogeyman posted:My take on that would be that if it were easier to cut biscuit slots on a router table, you'd never see Norm Abram using a plate joiner. This is an excellent point. Still, if one doesn't plan on using biscuits very often, or doesn't have the budget for a plate joiner, it seems to get the job done.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 2, 2008 20:15
|
|
|
Ooh, a Grizzly cabinet saw, awesome!! How do you like it so far?
|
|
#
¿
Oct 16, 2008 01:27
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 12, 2008 18:58
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 13, 2008 06:19
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 13, 2008 18:48
|
|
|
OKay, if I am finishing some red oak, I can use something like Danish Oil and then put a clear poly topcoat on, right?
|
|
#
¿
Nov 18, 2008 23:12
|
|
|
Excellent, thanks for the responses. And that is a pretty nice looking table, BTW. This project I'm working on is a kid's rocking chair, so I didn't know if the oil and the topcoat of poly would make it more durable in the long run.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 19, 2008 16:21
|
|
|
wormil posted:Good stuff. Fantastic, looks like it was a good thing that I decided to delay my trip to Rockler until today. Will definitely have to try out some shellac.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 20, 2008 16:03
|
|
|
Okay, someone please educate me about brad nailers. I would like to get one for my Pops for Christmas, as he had mentioned wanting one to build a veranda in the spring. My question is, how much power and capacity does the compressor need? Here in this Home Depot ad I see a Husky compressor that is 2 gallons and I believe 100 PSI for $59. Comes with 2 nailers, 1.25" brad and staples. Then they have a 6 gallon 150 PSI Porter-Cable that comes with a 1.25" brad nailer. Obviously the Porter-Cable is probably the one to get, but I am just wondering if one needs a certain PSI rating or capacity for certain tasks.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 29, 2008 01:53
|
|
|
Excellent, thank you. I doubt they'll actually have that $60 still in stock, but we shall see...
|
|
#
¿
Nov 29, 2008 05:16
|
|
|
While I am by no means an authority, I can offer some advice. First of all, while that DeWalt is a good saw, I might at first go with something a bit cheaper. That is so that for one, if you decide that woodworking is not really for you, at least you're not out as much money. And two, should you get into it, you're going to want a better saw than the DeWalt, and you can put the money you saved by getting something cheaper at first towards the upgrade. Depending on what you want to make, a smaller rip capacity may not even be an issue, though it sure is annoying when it does become an issue. There are ways around it, like if you have a circular saw or a friend with a miter saw. As far as planes, that is kind of a tricky subject. It'll take a good amount of time, patience, and practice just to get them sharpened and tuned properly. Things can also get pretty spendy in a hurry with hand planes, as here the quality really does correlate to the price. Lie-Nielsen and Lee Valley are generally considered to be the tops as far as planes go, and they have price tags to match. Craftsman is supposedly coming out with some high-end planes again soon, as well. The Craftsman planes you'll find in Home Depot, though, are usually not recommended. Groz makes some mid-range planes that seem to get good marks. They have them at Woodcraft and Rockler. Of course, you could always do the garage sale/flea market thing looking for old Craftsman planes, but in those cases you usually have to spend more time restoring and tuning. I was definitely in your position when I was first starting out. I was all about the hand planes, and I still am to some extent, but I can sure appreciate a power planer and jointer now, especially when I usually don't have huge amounts of time to spend in the shop. Anyway, hope this provides at least a little bit of insight.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 29, 2008 08:12
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 29, 2008 21:12
|
|
|
That is not a bad deal for the Freud router. Woodcraft is also running a special on it that comes with a pre-drilled aluminum plate for a router table, too, for $130: http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=837562P&FamilyID=80042&homepagedeal=true All in all, both of those routers seem pretty good, though you may want to go for the 2.25HP one. If you are looking for other options, Woodcraft also has a 2.25 HP Triton router for $210, which I have and love.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 14, 2008 22:25
|
|
|
Looks sharp, great job! Also looks like some nice work on the tapers.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 23, 2009 22:35
|
|
|
Fine Woodworking also has some plans for a couple of "entry level" benches that I've been considering. One is from their Getting Started in Woodworking series of videos. It is constructed with 2x4's 4x4's, MDF, and some metal rods found at hardware stores. You can check out the plans and watch the videos of them making it here: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/getting-started/season-two.asp More interesting to me, though, is a bench they have that is made entirely from plywood. Now I haven't actually made this, and it does look like it takes some doing, but if you don't have a planer/jointer, this could be the best option. I am considering it for a summer time project, though I did get a nice Grizzly planer for Christmas. Alas, I am derailing. The article claims the plywood bench can be had for less than $250: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ProjectsAndDesign/ProjectsAndDesignArticle.aspx?id=29507 Just a couple more ideas to consider. But yeah I would definitely agree with wormil in that you should start off as basic as you can. I started woodworking about a year ago myself and recall all the grand ideas I had at first. In reality, ended-up having my trusty plywood-on-sawhorses bench serve me well until we moved into a new place that already happened to have a decent bench in the basement. It's all about patience.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 9, 2009 15:03
|
|
|
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.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 28, 2009 13:46
|
|
|
Bantaras posted:Awesome planter box Very nice! I have been thinking about doing something similar, and this looks like a great design to get some inspiration from.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2009 13:56
|
|
|
Walked posted:Could someone recommend me a good table saw for getting into this? I saw a page back a lot of debate on it, and the consensus trended towards spending ~$500 on one, which is fine, but about the most I'm willing to spend. That Hitachi is not bad, but if memory serves correctly, I don't think it comes with a fence. So, that's one more thing you'd have to buy with it. Try looking at the comparably priced Ridgid models at Home Depot. The only problem with actually looking that up online is that they sell a slightly different model (for a slightly different price, too, I think) on-line than in-store. As far as the Grizzly goes, I do love myself some Grizzly products. However, if that is already a budget buster, then the Ridgid would likely be the best option right now. Plus, the cheapest Grizzly with a riving knife comes in at $795. The new in-store Ridgid model may come with one (don't recall for sure) for around $500.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2009 14:03
|
|
|
Tell me about jointing without a jointer or ability to use hand planes. I attempted to set-up my router table for jointing, using a straight bit and those Rockler router table fence shims, but the results were...shall we say "mixed" at best. I don't know if I need more practice, or just to go ahead and get a jointer.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 6, 2009 19:43
|
|
|
SkunkDuster posted:You can use a guide board to easily get an edge square to the face of a board with a hand plane. You make a sandwich with a guide board (2), a spacer, and your workpiece (1). As you are planing, hold the side of the plane (3) against the guide board. Awesome, thanks for the tip. Will have to head into the shop tonight.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 7, 2009 21:54
|
|
|
This guy right here is also pretty awesome as both a plunge and table-mounted router: http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=149213&FamilyID=5890 Now, on the subject of jointers. I had identified a couple of prospects on craigslist (6" Jet with stand for $250), but then I saw Woodcraft is offering Jet jointer/planer combos in 8" ($329) and 10" ($420) varities for what seems like a pretty good deal. The surprising part is that on Amazon, these have pretty good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Jet-JJP-10BTOS-10-Inch-Jointer-Planer/dp/B001O0D6OC http://www.amazon.com/Jet-JJP-8BT-8-Inch-Jointer-Planer/dp/B001O0D6NS One would imagine that getting jointers that are greater than 6" for such low prices would result in crappy quality, but I am encouraged by the reviews. The downside as far as I can tell is that the tables aren't as long as on a traditional 6" jointer. I do already have a 12" Grizzly planer, so it is not as though I really NEED a combo machine, I just thought that for the price, getting an 8" or 10" jointer would not be the worst idea ever. What do you guys think, are one of these actually worth getting, or am I better off with something more traditional? The $250 one on craigslist is certainly more within the budget, but I am willing to splurge a bit more for if I am just going to regret not getting something bigger than 6" later on.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 11, 2009 17:27
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 02:58 |
|
|
GEMorris posted:Even if I got a larger planer, I would still keep my INCA 10.25" jointer/planer combo to use as a jointer. The extra jointer width is worth it, and you can make extension arms for the bed if you regularly joint things over 8' That is kind of what I was thinking, that the extra width may be worth it, and that I could whip-up some extensions if need be. I did get tentative wife clearance for such a purchase today, so we shall see...
|
|
#
¿
Apr 12, 2009 20:41
|
|