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

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

Howdy fellas,

In a previous podcast, Brian mentioned he had used raking light after sanding and was impressed by how clearly sanding marks were visible.  I have tried to deliberately use raking light to identify sanding issues.   You can lift a small item at a angle towards an overhead light and sight along the surface which works but if it is larger surface this isn't practical. I have taken an led trouble light and held it at an angle close to surface but rarely see the sanding marks stand out.   At some point in the afternoon sunlight hits the top of a project and marks are clearly visible   .  Any suggestions on  using raking lighting on larger surfaces?  Thanks for the great program, look forward to each new podcast. Dave at Xcuse4tools Custom Woodwork

Guys Questions:

Appreciate you all and look forward to your podcast. I was making raised panel doors for the cabinets in my shop. The panels are cut on the tablesaw with a tall fence jig and the blade tilted. This works well but leaves a few saw marks on the beveled portion of the panel which need to be cleaned up. The best way i know to sand this area is to wrap sandpaper around a small flat piece of plywood and manually sand it. This is time consuming and you are sanding across grain on two of the four bevels. I was wondering if there are any powered options available. I still have a quarter sheet sander but you hit the outer edge of panel if you use this on the bevel. Have you used a mop or star sanding wheel?  This appears to be good for contours. Hoping you might have some insights possibly with Huy's recent furniture restoration efforts. Thanks, Dave@Xcuse4tools Custom Woodwork

Hi there,

As always, love the podcast and all of the insights and expertise you share. I’m preparing to do a built-in cabinetry project for our entertainment center. The full set of cabinets will be be about 11 1/2 feet wide. I’m planning to do shaker style doors, but with a beaded pdf panel with vertical beads going across the full width of the panel. I know Guy is probably going to say, “I’d just buy the panels and be done with it”, but let’s say that I really wanted to make them myself. How would you recommend cutting all of those beads. I have a Powermatic PM2000 and a nice cast iron router table and handheld routers, but no CNC. I recently saw a video where someone made these kinds of panels with a “Magic Molder” on the table saw. Would love to hear if you have any other methods. Pete

Huys Questions:

I have been woodworking for 6 years and have learned allot from your podcast. I recently took a finishing class and learned about the different finishes. Mineral spirits is the recommended thinner for oil based finishes. Why does Guy recommend Naphtha. What is the difference between Naphtha and Mineral Spirits. What advantage is there in using Naphtha. Thank you for all the great information you bring to the community. John

Gents - Apologies for the long story, but you asked for questions.

So my questions are:

1) For someone just getting into woodworking, would you recommend dedicated machines over a combination unit? Why?

2) Be honest—did I make a mistake going with the Robland?

Thanks again for all the insight you share each week. Craig

This Episodes Questions

Brians Questions

Hi guys. I've listened to every episode of the podcast and some of them more than once. Really appreciate all of the insights you give. It makes my commute much more fun and I've learned a ton!

This question is primarily for Brian. I've heard you all poke fun at him for using Excel to plan his projects on multiple occasions. I'm very curious to learn more about how he accomplishes this. I understand that he makes each cell square and draws, but maybe he could give us a little tutorial. What cell height and width does he use? What does each cell represent (an inch, six inches, a foot?). Any other of the steps you use would be super helpful. I'm planning on a built-in set of cabinets coming up and I thought I'd give your method a shot. Pete

Hello Guys

Guys Questions

Gentlemen

I have a Canadian made 14 inch General thickness planer that is about 40 years old and it has been working well and reliably over the years.  Lately I noticed that one edge of a full width (14 inch) board is about .7 mm (28/1000 inch)thicker when compared to the other.  It may have always done this but I am edge jointing  some wide boards into panels and the variation in thickness means I have to hand plane the joints.  There is no way to adjust the base to make it parallel to the cutter head.  I almost always use a sled so I could adjust it to offset the inequality. 

My question is am I being a bit too fussy with the small difference?  Would you accept this level of planing inaccuracy when working in your own shop?

Bob Vergette, Pender Island BC, Canada

Here is my next question.  I am making a shadowbox out of walnut. I want to put brass splines on the corners.  I built a spline jig and I purchased a new CMT 201.024.10 Industrial Ripping Saw Blade, 10-Inch. x 24 Teeth FTG Grind with 5/8-Inch. Bore, PTFE Coating.  This blade measures 1/8 with calipers across two of the carbide tips. However the cut comes in at 5/32. The brass I purchased is exactly 1/8”   This leaves very small but noticeable gap.  I've also tried with another blade and got the same results. What suggestions or tips you may have to get that saw kerf to 1/8 inch?  I may next try a slightly larger thickness of brass and file/sand it down but that will be more work. I hate to say this but guys on Youtube make it look easy and have no gaps, but don't provide the tips and how they got such tight fits. Thanks in advance!

Dudley @ Pappys Hangar

Huys Questions

Gents, what a great podcast! I love the format, the focus on answering questions, and the valuable information. I especially like hearing Guy's perspectives who's both a pro and a hobbyist. Thanks and keep it up. I've been woodworking as a hobbyist for about 50 years - yes I'm older than Guy but not dying anytime soon thanks to my Sawstop - but just now getting into spray finishing. I have heard Guy talk numerous times about using pigmented water based conversion varnish. I have an upcoming project involving kitchen cabinet door panels that need to be finished to match the existing which is conversion varnish tinted to match Benjamin Moore Linen White. Because I have also heard Guy saying he gets his finishes from Target Coatings, I contacted them but was told they do not tint their conversion varnish and I would need to tint it myself. Their suggestion though is to apply their pigmented water based lacquer for the color match, and then coat that with their polycarbonate urethane for durability comparable to the conversion varnish. That two-step process sounds cumbersome compared to one step conversion varnish. So the question is do you get your pigmented conversion varnish elsewhere? Do you get it at Target coatings and have it tinted locally? Tint it yourself? Thanks for your advice. John

My grandparents had a marquetry landscape picture hanging on the wall of their house for years when I was kid.  After they passed, one of my uncles received the picture as part of their inheritance.  I decided to try to make my own version of this picture as the chalet had a few discrepancies in it.  The picture was of a man walking down a winding path between a chalet and a couple of trees and mountains in the background.  I have tried to use 1/16" veneer but it seems prone to tearing/chipping when I use my Dewalt scroll saw.   I have tried several different styles of blades with no success.   I have also had some difficulties getting the jigsaw pieces, so to speak, to fit closely together. It seems if I remove a little from one side of a piece then it alters another side.  I have let's say gone through a bit of extra veneer.  What suggestions would you make so that the veneer doesn't tear/chip out?  Is there a better way to cut the pieces? Would you use a different thickness or completely go away from the veneer to something else?  Lastly, what techniques can you offer up to get the pieces to fit snugly given the sometimes difficult shapes? Jim

Brians Questions:

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and opinions - and answering my previous questions. It's been a great help.

Gentlemen,

Guys Questions:

I’m preparing to build a set of kitchen cupboards from white oak.  The style will be Mission, with some Frank Lloyd Wright Prairies Style touches.  I have several questions.

Huys Questions:

Hello guys, my name is Jim Rose.  I live in north central Kansas and have a couple of completely different topics for questions.

Hey Fellas' as many say "love the podcast", I've learned a ton and look forward to more as I work my way through previous shows and keep up with new ones. The ask ... you've shared a fair amount regarding adhesive/glues including talking shelf life. How can we tell when an adhesive/glue has exceeded its shelf life and should be discarded and replaced? I mean knowing this is prior to using it and the project failing and pieces not sticking as needed. Thanks, Chris Hudson

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

 What are the the most useful 3d prints for a woodworking shop. 

Hi, let’s talk about working with laminated plywood.

Guys Questions:

Hi Guys, I’ve been listening to your podcast since the beginning and it’s by far the best. There’s not even a close second.

I am building a trestle table out of African Mahogany, more specifically

Huy's Questions:

Hello Gents,

Hey guys I’ve been listening to lots of episodes of the podcast lately and find it very helpful me being a beginner.

Guys Questions

Hey guys, I really love your show. My question is about food safe finishes. I do a lot of CNC carving and one of my favorite is deviled egg trays. The first couple I made for my wife I just finished with some butcher block oil, the composition of an egg Has something  in it I think and it quickly turned the reliefs in the wood surface black. I talked to my sister-in-law who’s a chemical engineer and she told me that polyurethane once it’s cured would be fine for this. I have done a few with this and it seems to be holding up OK but I am curious what your guys thoughts are  on the long-term effect of this. Most of my egg trays are made out of a butcher block style material that has lots of maple cherry ash a little bit of oak and various leftovers. Unfortunately, I can’t use walnut in my wood shop due to my wife’s tree nut allergy again guys. I really appreciate your podcast and look forward to listening to it. Albert

Thanks for the great podcast, I learn something from every episode. 

I realize this isn’t a fine precision woodworking question, but I figure you guys have probably dealt with manhandling sheets of plywood. We have about 140 sheets of plywood that we need to put down on a floor. The median age of the guys doing this is somewhere between 65 and 70. Any suggestions for how to safely handle this many sheets of plywood to minimize strains and injuries ?

Huys Questions

Good Morning, I appreciate the podcast as I continue to learn its been a great resource, thank you!

Quick background. I grew up watching PBS's Norm Abram and This Old House but never had much opportunity to learn wood working. As an adult I started learning both construction building and cabinet/furniture making helping others, reading and youtube etc. Starting in basement workshops with mostly benchtop tools. ~15 years into the journey I am starting to get a decent foundation. Recently I built a house with a planned garage workshop and have started outfitting it. Bones are there, lots of organization needed but I have now have 3hp grizzly table saw, bosch miter saw with large counter style station, 8" Grizzly jointer, 24" Grizzly Drum Sander, Grizzly Bandsaw and dust collector Planer still needs upgrading, have a Ridgid 13" but watching for a used 20" helical head. I have been busy chasing used deals! Also recently setup a 10'x10' popup tent with furnace filter setup tied into 12" exhaust fan as a spray booth, works great! Spraying with a Fuji mini mite 5 stage and PPS cup system.  Space is 32'x32' when cars are out with 12' ceiling, in floor heat. Rural northern New York. Not a Rockler or similar store within a days drive but we have ample local sawmills to find solid wood if your willing to mill it and access to cabinet grade plywood delivered from suppliers.

With this shop setup I am now building cabinets, furniture, trim, doors etc for our house. Starting in some areas I don't mind making some mistakes. Two areas that I am struggling to figure out:

Finishes-your recent episode had some decent comments but I would love a thorough discussion on when you would choose a certain finish over another. In particular thinking of kitchen cabinets, vanities, built in's, kitchen table. High traffic areas. I have played around with conversion varnish from Woodwright. Seems like very durable stuff and I don't mind cleaning up with solvent but when is that necessary vs going with an easier to work with finish such as Sherwin Williams Emerald? Or middle ground lacquer??I do have Bob Flexners book but would love to hear your experiences/ opinions? If I do use conversion varnish how do you handle any touch ups?

I have quite a lot of experience with airless on sheetrock so its not a huge jump but any suggestions on HVLP setups, when to use which tips etc. would be helpful.

*Doors- I appreciated the conversation on doors recently. I have several very custom interior and exterior doors I want to tackle. I agree with your comments on buying pre hung for standard doors but between custom nature of what we want and because I just want to do it I am going to try to build my own. I want to buy the festool domino machines in time anyhow and I think that would be a good way to build the doors. I would enjoy hearing a conversation on specifics on how you would choose to build interior vs exterior doors, rail and style material vs. panel material vs jamb material. Is there a way to insulate the exterior door? Finishes? If you had the shop described above and both domino size machines what would you do?

Thank you! Matt Wendig

This one is a wood selection question. I am looking for a wood that has both good elasticity and shock resistance. I am building a Japanese makiwara board, which is a training tool that provides progressive resistance to striking force by the martial artist. The training board is about 55" tall, 5" wide and is tapered - so thick at the base and gradually tapers to the top. This allows for "flex" when the board is struck. In Japan - Japanese beech is typically used, but not readily available near me. I am thinking along the lines of Ash or Elm for my build. I appreciate your thoughts. Crafted Carpentry Tampa

Hello gentlemen and thank you for the wonderful podcast.

 I have an oversized single car garage that houses my furnace, hot water tank, ATV, motorcycle, mechanical shop and woodshop so space is at a premium and that is the motivation to possibly do away with a table saw all together.

I have a router table, mitre saw and track saw so I feel all the functions I may lose not having a table saw will still be covered by these tools plus I have a Ridgid job site table saw (R4518ns) I use for the odd job I do off site.

I currently have an older 110v 14" king bandsaw that I find severely underpowered and that I want to replace anyways, so with the sale of my current bandsaw and table saw plus my current budget and with some convincing of my wife I'm thinking I'll have roughly $3000-3300CAD to buy either one bandsaw or have to use those fund to buy both a bandsaw and table saw.

I am 6'4" and if my memory serves me correctly guy has said Laguna bandsaw tables are closer to the ground and I've quickly looked at some king bandsaw and craftex bandsaws but I'm not sold on them either.

So my question question to you guys is, what would you do? Use all the funds on a bandsaw and if so which one and what type of blades should I purchase with it? Or split up the funds to purchase 2 machines and again which ones? And do you go new or used in both of those situations?

Thank you ahead of time for taking the time to read and respond to my inquiry. James

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions

When making trivets, how to cut the grooves - when I cut mine I hogged out half the thickness of the wood in one pass.   That led to some pretty rough cuts and gouges (i.e. scrap).   I assume the answer is a router table with a lift, but of course I don’t have one YET.   :)      Also, what finish to put on a trivet (which is used for hot pans)? - different finish than a cutting board?   Tung oil?  Danish oil?   I assume ’not’ ArmRSeal. Mark

I’m preparing to build a set of kitchen cupboards from white oak.  The style will be Mission, with some Frank Lloyd Wright Prairies Style touches.  I have several questions.

Hello esteemed woodworking gentlemen! Thanks for the amazing podcast and the contribution to the woodworking community. I’m seeking some general advice and hope you can help.

Huys Questions:

A while back my wife and I bought and moved into a house with no dishwasher, then later purchased one after realizing how much not having one sucked. We made the mistake of assuming that we would be fine putting the dishwasher at the end of the counter, because we figured the top of the machine would look like a run-of-the-mill home appliance like a washer or dryer, rather than the monstrosity that it actually is.

Howdy yall,

This Episodes Questions:

Brian's Questions:

My neighbor gave me a beautiful maple root ball that is approximately 3' in diameter about 6 months ago. I am currently letting it dry for another 12 to 24 months. I'm thinking of eventually rough cutting it with a large reciprocating saw. The wood will be used for small boxes or knife handles. Am I crazy? Do you have any advice on dry times and using root wood? George

Guy, I am making a bow front dresser and plan to use Blum Blumotion undermount slides for the drawers. However, I’m not sure how I should attach the front of the slide to the bottom of the draw, since the draw front will be curved. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, the draws will be inset, but since the blumotion has a fair amount of flexibility (up/down and left/right)  I am thinking aligning the draw fronts should be doable. But do you have any suggestions to make it as simple as possible? Finally I see Rockler has a “JIG IT” under mount drilling guide. Do you use this jig and do you recommend it?

Guy's Questions:

I live in Fishers, IN and am new to woodworking and was wondering how to find good places for hardwoods? It’s been pretty tough to find anything local without driving a decent distance to a mill on the west side of town. Chayse Bell

I’m preparing to build a set of kitchen cupboards from white oak.  The style will be Mission, with some Frank Lloyd Wright Prairies Style touches.  I have several questions.

Huy's Questions:

Thank you all for what you do. Like so many other woodworkers, I have accumulated quite a bit of wood through my own purchases and also from inheriting my fathers wood collection after he passed away. I would like to move it out of my two car garage workshop to free up space, and am considering building some sort of dry storage box to store it under a deck in my backyard. (I don’t have room for a large lumber shed). Thinking roughly 14 foot by 4 foot by 4 foot.  This box would obviously be exposed to the weather as the deck is not sealed. What are your thoughts on this?  And if you were to build this box, would you seal it relatively airtight or would you simply stack the lumber off the ground and put a piece of tin or something over the top to allow airflow. In the second example, I worry about snow, rain and bugs getting access to the lumber. Thanks in advance for your response.

Hey gentleman, first of all, thank you for the amazing podcast and the fluff-free format.

This Episodes Questions:

Brian's Questions:

I’m preparing to build a set of kitchen cupboards from white oak.  The style will be Mission, with some Frank Lloyd Wright Prairies Style touches.  I have several questions.

Thank you David Caraway

Guy's Questions:

Thank you all for such a great show!  I'm an amateur woodworker working out of a 550 square foot two-car attached garage.  We keep two cars in the garage, so all my equipment is on mobile bases.

Always a pleasure listening to your podcast.  Thank you for your knowledge and insight.

Huy's Questions:

Thanks for the great podcast. I have learned a lot from all the great content you put out. I really appreciate your advice and perspective. I have a couple questions I was hoping you could answer.

A lot of people talk about spraying water on wood when changing sanding grits, to raise the loose fibres and get a smoother finish.