Durable Kitchen Table, Hinge Wierdness, Sanding Slabs and MORE

This Episode's Questions:

Brian's Questions:

Gentlemen,First, I hope you all know that the sounds that pop through occasionally from your families in the background don't make a bad podcast; they make you human and THAT is part of what makes your podcast great.On the subject of families, I have 3 young sons (6, 4, 2 years old) that love "helping" with woodworking projects and learning about tools.  The family has outgrown our current dinner table, and I've been tasked with building a new one.  I'm planning a 6.5'x3.5' dinner table that doesn't need to be an showpiece heirloom dining table, but I'd love to produce something that will look nice and can handle the inevitable mayhem of a young family.   Can you recommend a wood species and some finish options that will stand up to these demands? I can feel white oak calling me here, should I answer the call?  (For context, our kitchen cabinets and floors are all darker wood tones so more dark might just blend into the background too much.)Thank you as always for your contribution to the woodworking community.  Your knowledge, experience, and unique characters make this truly the best woodworking podcast. Evan

Hey guys! Love the podcast and appreciate all the work you put into it. My wife and I have been planning a remodel of our kitchen for a few years. I really want to build the cabinets, but also recognize that my time is pretty limited with work, and my wife doesn't want a partially completed kitchen for months. I'm currently designing the kitchen in Sketchup to a pretty high level of detail because we have some restrictions with the space that I need to ensure I take into account. The goal is to work through as much as I can in Sketchup to reduce guesswork, decisions, and time once I start  building.

We have currently decided that I will build the cabinet boxes and face-frames since it will be easer to custom design and build for the space, and I'm researching options for outsourcing the drawer boxes and drawer/door fronts. We are planning on using rift sawn white oak with inset door and drawer fronts.

The drawer boxes seem like a pretty easy option to outsource, but the fronts seem like they could pose some challenges that I may not be considering. Should I be worried about significant color or grain differences between the outsourced supplier, and what I can get locally to build the face-frames?Since they will be inset, do you have a recommendation on sizing when I order? For example, I'm planning on a 3/32" reveal between the face-frame and doors/drawers, should I order with 1/16" or the full 3/32" oversized so I can trim to the exact opening once the cabinets are installed in case something shifts?Thanks for the help! Jason

Guy's Questions:

Hi guys. Love the podcast! Wish I could find a fishing podcast as good. Life would be perfect.I made the move to a Fuji Sprayer.  I bought one with the gravity feed gun but now think I made a mistake. I think it would be easier to hold finish in the cup between coats.What is your preference and why?Thanks so much. Joe

Hi Guys,

I recently asked a question concerning how to glue up a frame and panel so it’s flat. I took your advice and it worked great. Thanks so much!!!I have two unrelated questions:I recently purchased expensive hinges from Horton-brasses. When I received the hinges I made a jig out of MDF so I could simply rout out the mortises for the hinges to sit in. As usual, I make the jig so they are a perfect fit for the hing. I tested the jig on a piece of scrap and the hinge fit perfectly. I then used the jig on a cabinet I made and the hinge did not fit. I tried the various hinges I purchased and only one of the hinges fit (the hinge I used to make and test the jig). After measuring the hinges, I discovered that they were all different sizes varying by about .01”. I contacted Horton-brasses and explained the problem and they told me that their acceptable tolerance is +/- .05”. With some simple math this means that