This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

Thanks for the great podcast, I discovered your channel about a month ago and now listen all the time traveling to and from work. I've been woodworking a little over a year now and currently working on a dining table made from ash and have picked up all sorts of pearls that have helped with the glue up, apron design, finishing, etc., so thank you for all that.

This question is directed to Brian, as he has mentioned that his shop is in his basement. I currently work out of my two car garage that I share with my wife's car. We just built the house in 2024 and I'm kicking myself that I didn't insulate the garage. These cold Northern Indiana days are making working in the garage pretty uncomfortable. I know I could just insulate it, but HVAC isn't attached to the garage either so to make it truly comfortable would be a big job/cost. So, Brian, can you share a little more about the layout/design of your basement shop? E.g. was it a room that existed that you converted into the shop or you framed the room specifically for a shop? How do you take extra precautions to make sure your family isn't affected by dust, as this is my primary concern. Obviously, I know of dust collection and dust filters, but it still concerns me to think I'd be working in the basement. Do you have anything you wish you did differently? We have an unfinished basement that is very open, so the sky would be the limit for me in the future before we finish it.

Guys Questions:

Somewhat recently I made a gift for my wife using White oak. I had predetermined that for a finishing schedule I wanted to first apply Danish oil, then seal it with shellac, and minwax performance series varnish for a top coat.

I ran into an issue when I began to finish the piece. Not knowing a thing about wood porosity, I liberally applied watco Danish oil, and as a result I had a big problem with seepage. Now, my research had cautioned me that I would need to keep checking on the piece periodically for the next several hours after application to wipe up any seepage that came up. Even so, you this went on for so long that it became an issue. Two full days after application I was still wiping up seepage. I would wipe the piece down before bed at night, and when I'd check it in the morning there would be spots on the surface that took a considerable amount of effort to buff out. I couldn't keep up with it, and after a few days the surface was covered in spots, which meant that I had to start over. 

As I mentioned previously, I could not find any information online regarding how to deal with this problem. Just to see what would happen, I decided to try aiming a heat gun at the work piece after it had been drying for a couple of hours. This worked phenomenally, and I could not have been more thrilled. Of course the heat didn't dry out the wood any faster or anything, but what it did do was vastly accelerate the seepage process. The oil was rapidly drawn up to the surface of the wood, where I could wipe it away, and after treating both sides in this manner for a total of perhaps 10 minutes it seemed that all of the excess oil had been drawn out. I wiped the work piece down and had no more issues. 

Of, like with any application involving a heat gun, I had to keep it moving, otherwise it would start to bake the spots of oil onto the surface. Anyways, I just thought this was a neat trick that might come in handy with oil finishes if seepage is ever a huge issue. I hope you guys found this interesting. Zach Owens

Hello from Chico, California!

Huys Questions:

Longtime listener. Truly enjoy the podcast. I am considering upgrading my table saw to a contractor or cabinet model. The choice are really overwhelming. I get a lot of advice on different brands, phase of motor and should I buy new or used. Any advice appreciated. Greg

I recently bought a small bandsaw mill (Woodmizer LX30) and am becoming an amateur sawyer, exclusively to supply lumber for my own projects.  Once I have dried lumber to an acceptable moisture content, what is the best way to store a few thousand board feet?  My kiln guy says I should store packs of dead-stacked lumber horizontally, wrapped in 6-mil plastic.  That sounds like a pain.  I'd prefer to forgo the plastic and store the lumber horizontally, on edge, in a rack, in my unheated pole barn - which, I should note, sometimes gets a wet floor in heavy rains.  Then I'd bring pieces into my shop for a few days to acclimate before machining.  What do you recommend for long-term lumber storage? Kyle

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

Just a question to ponder about the future of our favorite material. As old buildings get torn down there seems to a great supply of reclaimed lumber for our current generation. But as we know this is a finite resource. So with that said will the next generation be turning to our generation’s slab furniture for their reclaimed lumber? Doug

Hey!

Guys Questions:

Hello and thank you for the wonderful podcast.

Hey Guys,

Huys Questions:

Another question... I recently had a small tornado that took the roof off of my shop. As a result, all of my tools got wet and the power tools - table saw, jointer, band saw, drill press etc - all got wet and rusted. They've been in storage since March of this year. I have new shop being built and hope to have it done by the end of this month. What suggestions do y'all have in terms of getting the rust off of the tools and checking for any other possible water damage? Thanks. Ron Brewer

I’m making a walnut bench that I want to route headboard sides (legs) on and I’m not sure how to go about it. I’m not sure if a straight edge/track with a router and at pointed round over bit would be the best route or if I should do it on the router table. I plan on using a 3/8” or 1/2” radius point cutting round over bit for the beading. The end two end panels are 16”x18” and 1.5” thick. I have a festool 1400 router and an Incra router table as possible options. Also, once I get these panels made what’s the best way to sand the beads since they come down to a tight point in the middle. Sanding seems like it would be a huge pain and not sure if the router bit would leave a good enough finish to apply finish without prep work.

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

Hey all, great podcast, thank you for doing what you do.

Hello friends, 

Guys Questions:

Hello,

I have owned my Sawstop cabinet saw for nearly a year now and I have consistently been impressed with the quality of the machine. One thing that has bugged me since I got the saw is the occasional binding I get when I do a rip cut especially. I have meticulously aligned the fence with the blade/miter slots and with a dial indicator jig to be parallel. I thought it may be internal stresses in the wood but I have the same issue ripping plywood or MDF. I finally figured out the problem. I am using Freud thin kerf blades which have a kerf of 0.091" inches according to the manufacturer. My riving knife is a few thousands thicker than this . Sawstop offers a thin riving knife but I have seen mixed opinions and wanted to get your guys' take on it since I know at least one or two of you have the Sawstop cabinet saw. Have you ever had this problem? Thanks! Adam

Huys Questions:

Dear Woodshop Life Podcast Senseis,

I discovered your podcast earlier this year and have now gone back and listened to the entire back catalog while making sawdust in the shop. I appreciate all the knowledge you are sharing with the entire woodworking community.

Due to some tech difficulties, we won't be uploading an episode this week. See you next time!

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

Love the podcast fellas! I have a simple question: When I use my table saw, I usually just check if the blade is "high enough" i.e. any height higher than the wood piece. Is there an ideal blade height for a given wood thickness? Thanks!

What is the most difficult project you've ever done?

Guys Questions:

I’m wondering how thick is too thick to veneer onto a plywood box. I’ll be making a treasure chest for my daughter’s wedding (for cards and such) and lining it in leather. I have some wood I’d like to use for the outside as “veneer”, but it is a 3/8” thick. The species is morado, and they were a “special buy” thing at a Woodcraft I got a while ago.  Basically, I have them and I’d like to use them if possible rather than buying something else.

I recently bought a small bandsaw mill (Woodmizer LX30) and am becoming an amateur sawyer, exclusively to supply lumber for my own projects.  2 questions, here's the first:

1. In what use cases, if any, would you use air-dried lumber for your projects, assuming it is stickered properly, outside, with a rain cover on the top, for a year per inch of thickness?  I was told by a friend who operates a kiln that air-drying in southern Indiana will never get the moisture content much below 13-15%, it will dry unevenly throughout the board, and it won't kill powder post beetles and other insects.  His conclusion is that for any indoor woodwork projects, I should only use kiln-dried lumber.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?  Fortunately, he's well-respected, trustworthy, and at $.35/bd-ft dried, affordable.  But I can air-dry for free, so I'd be curious to know when, if ever, that may be workable.

Huy's Questions:

I have another good fundamentals of woodworking type question for you. Could you explain the differences between grain density and porosity? For a while I thought I knew what at least one of these meant. That was until I heard Guy describe oak as a tight-grained, open pore species. That whole description goes more or less right over my head. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could explain what grain density and wood porosity look like visually, as well as what effects these attributes have on working with a particular species, finishing it, etc. 

Thanks for all of your time and for sharing your expertise with all of us. The Fridays when you guys have new episodes are my favorite days of the week.

Hello Friends,

I have a ten-foot long 12/4 burled and figured maple board with a live edge on one side.  The board ranges from 9” to 18” wide.  My plan is to resaw it into a two 1.5” ish boards and dimension them down to about 1 ¼ to make the parts for my project.  Before I do that, I need to clean up the burled protrusions on the live edge side because I think it will be easier to do that before I resaw it.

My first question is how do I clean up the live edge burls?  Some of the live edge is typical, but other sections have a lot of terrifying spiked peaks and valleys where a burl has boiled out of the tree.  It looks like the surface of the sun right before it’s getting ready to disrupt our global communications system for a few hours.  If it helps to understand what I’m dealing with, my wife saw the board when I brought it home said things like “your wood is being a drama queen” and “it’s trying to do too much” and “how much was that”.  To experiment, I took a wire brush to a small section just to see what would happen.  It worked well from the standpoint of clearing out debris, removing bark and burrs.  But I suspect this isn’t the best method for ultimately prepping this for finishing and is probably a crime.

Once I get the edge cleaned up, I’ll resaw and dimension my parts.  Getting this 10 foot 12/4 stock up onto my bandsaw and perfectly slicing it into two equal pieces will probably go great.   Then I’ll sand the faces to 220.  That’s where my extensive experience runs out.    Rather than give up at this point, what can I do to bring out the wild figuring on these boards?  Fesstool made me buy higher grits of sandpaper like 400, 800, 1000 etc that I haven’t used.  Is this why I have these grits? Unlike everything else in my life, I don’t want to overthink this, but I’m starting to wonder how much that twisted, gnarled bubbling burled edge is going to drip finish on the rest of the board after I spray it.  Should I consider frog taping the faces, spraying the live edge first and then shoot the face as a second operation after the edges are done?  Can one of you come over?

I’ve never used shellac before, but I’ve listened to every one of your episodes so I feel like I’m probably an expert in shellac and pound cut related activities.  I have a 5 stage Fujispray system that I’ve used in the past to drip finishes on the floor and all over myself and my work pieces.  I also have some rags. Robert

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

I recently bought a good amount of S3S ambrosia Maple from Rockler. I bought it at a crazy discount. The first time I picked some up they were selling it for $3 per board foot, and when I came in a few weeks later it had dropped to $1 per board foot. I asked multiple employees why the price was so low. They all said that they simply just didn't have room for the material. Looking around this seemed to be the case. 

I have been storing the wood in the loft of my shed/shop for several weeks now, which is cool and dry this time of year. I finally decided to begin a project using some of this material, but to my dismay I have discovered that most of the boards have a twist in them. I've been able to minimize this problem by strategically cutting the boards into smaller pieces, but when I put them in my crosscut sled, I've noticed that a few of the boards aren't even flat on the edge that is supposed to be jointed.

Is this something I should expect after moving lumber that had been stored somewhere with moderate temperature and humidity to a cooler and dryer location? Or is it possible the store was selling this wood for so cheap because people had had issues with this material already? I try not to be overly fussy, especially when I've I've gotten a good deal on something, but this is one of the first times that I've purchased a significant amount of hardwood from a higher quality store and what I'm looking at is about the same quality I'd expect after picking out hardwood boards at random from a big box store.

Lastly, considering that I don't have a joiner or a planer, is there any way for me to try to correct the twist in these boards? For now I just have worst of the boards clamped down to a flat surface. Thanks in advance for your time and your feedback.

Sincerely, Zach Owens

Hi guys, I have a question about how long does it takes, when working on a project, before "project fatigue" sets in?  I woodwork for at least an hour or more everyday (much more on the weekends) and I have built book cases, a fancy cat tree, a hallway table, small boxes, solid oak doors, and shop furniture in the past year.  Sometimes I get to the point where I just want to finish up the current project so I can start something new.   It seems to happen around the 4 to 6 week mark.  Do you ever get project fatigue?  Just curious if I'm not alone.

Also, thank you to Guy for discussing hide glue and shellac in previous podcasts.  I'm now making my own glue and dissolving my own shellac flakes.  I like the traditional aspect and easy of use.     

Cheers

Guys Questions:

I would like to build my kids a set of montessori style bookshelves out of solid maple, and I can see myself making more of these in the future for others. So, I am trying to figure out how to make the joinery fast, accurate and repeatable.  Also, I would like to avoid using screws and I do not own a domino, so I think that probably makes dowels the best option?  

How would you make the 2 sides to this bookshelf?  My thoughts are to make a template for the sides so I can route the shape.  I am struggling with the dowels...  Due to wood movement in the vertical shelf pieces, I was thinking about using 2 dowels, where one will be fixed and the other will have a slot cut into the side panel. See attached photos. Each horizontal shelf piece will be dadoed to the vertical shelf piece and the 4 shelves will not be connected to each other to help account for wood movement.  If I use an mdf template for the sides and also put the dowel holes and slots in it, how would you cut the holes and slots? Router, router with bearing, drill press, hand drill?  Is there a better way that could be easier or faster than I am missing?

Thank you for all you help! Jeff

Hello all! Thank you for a great show! About a year ago I built a cabinet with a cherry top. It was finished with a single coat Zinser Bulls Eye Seal Coat, followed by 3 coats of Poly. (wiped on). See original picture attached. Since then in a few places it developed small white spots. What would you recommend for me to do to fix it? Can I just apply a few more coats on top? If so, how would I prep the top? Or do I need to sand it back to bare wood? If so, what would be the process to sand it back? 

Huys Questions:

2. I remember a while back Huy mentioned buying a sewing machine and considering upholstery. Have you don’t anything with it? My wife has been on me for years to build a chaise lounge for our living room for a specific space, but even watching folks demonstrate the art I get a bit frazzled. I know Guy’s solution-just go buy the damn cushions. So, Guy, would you have your wife buy them first and build around them or build the piece (whatever it may be) and send her on a quest to find some to fit? Any resources for upholstery on wooden furniture? Peter Downing

A few  years ago I got some beautiful, large pieces of white oak from a neighor's fallen tree.  I've had them in my garage where they've been slowly drying.  Unfortunately, I didn't strip the bark and now I'm seeing signs of bug infestation.  The bugs seem confined to the space between the wood and the bark.  After striping the bark how can I kill the bugs before bringing them into the shop?

These logs will be used for turning so I could use an insecticide and just wear a mask with an organic compound filter while turning.  Or, I could use a handheld power planer to just hog off any signs of insects in the outer layer of the log.

Do you have any ideas? Jim

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

I’ve been making music boxes and trying to replicate the traditional style (see attached photos). I’m struggling to get the curved edge just right. I’ve tried using a planer, but I keep messing up and have ended up wasting a lot of boards.

I’ve heard a few of your podcasts where you speak about making boxes and using a router to make the miter. I’m assuming you’re using a bit with a 45° angle. What I don’t understand is, how do you get the sides to be the exact same length while using your router table. It would seem to me that having the top of the angle (the point of the angle) against the fence would be almost impossible to get perfectly sized sides.  Can you please describe what I am missing here, since a perfect 45° angle using a route a bit seems incredibly simple. Mike G.

Guys Questions:

I have always tried to select straight grain for legs, aprons, stretchers and the frame of a frame and panel.  I am now thinking this may be too much straight grain in a piece of furniture. When are the times that you would not do this and would instead use a more interesting grain pattern in these pieces.  Does the wood species affect your choice? For example, it seems like the current trend with walnut is not worrying about getting any straight grain in the pieces at all.  Thanks for all your help. Jeff

Hi from Melbourne Australia. I’ve been listening for years, and I like how y’all do things! Thanks for making the best woodworking pod.

Huys Questions:

I was trained on a belt sander, and as Guy has mentioned, there is a learning curve. I’m now very proficient with one and it is a central part of my stock prep: from the planer, I belt sand a rough-sized board with 80 grit, wet it down and let it dry to raise any remaining compression marks from the planer, and then belt sand with 120. I then cut the board to final dimension, random orbital sand with 120, cut the joinery, and then random orbital sand the fitted piece to 180 before final assembly. The process leaves flawless surfaces every time. For panel glue-ups and tabletops, I glue up from the planer using cauls and then make sure the 80 grit belt sanding that follows evens out any discrepancies in height along the joints (hopefully they are minimal).

I have zero experience with a drum sander, but I would consider getting one if it could replace some of the above belt sanding, as the belt sander is no light weight hand tool, and it’s a killer on my back when I have to sand a full width dining table. I would likely get the PM2244, as I have heard it is the easiest to adjust. You all have mentioned that a drum sander does NOT offer a finish ready surface, as it leaves sanding ridges along the workpiece. This is not a problem in my workflow if it replaces the belt sander.

My questions:

Are these ridges similar to what I get with the belt sander for a given grit, or are they deeper, requiring by comparison to the belt sander extra time on the following grit?

Since I am not seeking to dimension or flatten, but merely prep the surface for the next grit, would one pass in the drum sander for each grit be enough, or am I looking at multiple passes per grit? With a belt sander, there is a lot of back and forth, but with a drum sander I’m wondering if a single pass through will give the same result.

How easy and fast is it to change the grit on a drum sander if I want to run 80 grit and then 120 in each sanding session? A dual drum unit is not in the budget.

Finally, how reasonable is it to get good results sanding a tabletop that exceeds the width of the sander (i.e., the 22 in the Powermatic) but is within the bounds of the larger number (here, the 44)? With some practice, can I get reliable results, or does this just create more work after sanding, where I’ll likely be pulling out the belt sander to even out a center ridge anyway? Keep in mind this could include tabletops from small night stands to full 8’ dining tables.

As a professional shop, the whole endeavor would be to save me some time and labor. Is it worth getting a drum sander for my workflow, or should I just stick to the belt sander? Michael

After listening to your podcast this week I listened with interest the question that was posted by Jose about track saw blade deflection and you guys had a great response.  Unfortunately I was hoping that you would address the issue that I'm having with my Makita SP 6000 unit.  I bought this unit a couple of years ago and despite great reviews have been a little disappointed.  The saw seems to be underpowered.  It struggles getting through material whether its 3/4" plywood or thicker hardwood.  I started with the stock Makita blade 165x20 48 tooth then with with a CMT 165x20 24 tooth and am currently using a Ridge Carbide TRK16048A 48 tooth blade.  I have a Festool extractor and using Makita tracks.  The problem is the saw bogs down (I have to creep with the feed rate  and still have the issue although not as bad) and burning.  Also sometimes the right side of the track edges up where two tracks join causing the saw to catch.  I have the good TSO GRC12 track connectors.  The Makita ones are junk.  I What's up with this?  Do I need to move this thing out the door, bite the bullet and buy a Festool?

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

Thank you for your awesome podcast!

Thanks once again for putting out the most helpful woodworking podcast I listen to!  

can you live without  a pedestal drill press? It’s handy, with relatively small footprint. But it seems like I use it exclusively perpendicular holes with Brad point or forstner bits., I could probably replace it with a drill guide like this UJK one. https://www.axminstertools.com/global/ujk-technology-drill-guide-with-10mm-chuck-106072

I am  getting back to woodworking and have started a side gig and have completed a few projects for a few people and have several more to do. I’m doing tables, shelves, cabinets, bookshelves, benches, and some other smaller things. I have a pretty good shop with a pretty good tool selection. Just purchased a Sawstop PCS 175, 36” fence and I can’t believe the quality from my old Delta contractor saw. It will certainly help me up my game on a lot of things. I have a couple of questions that I hope you can help.

Some of these projects are stained and others are painted. Up to this point I have just used brushes and rollers to paint and use mostly Sherwin Williams paint. The project turns out ok and my clients are satisfied but I’m ready to kick it up a notch by spraying. I’ve used a sprayer called a Criiter and while it works ok it very difficult to use on anything of size. I’m lo

I recently had the misfortune of losing my shop to a windstorm/tornado. So, I now 'get' to rebuild. I plan on having a footprint of about 30 x 40 with a 10' rollup door and one man door. I have several questions so appreciate that you may not be able to answer them all.

1. What would you suggest for the interion walls? OSB, plywood or ? 1/2" or 3/4"?

Thanks very much for your outstanding Podcast. I really, really enjoy it and learn lots every time I listen. Ron

Hi guys! I love the podcast and have almost caught up to the current episode. You guys really keep it to the topics, which is great!! I am currently working in my garage shop that is 18ftx14ft. I currently have a 10 inch job site table saw and I'm ready to upgrade to a cabnent saw. I am liking the Alpha HW110LC-36Pro but don't know much about them. I am also considering the Grizzly G0899. What are your thoughts on these saws. Thank you all and keep up the great work on the podcast!!! David Caraway

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

Hello gentleman, thank you again for one of the best woodworking podcasts available. I recently had the opportunity to travel to Lebanon IN for a few days of training at a tool manufacturer. I won't mention the company, but I got to use a Domino and a Rotex sander for the first time..., but I digress. While I was in the airport waiting for my flight home and enjoying a breakfast sandwich, I looked down at the table and noticed the "purposeful-design" logo branded on the top. This experience gave me two questions. One, what finish did Guy and Brian use on these tables to survive the abuse of so many travelers per day through an airport? Two, during the training we sanded a piece of cherry to 1500 grit, giving a very high sheen to the bare wood. What type of technique or finish would you use on something like that?

Hello fellow wood-nerds. I would like some advice on finishing. I’ve been doing a bathroom remodel. Which means I’ve spent a very long time doing non-woodworking work and learning new skills and desperately missing my shop time. I’m near the end finally and actually get to do some woodwork to wrap it up. My new floor doesn’t quite line up with the floor in the next room and the transition pieces available don’t quite suit. So I’m making one custom out of walnut. My question is: what would be a good finish? I don’t want it glossy or “plasticy” looking. But of course it will be stepped on and exposed to humidity from the shower so it does need to be durable. Thanks in advance Jason

Guys Questions:

This one may for Guy specifically but I'm interested in getting a 3D printer and would like your opinion on what I might want to look at. I have a total budget of around $1000 and want something that is very turnkey; I don't have a ton of time to learn how to use the machine and would like that will work for me out of the box. I'm looking at the Bambu Labs p1S; would this be a good starter machine? Thanks again for the great Podcast! Ron Brewer

Hi Guys,

I am hoping to eventually upgrade my table saw from a jobsite saw.  I have heard a little bit of discussion about the advantages of an induction motor over a universal motor but I was wondering if you could provide some insight about voltage for a table saw.  Obviously higher power is available with table saws that operate on higher voltages but as a hobbyist I am wondering how much power I actually need.  I do make some cabinets and furniture as well as smaller projects. So here is an assortment of questions that are perhaps intertwined:

Huys Questions:

If you're installing a herringbone floor, do you need to think about chatoyance, in addition to colour and grain pattern, when you're laying out the pieces? Do you want all of the pieces to be oriented to have similar chatoyance? Lauris

Hello Guys, I listen to your podcast while driving to and from work.  I really appreciate that you stay on track and offer several opinions regarding woodworking without the cackling and inside jokes, poor microphone control etc that other woodworking podcasts seem to have.

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions

Hey guys, appreciate you answering several of my questions in the past, so I thought of a few more. Feel free to separate as they are not related:

I’m building a dresser and have built the carcass out of cherry plywood. I’ve glued up a panel out of solid cherry that I want to use as the top. I want to attach the solid panel to the top of the carcass. Would you recommend using screws from the inside/underside of the plywood top and allowing for wood movement or is it ok to glue the solid wood top to the plywood carcass top? Eric

Domino vs beadlock set up from rockler?   Same principle...and , in my experience...same outcome.    Thoughts? Crafted Carpentry Tampa

When I wanted to learn how to apply shellac, I did a search and found a Youtube video of Guy from the late 70's when Youtube first came out demonstrating his technique involving a balled up rag and a mason jar with a lid to keep it in so it doesn't dry out between coats.  That video is fantastic and I learned a lot than just the rag and jar business.

Huys Questions

Gents,

Hi guy I have a question or re3ally looking for advice. I noticed the tension on the v-belt of my delat 14 inch band saw was lose. It looked like freely wabblying when spinning the balde and I could come reaelly close to touching the two sides together when pinching the belt. Anyways I found the manuel online and it says there should be 1 inch deflection. asuming the maker knows what they are talking about I never seen a belt with that much allowance after being tight, so what do you think? Also Wen mention how much a pain replacing the tires or wheels were, how do you do that (i know google will answer my questions too, but we like hearing you guys talk)? Last part, are these upgrades really worth it, sometime I buy into something that really is not an improvement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpDA2X6L9Y4) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FOa9EJf91g) Paul Miotchell