Woodshop Life Podcast

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. Router round-overs almost work, but still need planed or sanded after routing to get the shape just right, and also they’re pretty dangerous given the small and awkward size of the pieces—I’m working with ¾-inch thick wood that’s 2.5 inches high for the box sides. I'd like a repeatable process that provides consistent shapes, but can't seem to find a way to achieve it.  Advice? Trish 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. Like everyone, I have a small shop, that I fit a lot into. Without listing every item… I’ve got stationary machines covered with a euro style slider (Hammer K3), a 14” bandsaw (N4400) and a combo planer/thicknesser (A3-31). Those 3 cover my needs really well, and I’ve learned to work within the capacity of my tools and space. It’s the secondary/benchtop machines that are causing trouble. Mitre saw was first to go. Don’t miss it, don’t need it. I’m looking at sanders next. The disc sander stays, couldn’t live without it. But the 1632 drum sander and the oscillating bobbin sander are both rarely used and take up space I want back. Could you life without them? If not, what’s the essential job they do for you? I’m usually making furniture sized objects. With the finish I get off the helical thicknesser, I find that hand planes/scrapers, ROS, and hand sanding is usually all I need. For bigger flat things, I’m gonna pay a pro shop to put it thru a wide belt sander anyway. Johnny 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? Love the podcast. Tom

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Thank you for your awesome podcast! I recently started listening and am still working through older podcasts while staying up on your bi-weekly episodes.  I would describe myself as a longtime hobbyist who has built some basic furniture but who still has much to learn. My current project is setting up my workshop in one car space of a 3 car garage after having moved back to California from Colorado.  We’ve been back for over 3 years, but holding down a demanding full-time job and getting 2 kids through grad school has kept my wife and I pretty busy and has left little time for hobbies. Since I don’t have any specific projects in the works besides setting up my shop, my question is a little broader.  Curious to learn more about your thoughts on hand planes.  How much of your woodworking repertoire includes the use of hand planes, what types of hand planes do you use the most and for what types of jobs do you use them?  Or, do you completely omit hand planes from your woodworking arsenal? Thanks again for the great podcast. Best regards, Darryl Noda (Wildfield Woodshop) Thanks once again for putting out the most helpful woodworking podcast I listen to!   I'm making a lot of small boxes, many of which I make as one piece and then cut the lid off with a table saw or bandsaw.  How do you deal with glue squeeze-out on the interior corners of such boxes, when you can't access it until after you cut off the lid?  My current methods are to pre-finish the interior sides of the box, so the squeeze out doesn't affect the finish, or else to use painter's tape at the corners.  The pre-finishing works decently but requires a lot of forethought and has some limitations; the painter's tape is a pain and doesn't work all that well.  Another method I've tried is not caring about the squeeze-out and installing box inserts to cover it up.  Do you all have a preferred method for dealing with gluing up closed boxes?  Thanks again in advance for your good advice. Kyle 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  Thanks again for the pod, and for considering my question! Johnny    Huy's Questions:    My wife and I were on vacation earlier this summer driving from Iowa to Florida and I was board listening to the radio and she suggested I look for a podcast on woodworking. Boy was she sorry she suggested that! I found your podcast and what an informative and fun podcast!  I’ve listen to a lot of them but have not got to them all. 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"? 2. I plan on putting my table saw and outfeed table in the middle of the shop with the other typical tools - bandsaw, drill press, router table, jointer, planer on or near the exterior walls. Do you have any suggestions as to the layout of the shop? 3. My tools were all rescued thought they undoubtedly suffered some water damage and I won't really know the extent of the damage until the new shop is up and the tools are unloaded from the storage container. Any thoughts on how to deal with potentially water damaged tools? 4. I plan on getting a new dust collector as my old one didn't make it; a wall fell on it and I don't think it can be repaired. Any suggestions for a new one? I plan on plumbing in pvc piping to each of the tools so would like to have something pretty robust. 5. What would you suggest for shop height? My last shop was formerly used as a barn so had a 15' or so height; I don't think I need anything that high but am thinking about 10 or 11 feet here. 6. I plan on adding a cnc to the shop at some point in the future. What are your thoughts about placement of this machine? Should be against a wall or ? 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? Thank you for the great podcast, and I'm sorry I didn't have time to say hi while I was in Indianapolis. I waved from the plane, but you probably didn't notice. Josh 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: Is the increase in power with a 240V saw worth it?  I would also have to get new electrical added to my garage.  Is the type of motor related to the voltage?  In your opinion are table saws that can be rewired from 120 to 240V a viable option? Would the power actually change with the rewiring?  Are there any other considerations that I am not thinking of? Thank you all for your insight. Brad 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. I build a lot of Shaker style furniture with tapered legs and built my own taper jig, a sled which clamps the leg at the desired angle with the widest part of the cutoff leading into the blade.  This has worked very well except that occasionally, the wedge that is cutoff tips into the crack between the saw blade and the insert, jamming and sometimes tripping the saw's overload protection.  I have cut a brand new table saw insert with the intention of creating as close to a zero clearance slot as possible but it still is wide enough for the sliver edge of the taper cutoff to drop in.  How have you avoided this in the past?  Would a reverse orientation of the taper jig be safer such that the thinnest part of the cutoff is cut first and therefore at the back of the blade and the thickest part is the last part cutoff?  Thank you! Don

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: 1: What do you do, if anything, to maintain furniture you have built? What would you tell a client if they were to ask you. I have always heard Murphy’s oil is a good restorative, but when I looked at a bottle at the store I discovered it’s just mineral oil. I would never recommend that. Or should I? Lemon Pledge Furniture Polish. Joking, but seriously, what is a good answer? Paste wax? Or just wipe the dust off and let it be? Peter Downing 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 Guys Questions 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. Inevitably, when I'm done shellacking for the day, I leave the rag Guy's Jar.  Because you never really know when you are done applying shellac to something until you arrive at that destination, I end up leaving that rag in the jar for a few weeks.  It's amazing how well it keeps even weeks later.  HOWEVER, on more than one occasion, when I pull Guy's Rag from the jar, it is moldy.  This surprised me the first time because I assumed that the amount of alcohol in the shellac would prevent anything from growing. Does this happen to y'all or is indicative of something amiss.  I just toss it and get a new rag. Additional data points: Shallac is < 2 months old, made from flakes, sourced from Oregon's shellacshack.com I'm using Platina colored shellac usually I'm using "Finishers Edge Shellac Reducer" instead of denatured alcohol because is way more expensive so it must be better right? Jar is a resealable mason jar with a rubber gasket Cloth is from the "bag of t shirts" you can buy at your local woodworking store Shellac still has a strong odor of fresh shellac I reuse the same jar to store my rag Because I'm not a proctologist, there is a chance I've misdiagnosed the mold so I attached an image of the rag. Robert Huys Questions Gents, there is a question here, but I wanted to share some info with you first. In a recent episode there was a bit of a discussion of using Tung oil and how to thin it, etc.  I recently made a  walnut desk inspired by the Nakashima style. I've had the good fortune to get my eyes and hands on some of his pieces for inspiration - they are amazing.  Anyway, on the Nakashima website they discuss the care of their furniture, mentioning how they use Southerland Welles Tung Oil Wiping Varnish. https://sutherlandwelles.com/product-category/wipingvarnish/ It is really easy to apply and looks fantastic, especially on walnut.  I used the Sealer and High Lustre Polymerized Tung Oil finishes. I highly recommend them. (this is not a paid ad!) Finally, here is my question: Have you ever taken a technique, tool, or finish that is used in another craft for your use in furniture making? An example might be Tru Oil used on gunstocks as a furniture finish? Or a technique used by luthiers that helped you in furniture making? Thanks again for a great podcast! Regards, David V. 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, Love the podcast!  I'm in the process of building a bench and misjudged how much wood I could get out of a board.  The plans call for two stretchers of 3/4 maple about 65" long and 4.5" wide.  After squaring and thicknessing, I'm down to 0.75-by-65-by-4.25 which is 1/4" too narrow.  I initially thought I'd start over with a new board, but have decided to forge ahead with the slightly narrower stretchers since it won't impact the joiner, should still be plenty strong and will probably be imperceptible.  In this example or others from your experience, how big of a boo-boo do you allow in your projects?  Sorry if you've covered this before, I'm still catching up. Thanks, Bryan 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. At the peak of the COVID pandemic I found myself watching far too many YouTube channels and came upon makers using European combination machines. Call it boredom or simply a need for a good excuse to travel during a traffic density period we hope to never see again, I researched a variety of brands and settled on a Robland X-31. This 1,100 pound beast is equipped with a sliding table saw, jointer, planer, shaper and mortiser. It replaced the Delta Unisaw with a 52” Unifence, a 6” Delta clone jointer sold as “Pit Bull,” and a DeWalt DW-735 that I paid $220 because HomeDepot decided to run a price match plus 10-odd percent discount the same week HomeBase was doing its going out of business liquidation. Price shopping for the best planner deal was just a walk-about as both stores shared a common parking lot. So back to the Robland. I convinced myself that I need a change. I started milling logs and the Pit Bull wasn’t going to cut face jointing wide boards. I needed a 12” jointer. The 20 by 24 foot shop could not accommodate length of a dedicated 12” jointer, said the little voice in my head. I could sell the Unisaw and the Pit Bull, stuff the DeWalt in a cabinet, it said. The collective footprint of these three tools (the DeWalt was on a mobile base) would be about the same as the X-31, it declared. It will fit into a one-car garage if and when you downsize, it summarized. So off to new custodians these two reliable tools that faithfully served hundreds of tasks. I trekked from Sacramento, California to Yakima, Washington with my 85-year-old dad to pickup a rarely used (red flag as it turned out) green X-31 that had - as the second owner said - sat in the basement of a dentist. Fast forward to today … can’t say, yet, if I like or dislike the Robland. It is a pain in the ass to set up. The jointer works great once one learns how to accommodate the relatively short wings. I had electrical problems for the first year. I appreciate the planer’s 9” capacity. I miss the efficiency of moving from one dedicated machine to another.  There is little end snipe compared to the 735. I don’t know if I’ll ever use the mortiser, particularly after buying a Domino. I love the cross cut table. I hate the lack of micro adjustment to the blade height on the table saw. The shaper is a great addition to the shop. It pains me that woodworking with a micrometer was helpful with the Unisaw and is a frustration with the Robland. As I deal deal with these tool grievances, the questions: 1. What would be your advice to a new woodworker to purchase dedicated vs. combination machines? What combination would you recommend and why? 2. We’re friends here, right? Did I make a mistake with the Robland? Finally, at risk of being accused of pandering: I agree with Guy’s sentiment that the SawStop is a good tool, but its safety feature isn’t a replacement for responsible use of power tools. There is a reason SawStop doesn’t warranty for injuries. Age for age, I wouldn’t trust a 10-year-old SawStop any more than I would a vintage Walker Turner table saw. Hey guys, --------------------------------- First off, thanks for all the knowledge you share—I’ve been woodworking for a while, but I’m always learning from your podcast. During COVID, I sold my Delta Unisaw, jointer, and DeWalt planer to pick up a Robland X-31 combo machine with a sliding saw, jointer, planer, shaper, and mortiser. I loved the idea of saving space and getting a 12" jointer, but now I have mixed feelings. I like the crosscut table and shaper, but I miss the efficiency and precision of dedicated machines, and the X-31 can be a hassle to set up. 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 I am looking into getting a router table. Based on your experience which would be a better option. A full size stand alone router table or a router table insert for my table saw. I have plenty of space and I am looking to spend around $600 to $700. Is a router lift an important add on. Thanks for all the knowledge you all give and keep that PMA (positive mental attitude) going. Thanks Korey from Independence, KY Guys Questions Gentlemen I listen to every podcast and invariably learn something from your answers to the questions.  Keep up the great work. 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. My shop is in my single car garage, which I share with household storage. It has a very high ceiling.  I recently got a good deal on a new Jet AFS-1000B Air Filtration System. (note: I do not have a dust collection system, as I try to do mostly hand tool work, but I do use power tools as needed. So there is plenty of dust). The question is: where to locate the device? The options are:  1. I have a shelf that is suspended from the ceiling and could test to see if it will support the Jet unit.  2. There is a metal storage cabinet that I can set it on, and attach to the wall (per Jet instructions). 3. Place it on the lower shelf of my Moravian style workbench.  Attaching it directly to the ceiling is out, as it is too high, and I don't have ladders or scaffolding to get up there. The easiest is option 3 - on the lower shelf of the workbench. Will it be effective down there - about a foot off the ground?  Or should I go for options 1 or 2? Thanks for any insight.  David V. - Baltimore, MD Gentlemen, Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to share your knowledge through the podcast. I’ve recently caught up on all the previous episodes and really look forward to the bi-weekly insights you provide. It’s been a tremendous help as I navigate the early stages of woodworking and material sourcing. I have a question regarding quality expectations when purchasing from regional hardwood suppliers. I’ve recently started buying from a distributor in the Texas/Oklahoma area that operates multiple warehouses. While I’m still relatively new to this type of procurement, I’ve noticed a gap between what I expected from a “select & better” grade product and what I actually received. My recent order was for cherry lumber—select & better, RW&L, averaging 6 inches wide, 9 feet long, and 15/16" thickness, graded 90/70+. The issue I encountered was significant end-checking and splitting—some boards had cracks extending 10 to 18 inches. Since the lumber (along with some maple and walnut) was bundled and strapped to a pallet, it wasn’t until I got home—over an hour away—that I realized the extent of the damage. I understand that some waste is always part of the equation, but I’m trying to get a sense of what’s considered “normal” for a premium grade. Should I have contacted the supplier once I noticed the issue? Or is it standard practice to inspect the order before it leaves the yard? I’d appreciate any guidance or rules of thumb you might recommend for handling situations like this. Thanks again for your time and for all the valuable information you share. It’s been a huge help. Best regards, Mark 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.  I’m going to build some assembly tables.  I don’t want hundreds of dog/hold-down holes in each, but I will probably drill a few.  I’m wondering about 3/4” (the traditional North American standard) vs. 20 mm (a standard popularized by Festool, etc.).  I know this isn’t a black and white choice, but could you share some thoughts on what one might consider before committing to one size vs. another. Darrin    I frequently seem to struggle with keeping the countersink concentric concentric with the screw clearance hole. I have both the multi-flue countersink and the countersink with one diagonal hole but they both want to wander.    I also have a tapered drill bit with set-screwed countersink.   Maybe I should be trying harder to use that type. So my question is - do you have any suggestions for keeping the countersink centered on the clearance hole, and what is your preferred type of countersink. Steve 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. Before the questions, I wanted to say, thanks so much for an awesome podcast.  I have been a listener since Brian came on board.  In fact, the 1st episode I listened to was his 1st episode!!! First off, I have a question about beetle kill pine.  I am currently building a new house and have purchased beetle kill pine to put on the walls and ceiling of a sunroom.  My question is what finish should I use if any so that the blues and reds of the beetle kill pine will show the best and not change colors in anyway.  I have seen different opinions on the internet ranging from a clear poly to nothing at all.  Some have even said that a finish will change to colors which I definitely dont want. Not sure if this is true so thought I would the experts.   Thanks in advance.  Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again, Jim 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.  I often print out small pattern templates and fixtures for hole placement.  Even storage solutions for various tools etc...  what are your top suggestions? Josh Hi, let’s talk about working with laminated plywood.  I just picked up about 25 sheets of 3/4”x 22”x6’  birch plywood that has Formica laminated on both sides from the free pile of a high volume cabinet shop. I want to encourage everyone to find local cabinet or mill work shops  in your area and drive by them often! I do on my commute to and from work.  What kind of design/construction considerations would you make when building cabinets with drawers for my garage using only this 3/4” plywood? It will be for my garage.  I know it’s common to make drawers using thinner plywood but I’m not trying to spend money if I have to.   how would you finish the edges? I’m going to make a blanket chest next, The laminate is a fancy textured walnut wood grain that actually looks pretty good. I currently don’t have a shop but have some hand tools and hand power tools like a router,  circular saw with track, and a lot of imagination! With the help from your podcast I just recently purchased a biscuit jointer and a large (rather intimidating) 45 degree chamfer router bit. Haywood 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. My question is: I want to make shop sawn veneer. I have a band saw with 11” cut capacity, grizzly 8” jointer, a dewalt 735 thickness planner with a Byrd Shelix helical cutter head, but I don’t have a drum sander. I would like to end up with 1/16”  cherry veneer that is 10” wide, but I’m not sure about the process to make it. Would the thickness planer be too aggressive to remove the bandsaw marks or would I need to purchase a drum sander?  Also, after cutting a piece of veneer from the stock, do I need to reflatten the stock before cutting another piece of veneer. In general, I guess what I’m asking is given the set of tools above, how would you go about making veneer? Mike I am building a trestle table out of African Mahogany, more specifically Khaya. I am using 8/4 for the top and 12/4 for the legs. It is going to live on a jalousy window sun room that is not climate controlled in the state of Florida. What finishes do you guys recommend to use to help preventwood movement or warping over time, or is that just going to happen. David Huy's Questions: Hello Gents, This is a bit of a long winded question regarding aftermarket sliders for the table saw and how to best use them. I recently purchased an old Excalibur sliding table from my saw.  This is an older model but from my understanding is almost identical to the current SawStop sliders, as SawStop took over the old Excalibur models (maybe this is incorrect or you have more insight?).  I mounted the slider to the extension table on the left so I get the full size of the TS top and the slider fence is long enough to reach all the way to the blade.  I figured that this way I get the best of both worlds, and I do have the space for it. My purpose for the slider was to help break down sheet goods, manage angled cuts on larger pieces, and to help cut miters on larger case panels.  I've made a few cases in the past with mitered corners and running a long case panel on the TS to cut the miters is a bit of a pain.  I was hoping that the slider would simplify that process as it would allow the long panel to move over the table smoothly while held square to the blade. Here is the kicker, the slider mounts on the left of the saw which is the direction that the blade tilts.  In my mind, this creates a problem as I have to run the panel up-side-down, under the tilted blade, and the offcut would now be dropping on top of the blade where it will create a kickback situation.  In general, I wouldn't run the piece "under" the blade when using a rip fence as it is trapped, but with the slider that's not really true.  Seems problematic for the offcut but gives more accuracy and control on an otherwise unwieldy piece and may be worth rolling the dice.  I figure that with the slider I have plenty of space to stand out of the firing line when that offcut goes flying, but it is probably smarter to avoid the situation in the first place....  What are your thoughts? How are others handling miters with a slider?  It seems most folks in North America have them mounted on the left, and most of the saws tilt to that side. Bojan Hey guys I’ve been listening to lots of episodes of the podcast lately and find it very helpful me being a beginner. This will be a long one but here is the situation, I’m not far from Indianapolis so a couple of you understand the weather. Earlier this year I cut down a couple of trees from a family property before it got demolished for development. Trees were run through a local saw mill and kiln dried for me. When I picked them up from the local guys I brought the stack back and put it in a barn on the family farm. The barn is generally shut up but it is not conditioned. I do all my wood working in my basement at home that is conditioned. I’m getting ready to buy a used 8” jointer to help me handle all these boards. I will not be carrying a large jointer into the basement to do the work it will be at the farm where the wood is stored. Question is, with an unconditioned barn do you think it will be a problem to joint a few boards there, bring them back to the basement Woodshop and let them acclimate for a few weeks before proceeding to plane/cut up for projects? Would it be better to joint just a couple at a time as I’m going to need them or would jointing most of the boards and storing them unconditioned during the year and moving them to the Woodshop as needed be ok? Thanks for the podcast and all the info you guys provide. I’ve learned multiple things from you guys already and hope to continue learning more. Drew

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 recently made a few band saw boxes for Christmas gifts.  They are a good way to use up some offcut lumber and the family seems to appreciate something handmade.   The 3 drawer box with a curved top and side (pictures attached) caused me a bit of trouble.   Joni had preciously asked for a sideboard style cabinet to place between out living and dinning room areas.  After 2-3 month we still hadn't found a design she liked....until she saw the curved band saw box.  I quote "I love that design and want one like that only much bigger"   My question is what suggestions do you have for making the curved top and sides,  I am thinking the sides could be made using walnut plywood by cutting kerfs and bending the plywood over a frame but I am open to other ideas.   The top has me stumped, I have made segmented arches for a table support  but they were only 4" wide and I cut the arch on a band saw.  That would not work for a wide dresser top. Approximate dimensions would be 30" -35" wide and 45- 55" tall and 20-22" deep Thanks in advance for you help DH 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 ? Thanks,  Mark 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 live in the niagara region in Ontario Canada and for the last while I've been looking at upgrading my current table saw (Ridgid R4520) to something that runs on 220v for more power  or possibly replacing it all together with a bandsaw.  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.  I have a SuperMax style cantilever 25-50 drum sander.  Do you think that this is a feasible tool to level out the boards to remove the planer snipe?  …and avoid having to cut 3” of the end of each piece? Darrin   Guys Questions:   Been enjoying your podcast through several projects. My background is homebuilding, but through my sawmill hobby and unwillingness to pay for overpriced garbage…I have found myself learning about woodworking. My question is about making doors.    I have made one door so far using only groove cuts into the stiles’s and gluing  the tenons of the rails and panels into these cuts. I don’t have much faith in the longevity of this door, but it’s been a year now.   What is the traditional methodology for attaching the individual parts of a simple 3 panel door   Should I just buy a domino and get it done…    Also per your latest podcast episode, what is the best way to midi gate the wood movement at the joint of the rails/ stiles. As these joints are not small nor parallel.    Sorry for the low brow question. Appreciate the knowledge. Lucas 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. I was recently watched a YouTube video where someone stated that a track saw blade should always be buried for the straightest possible cut. That made me wonder if I can be causing unnecessary blade deflection on my jobsite table saw and Dewalt miter saw. I often struggle achieving perfect 90 on those machines when crosscutting. As a hobbyist with limited shop time, setting up machines is pain but I understand its necessity. Can you speak on this blade deflection and are there any go to tricks that you have for ensuring your machines are set up properly? Thanks for any help you can provide.-Jose    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. It is ugly. I think I actually recall my wife crying when she saw it, and not in a good way. Since then my loosely held plan has been finding a way to move or dispose of the contents of one section of our cabinets, then cut a section out of said cabinets big enough for the dishwasher to fit underneath. Recently, however, thanks in large part to your podcast, I have developed enough confidence in my woodworking skills to attempt a different idea. My thought is to make what is essentially an end cap or sidewall, which will match the existing cabinetry, anchor it somehow, and then place a new section of countertop between this end cap and the existing end cap of the cabinets. I would essentially be "extending" the countertop, thereby concealing top and visible side of the dishwasher. From what I can tell, all I would have to make, stain, and finish would be a cabinet side panel, a piece of trim to run along the bottom, and a partial face frame. So here come the questions: do you think this is doable, either generally or the way I am thinking? And what would be the easiest way to tackle this project? Note that I'm not particularly concerned over whether or not I use the same method of instruction as was used for the rest of the cabinetry. For example, I don't particularly care to use particle board with a veneer as the rest of the cabinets may have done if it would actually be easier or cheaper in this instance to just make the side panel out of a solid piece of wood. So long as it looks close, its fine with me. The applicable tools I can think of that I have at my disposal are a table saw with a crosscut sled, a compound miter saw, a jigsaw, fixed base router, various types of Sanders, a pocket hole jig, 15, 16, and 23 gauge nailers, and of course all of the basic hand tools. I would describe my skill level as approaching novice. Sincerely,Z achary T Owens Howdy yall, I'm wondering if you can recommend any smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors in the woodshop? I work out of a one car garage in Minnesota so have a gas heater to help me stay warm during our bitter winter months, but am also worried about oil rags possibly spontaneously combusting. When I first moved into the shop I tried installing a regular smoke detector however it kept on getting set off when I had excessive dust flying (thank you router). Is there anything that you know of on the market that won't get set off by dust but that I can keep my home protected and have a little more peace of mind? Thanks,   Paul at Twin Lake Woodshop

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? Thanks so much!!! Mike 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. How much planer snipe is too much?  I have a Dewalt 13” model 735 benchtop planer.  If I take a short board—say, two feet—and run it through once taking a 1/16 cut, I get 8/1000ths snipe.  Is this to be expected?  …or should I look at getting my planer serviced or maybe trading up.  (The Laguna Tools PX16 planer looks amazing, but six times the money.) Darrin 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. Eric in Lincoln Nebraska Hey gentleman, first of all, thank you for the amazing podcast and the fluff-free format. I’ve been a hobbyist woodworker for about 6 years and I’m at the point where I’m considering turning my hobby into a side job of sorts. My question is: in your opinion, what separates an amateur woodworker from a professional woodworker? Are there certain skills, techniques, or projects you learned that really elevated your confidence or status in the craft? Thanks again, and keep up the awesome content! Adrien from Toronto (Canada)

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.  I have a question about milling lumber.  There seems to be a trade-off: keep the boards long and you need to joint more off to get a flat face, hence the risk of falling below your desired thickness.  But cut the boards to length first and you have to allow for more cut-offs on the ends to remove planer snipe.  How should I think about this?  In general, do the three of you cut longer boards to length for parts first and then plane and joint?  Or do you joint and plane the boards whole (mine are 6’ to 8’) and take the perhaps larger losses to thickness but avoid multiple areas of planer snipe?   I know that much depends on the boards, but I'd be interested in your general approaches.  Darrin    Hey guys I absolutely love the podcast, amd have already learned a lot. I recently have decided to do this for more than a hobby. I have been doing small or easier projects like cutting boards and tongue and groove ceilings. I have been wanting to start building entry level tables and furniture but keep psyching myself out of it. How did you guys build up the confidence to move on to more advanced projects? And did you guys get discouraged or frustrated at the beginning? 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. My question has to do with shop climate control.  I live in southern Indiana, with hot muggy summers and cool-to-cold winters.  The garage is insulated, including the door, and sits under a conditioned bonus room, but the garage itself is not heated or cooled.  Although it never freezes, for a few of the coldest winter weeks, it will be in upper 30s.  Mostly it's at least 45 degrees. I'm contemplating installing a 1 ton/12,000BTU mini-split for heating and cooling, DIYing installing it for less than $1000.  I'm trying to decide if it's worth it, basically for the few hottest and coldest weeks.  I can also migrate easily to my unfinished basement in the coldest weeks for glue-ups and finishing.  I wouldn't want to run the mini-split all the time, and often I am only out in the shop for short bursts, so pre-heating or pre-cooling seems wasteful.  $1000, plus the energy to run the mini-split, could buy plenty of other woodworking equipment and supplies.  If this were your shop, what would you do? Thanks, Kyle Kramer Always a pleasure listening to your podcast.  Thank you for your knowledge and insight. I am planning to rip the carpet off my Stairs treads and somehow get a relative match to my wood flooring either upstairs and downstairs.  Assuming the exact color isnt important in my question. The treads are likely just pine but I haven't pulled the carpet yet to find out.  My thought was to veneer the treads.  Then I would most likely us a transtint dye to reach the color and finish off with shellac washout and water based poly for durable finish.  Is this a good approach or destined for failure? Thanks for your time. Josh 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. My second question is about compositing saw dust. My wife likes to garden and keep a compost pile. We use saw dust and wood shaving to balance the moisture of the compost pile. I occasionally use MDF and plywood  and I am wondering if all the bad stuff in those materials are bad to use in the compost. I guess I'm pretty sure they are not good. I've heard that most of those chemicals breakdown form the heat of the compost but I am skeptical of that. I use an oneida dust separator. Do you think it is worth trying to partition two dust bins, one for raw wood and one for everything else? Do you think a blast gate under the separator would accomplish that or would it mess with the air flow of the separator? Thanks. Keep up the great work. Jon Moch A lot of people talk about spraying water on wood when changing sanding grits, to raise the loose fibres and get a smoother finish. I have taken to spraying isopropyl alcohol (I think you would call it rubbing alcohol) between grits. I can spray it quite heavily and have it evaporate within a minute so I can continue sanding without having to wait. I doubt I'm the first person in the history of woodworking to think of this (I'm no rocket scientist, Huy), but I never hear of anyone else doing this. That makes me think there may be a good reason to not do this. So what do you blokes reckon? Is there a reason why I shouldn't be doing this, apart from water being free and alcohol being expensive? FYI, I usually work in recycled jarrah (an ultra hard Western Australian wood) and finish with Tung oil when using the alcohol Thanks fellas, love your work! Jim

This Episodes Questions: Brian's Questions: I know planing before face jointing is sacraledge but I was recently visiting with an older experienced wood worker who noted he never face joints. Planes both sides then edge joints and it’s fine. Thoughts? Thinking if you want it dead flat perfect or board is not great to start with jointing certainly makes sense. But anybody just plane it? Perhaps starting with a decent board it would work for most applications? My 20” planer is a breeze to put wood through, the jointer is great but takes more effort/time if it’s not needed would be a nice step to drop. Curious on your thoughts, Matt Wendig 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.  I need to cut up a lot of 3/4" plywood.  I have a good track saw and a cabinet tablesaw with side and outfeed tables.  When watching videos of some people constructing kitchen cabinets, I’m surprised that they cut the sheet goods with the track saw but then cut them again, to final size, on the table saw.  I imagined myself using the track saw only—to do very precise cuts to final size and not cutting the panels twice.  What is your process?  Any advice on maximizing my chances of getting near-perfect panels with the track saw only and avoiding the two-cuts process? Darrin    Guy's Questions:    Hey guys, love the podcast. I’m making a screen door for the porch out of cedar that is 1.5” thick, 36” x 84” with 5.5” wide stiles and rails (top, middle and bottom). I have a festool DF500, if I used 10 x 50 dominoes for the joinery would that be strong enough or should I use traditional mortise and tenons? I’ve read that cedar is pretty dimensionally stable. I was thinking about just staining or oiling the door (I don’t want it to turn gray) but does it need an actual topcoat to help keep it from warping? Just don’t want to use a finish that is going to flake off and I will have to sand and refinish every year or so. If it needs a topcoat could you recommend a finish? Thanks, Scott in Birmingham. Throughly enjoy the pod cast. I am almost up to date on all past episodes and they hve been quite informative. Little back story on my question. Had a client contact me about repairing a dinning table they had built for their home. For clarity I didn’t build the table. The top is a solid wood glue up with breadboards on the ends. On one end of the top the breadboard sticks out about 1/16” past the rest of the top. On the other end 2 boards have a split between the glue line  that stretches roughly 2 feet along their length. I’m sure it is from the wood contracting. Any pointers on how to repair the issue?  I’m 99.9% sure the table top is made from southern yellow pine. It is stained with a top coat of poly acrylic. Robert Huy's Questions: Hello guys, I love the podcast and have learned a ton from you. Keep up the great work and thank you for your time.  I have a question on how you store your tools that require precision/calibration. Specifically, I have an Incra 5000 cross cut sled. When not in use, I store it standing on its side on the shop floor. Is there a better / more correct way? Similar question goes for any other shop made sled / jig that you expect to use over and over again. How do you store it? Max Greddie Woodworks It was mentioned that one of you repalced the wheels on his band saw, do to it wearing out and it was a pain. I have bought a used 14 inch delta bandsaw, and I have no idea how to know if parts are worn out beside the obvious part being the blade. So how can I figure out parts are worn out, sources to shop for replacements ( no home depo in Okinawa) tips and or youtube videos on how to do these maintainance tasks? Oh and what you do to increase the function of a band saw, like would you buy a bow system fence for it? Many thanks, Paul Mitchell Oki Mitch Crafts

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Hi Guys love your podcast.  I have a quick question regarding table saw blades.  Can you give me a recommendation on a good quality 10" table saw blade that I can get re-sharpened when needed.  I keep blowing through blades and I'm tired of buying new ones.  Also, do you send the blades back to get re-sharpened or take them to your nearest local blade sharpening place thanks in advance Dave I’m making an ash table top (never used ash before) and had a few questions. How should I edge join the boards for glue up (domino or biscuits), what’s the best finish for ash when used as a desk to avoid feeling the grain on ash. I don’t have a sprayer but could be a good excuse to get one.  What edge profiles do you guys like to use for tables and/or desk that get lots of use and also look good? Chayse Guy's Questions: My latest project is an Arts & Crafts sideboard made in quartersawn white oak. I'm at the point in the project where I need to start thinking about how to finish the piece.  Its my first time working with this wood and I'm considering fuming the piece with ammonia as I've read that this process will really make the grain rays stand out.  People seem pretty divided on whether its worth the time and risk of working with harmful chemicals and I wanted to get your collective thoughts and experience.  Have you used an ammonia fuming process? Do you think its worth it?  Any tips or tricks to share?  I'm in the northeast so the current low temps add some complexity as I've learned that colder temperatures slow down the process. Regards, Adam I'm working on a veneered box. Normally you'd glue a similarly oriented veneer on the back surface to prevent warping. For the veneer, I'm planning on cross cutting small strips and then gluing them together, roughly like how inlays are made. I'll then be cutting thin slices from the resulting laminated assembly. I'll be using the thin slices as the veneer, like a mosaic or a quilt. The grain of these thin slices will run in different directions. Do I still need a backing? If so, in which direction should the backing grain run? Lauris Huy's Questions: The topic of wood movement comes up pretty regularly on this show. When it does, however, it is typically related to questions on how to account for it in regards to a specific project or joinery method. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here wondering what wood movement actually is. I understand that humidity and temperature cause wood to expand or contract, but that's about where my understanding ends. Why is it important to account for wood movement? What happens if you don't? What is this business I've heard mentioned about projects exploding? On a related note, often when questions about mitigating wood movement come up the answers to those questions are something along the lines of "If you use __________ (type of joinery, layout, etc) you shouldn't have to worry about wood movement." As someone still very new to the principles of woodworking, the question I always have is: why? Why will using such and such method or assembling your project in this or that manner mitigate wood movement? Zach Hey guys. Love your podcast and appreciate the help you’ve given me over the years with your knowledge and experience in the craft. I have an entryway table I’m building out of walnut and cocobolo. The top will consist of a glue up of the two woods. What glue should I use for the glue up since cocobolo is very oily? And what sort of finish would you recommend for this application? Thanks again and take care!  Ryan of Mountain Custom Woodworks

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: I am making a toy box for my grandson out of white oak. The dimensions will be 38” width, 18” depth, and 30” high. The front will be 4/4 quarter sawn, while the back and sides will be 4/4 flat sawn lumber. I plan to attach the front and sides, and the back and sides via dovetails. Since quarter sawn wood will move less than flat sawn, should I be concerned about the wood moving at different ratios?  Also, can you recommend hinges that will prevent the top of the toy box from crashing down on my grandson’s fingers? Mike My question concerns the router table that I built myself out of out of MDF and 2x4s last year. I'm pretty satisfied with it overall. I am by no means an expert, but I'd have to say having the router in a table seems to be roughly 1,000% more effective than using the router freehand. Having said that, I've been struggling with the fence, especially When I'm trying to edge join a board. My approach for securing the fence has been to clamp down each end of it with a trigger clamp, placing an additional clamp on the support frame or what have you at the rear of the router table. I've included a picture of my setup for this as well for clarity's sake. Here's the problem I'm running into: I position the fence, clamp it down, then check it again to make sure it hasn't come out of alignment. When I initially begin running boards over the router table, it works great. However, before too long, sometimes as soon as the second board, I find the fence is no longer properly aligned. When I check it I always find that the fence has shifted back towards the far end of the router table, usually by a 32nd of an inch or so. As you are all aware, this small difference has a pretty significant impact on how my boards come out, particularly when edge joining. My assumption is that this shift is due to my exerting pressure against the fence while feeding material through to keep the work piece tight against it. Do any of you have any suggestions regarding how I can secure my fence more effectively? Part of me wonders if I am just applying too much sideways pressure to my work pieces, but I also feel like I am applying just enough pressure to keep it from wandering away from the fence when passing the bit. Zach Owens Guy's Questions: I'd also like to hear about your process for organizing your shop space and how often you revisit the layout of your shop. As a follow-up to each question, I'd be curious if organizing and maintaining a shop are aspects of woodworking that you enjoy? Or loathe? Or maybe just tolerate? Marc I think there is a good question about red vs blue. red corner is woodpeckers, the YouTube influencers certified measuring and layout tools. Then there’s the poor humans with affordable blue corner igaging. I believe woodpeckers is rated in their accuracy to .002 inch and igaging is .002 inch. So, I wonder if that .001 would make my skills somehow greater?? I think honestly that having a set of tools that I can use without each being a different measurement, as tape measures often would be. I also think about cost, even with a higher shipping fee due to my location I nearly outfitted my shop with all the marking and measuring tools at roughly $300 instead of $300 for one ruler or square. Thanks for the ongoing pod cast hope you all have a great year. Paul Mitchell Huy's Questions:  On the face of wood, there is clearly a right and wrong direction to plane. Going the wrong direction causes gouging, chipping, and/or a time tough pushing the plane across the wood. How do you tell the correct direction to go with the plane, without having to risk messing up the piece by potentially going the wrong direction across the face of the wood with your plane? George  I just made my first attempt at cutting dovetails for a small box with dividers that my wife asked me to make her for work. I cut them using a router table that I made just for the occasion. It went fairly well, meaning that they all fit and there aren't any unsightly large gaps. Starting with test pieces was definitely the way to go. I did have one issue, however. I'm not sure what the appropriate name for the different pieces of a dovetail are, but when I was cutting the female pieces I kept running into an issue where the router bit would jerk the work piece away from the fence, resulting in a somewhat crooked portion in my otherwise straight dovetail cut. I tried feeding the work piece into the bit from each side to see if one direction worked better than the other, but that didn't seem to help. I know that typically the recommendation is to make several shallow passes, but obviously this is not possible with a dovetail. Do you have any guesses as to what I might have been doing wrong? Should I have been pushing the work piece more firmly against the fence? Thanks in advance for your answers and insight. Can't wait to hear your next episode. Sincerely,Z achary T Owens  

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Hello Guy, Huy, and Sean, I have two questions. 1) I'd like to hear your thoughts on your workshop maintenance routines. Are there yearly, monthly, project-ly routines to the maintenance and cleaning you do in your shops? Marc What are your woodworking goals for 2025? Brian Guys Questions: Hey Guys,  First, thanks for the fantastic podcast.  I always enjoy  listening to you gents so much so that I've managed to get through the entirety of your past episodes. A little background: I work in a small space and am consider going with a combo jointer - planer can leave me some room for something else. I am not a a professional woodworker but an enthusiastic hobbyist.  Right now I have a bench top 10" jointer (I definitely understand why Guy pretty much hates these things) and a DeWalt 735 planer.  I'm happy with the DeWalt, but the jointer can get finicky if it's moved or looked at. I believe I heard in a past episode that Huy is using a Hammer A3-31 jointer-planer combo.     Huy - are you in fact using a Hammer combo machine?  And if so, are you happy with it?   Is the fence pretty solid?  If you were to buy again, what else would you consider?  My other option is maybe a non-combo mid-price point  Powermatic or Grizzly jointer.  Any other brands to consider?  It's a tough choice - spend more money but use less space or spend less money and use up more of that limited space.  Would appreciate hearing from each of you on this topic.  Apologies for my long winded questions,  but this feels like a big decision.  Thanks again for the excellent show. Ron As always thank you for the podcast and sharing your knowledge.  This one may be mainly for Guy as I know he’s a proponent of the Lamello Zeta P2.  Like Huy I’m a bit of a tool junkie, and can't pass up a new one.  I was never happy with my old Porter Cable biscuit Joiner, so I gravitated to the Domino DF500 which has been a great tool.  I came across a deal where someone was selling a complete Zeta P2 system so I picked it up.  I’ve watched a number of the videos guy posted using the Zeta P2 and so far she seems like a great machine, but now I have some questions that I was hoping you could point me in the right direction: 1)      Is there any reason to keep my old Porter Cable Biscuit joiner?  2)      I have the knock down domino accessories that I’ve used on some builds in the past.  Do you have a guide line or any thoughts on when you would use the Domino vs. the Lamello? Thanks again, Doug Huy's Questions: Hello gentlemen, since you have been asking for questions, here are some for you regarding tools for projects, projects for tools, and tools AS projects. First, tools for projects. Thinking back my early days in woodworking, there were many times when I would have an idea for a project that exceeded the capabilities of my limited tool collection. Some of these were a basic as ripping a board or making an accurate cross cut. I managed to get by with the most basic table saw that I could afford and an old circular saw. Since a lot has changed in the 30 years since I started, like track saws and set-ups like MFT and Kreg's table setups, what would you guys recommend for the basic tools for someone starting out? Second, projects for tools. As I started to improve my skills as a woodworker and more tools became available, I felt the need to add tools to my shop. To help justify the purchases, I found myself coming up with projects that would be easier if I had that "special tool/bit/blade."  Have you every made a project specifically designed to justify a tool purchase, or is it just me? If so,  what was the project and what was the tool? Third, tools AS projects. A few years ago I started to get more into hand tool woodworking after inheriting some of my grandfather's collection. I also began frequenting a couple of used tool stores in Maine while on vacation where I picked up some vintage panel saws and most of a Stanley 78 rabbet plane. With some cleaning and sharpening I began to really appreciate the use of hand tools and began looking for a used router plane. I don't know if it was just the area that I live in (New England), but there are very few used router planes to be found, and the few that I did find were almost as much as a new one. Determined to add a router plane to my arsenal I went online, found multiple different options for making my own, and then settled on the Paul Sellers' kit for the hardware and using hickory and cherry for the base. I found out to be a very fun project that taught me some new skills, and I use the tool very frequently. Have you guys done similar projects to make a useful tool that also improved your skills? Thank you for you time. Joshua The Black Dog Woodworks Hello again gentlemen.  You guys are the best at answering questions.  My third question involves making two 11" by 11 3/4" panel doors that slide left and right in a groove cut into the top and bottom of the frame.  The door panels are made of 1/2" MDF but with a 3" wide piece of Poplar that is glued to the top and bottom ends of the MDF.  This is to allow for cutting the rabbet into wood instead of MDF.  The rabbet will slide in upper and lower grooves in the frame. I created my own veneer of Walnut in the front face and Poplar in the back face because I'm cheap and the back won't show.  Both veneers are 7/64" thick and the long grain runs left to right (same direction of the door travel).  I used Titebond Veneer glue and glued both faces at once. I sandwiched the assembly between two pieces of plywood and clamped and weighted the whole thing. After 24 hours, I removed the clamps and saw that the panel had cupped in the direction across the grain (the same as a 12" wide board would cup).  I don't understand why it cupped as I thought MDF wouldn't allow that to happen.  I did use too much glue on the walnut side as there was a lot of squeeze-out.  I backed off the amount of glue on the Poplar side.  Was the veneer too thick?  Should I have ran the back face veneer perpendicular to the front face instead of in the same direction?  Did the two 3" wide Poplar pieces somehow contribute to the cupping?  I am waiting on doing the second door panel until I hear your opinions on this. Thank you for a great podcast.  I hope you all keep it going. Anthony

Hello all, We are taking a one episode break for the holidays and all three of us are dealing with some kind of cold/flu. See you again in two weeks!

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: I'm in the market to upgrade to a cabinet saw that I want to last for a long time. I've been using a Powermatic 64A contractors saw for the past two years that I bought used and have done my best to tune up. That saw still has its flaws though, and it's time to move on. I'm setting a budget of roughly $4000. I want a new saw with a 3 HP motor. 30" rip capacity is enough for me, as I can break down sheet goods using other methods, it will also fit better in my shop.  I'm currently considering the Powermatic 2000B or the Sawstop 3 HP cabinet saw. Which one would you choose, and why? What other models would you consider? Love the podcast! Thanks for your advice! Mike K. Hey guys! I’ve recently started scroll saw portraits (ex. Newton Makes Art or Scrollsaw Scribbler). So far I’ve stuck mainly to using pre-milled 1/4” stock, but I would like to add some dimension to the pieces and get even thinner stock, down to 3/16” or 1/8”. I recently added a planer to the shop and was thinking of taping stock to an MDF board to thickness the stock further. So my questions, first do you think this is safe? I have fears going this thin may lead to things getting ripped apart on the planer. Second, is there any other ways you’d recommend getting boards this thin? PS I do not have a drum sander to help with that last bit of flattening. -Trevor Guys Questions: I am a relatively new woodworker. Still learning skills, techniques, and patience with woodworking. Last year I made a pair of bar stools using cherry wood. It was my first real project of any significance, and overall I am really proud of how they turned out and how they have been holding up to daily use. This is a two part question because these are the two issues I struggled with the most during the build. 1. I made the legs of the stools splayed, and raked. I used blind mortise and tenon joinery to attach the rails to the legs. Since the legs were splayed and raked, I had to cut my mortise and tenons joint on an angle to accommodate the legs not being vertical. I used a forsner bit on the drill press and angled the table to roughly the proper angle, then used a chisel to square the holes. But I really struggled to do this accurately, especially when using the chisel to square the angled hole. What advice would you give to get precise angles, and to keep that angle while chiseling the holes square? Part 2. What would you suggest for attaching the seat to the base of the stool? I pre drilled holes into the bottom on the seat  and used screws from underneath. You can’t see them unless you foil the stool upside down. but I felt like a bit of a hack doing that and would have preferred to use some sort of joinery instead of screws. Thanks again for providing the woodworking community with your knowledge and for the great entertainment. Braden Hey Gents! Canadian listener here, I found your podcast about a week ago and i have been listening every day now. Thanks for the content.  I love the look of pure oil finishes like tung oil but I can't handle how long it takes to dry. I have heard you can thin it to help. Is this something you guys do from time to time and if so what do you thin with / what ratio? Tyler    Huys Questions:    Hey Guys, As I’m working on building a new shop this summer. I’m getting a little closer to figuring out dust collection for the big machines. I ended up putting two 6” runs in the slab. But I’m stuck on which DC types work best. I built a large storage shed off the back of the shop that is walled off and the plan is to store the DC, lumber , air compressor, etc. I know a cyclone with a hepa filter is the gold standard in removing fine dust, which makes sense if the DC is inside the conditioned shop. But I already have a dual bag setup from Shop fox W1687 (3hp DC with separater and bag filters). I think this setup may get better  air movement than the cyclone. And since it’s housed “outside” of the shop I think the  filter requirements could be reduced. Shop specs: 470 sq, all the normal machines to process rough lumber. Jesse Hello from Australia! I've been an enthusiastic hobbyist woodworker for about 18 months. I use mostly hand tools except a budget circular saw, which I hate, and I just got a 12 inch bandsaw, which I love. So far I've build a joiners bench, several planes, including a 52 degree smoother from a broken Stanley no.3. And I'm most of the way through a small bookshelf made from Tasmanian oak. As you know a lot of Australian wood is hard and can be challenging to work with. My next wood will be Austrian blackwood, which is moderately hard and has a high silica content. But it is also filled with glow and once oiled looks amazing. I also have some reclaimed floorboards which are some kind of gum tree. I would like to use them at some point but the boards are determined to remain in their current form. They are difficult to work with and if my no.5 plane is not super sharp it will just skip over the wood. Can you share any tips and knowledge on working with hard woods? Thanks for the show, I've learnt a lot from it Kind regards Jeremy

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Hola fellas, Been a minute since I've bothered you, I've been busy with rebuilding my 1000 sqft deck with black locust I am milling from logs. It's taking a while, and most of my families patience with me. I took a detour to rebuild my music studio, so now all my neighbors get to listen to death core metal. I need to mill up this beech tree for a giant dresser but that's a topic for another time. Lot going on around here. I got a hot one for today: Some unbridled genius at my kids' day camp decided it would be a good idea for me to teach young children woodworking. I tried to explain that I have a company to run, am really irresponsible with other people's kids, don't know how to keep myself safe, etc. but they're pretty insistent. I talked them down from me being an actual camp counselor, to doing one or two workshops a week with different age groups from 6 up to 12 years old. I have a ton of scrap that can be used, a box of screwdrivers and crab mallets, 20 little glue bottles, and a bunch of sandpaper. Now I need some projects. Any ideas? I have the standard bird house / solid wood cutting board / pencil holder type stuff you can find online but I want something more exciting. What else can I do with young kids, that can be glued, nailed, tied, or screwed together from pre-fabricated parts? I want to get them to decorating whatever we make as quickly as possible, I've found with my kids that's when they get really excited. I should mention the camp has offered to purchase some tools for the kids, and materials, so I'm not limited there, but I think i want to keep power tools out of it. Make me a hero here gentlemen and I will be certain to share the accolades with WSLPC (WLP?). Happy Thanksgiving / Holidays / New Year's. Big Tom Hello guys, Is there a material / construction method that I should be preferring for making jigs if I want them to last a long time? Max Greddie Woodworks Guys Questions: I am looking to build a dresser.    Tentatively, I am thinking zebrawood main structure, which I would stain to match a cinnamon-brown stained maple desk that will be sitting beside the dresser.    I am thinking about doing the drawer fronts in Bubinga, which also looks similar in color to the maple and zebrawood, when finished.  The top of the dresser, I was thinking of quartersawn Sapele.   Sapele is relatively inexpensive and I love the ribbons and chatoyance of Sapele.    The mirror surround material I am still undecided on, but probably Sapele. Is this too many wood types on one piece ?    I have a few more bedroom pieces to eventually make and it seems like I risk having every species in The Wood Database in my bedroom, but my last couple of pieces have been Sapele and Khaya, and although I like the look, it's time for a change. Stephen It's rather simple or basic, actually.  When I first entered this school shop, it had been a while since there was a dedicated teacher.  As such, some of the equipment was in need of some maintenance attention.  Specifically, the tops or working surfaces of various pieces of equipment (3 table saws, planer, jointer, sanders, band saws, etc. - hopefully you get the picture).  I purchased a can of Johnson's paste wax, a couple of wax applicators and went to town.  Now, in the present, I can see the bottom of my can of wax - AND THERE IS NO JOHNSON'S PASTE WAX TO BE FOUND (except for certain websites that want an near fortune for the stuff).  I know there are other products that companies have dedicated time and money to develop just for this purpose (various sprays and the like) but am wondering a couple of things.  Should I, because according to the company, it isn't coming back so I should just embrace the change and just use the new stuff - OR - is there a similar product that can accomplish the same objective and is a simple solution?  Will any paste wax work?  I have seen a product called Shop Wax made by Bumblechutes and am wondering if that will work.  I understand that I want to provide work surface lubrication without imparting anything to the surface of the material that could later hinder the application of finish. Speaking of finish, that will be my next question - I understand that you guys just LIVE for answering questions about finishing! Warm regards and keep up the great work, Rob Harrison Huys Questions: I've enjoyed your many insightful answers. We are having our first grandchild in a couple weeks (yah!!!) My main Fall project is to make a high chair for this little girl. She won't be in it until early in 2025. I have my in-laws old high chair that they used for their children and the first couple grandchildren. I am going to use it as an inspiration for a new chair. However, I think having a set of modern plans would also be helpful. In my visiting the local Rockler and Woodcraft stores I have not found anything useful. I've also search close to a dozen websites.  [Rockler.com, Woodcraft, NewYankee, fixthisbuildthat, wood, etsy, woodsmith, shopnotes, popularwoodworking, amazon, ebay, etc... I have not found anything very useful. Do you all have any suggestions to improve my search for useful plans? Thank you, Chuck Love the show and I really enjoy listening to you all give your unique perspectives to people's questions. I've learned a great deal over the last year or so since I found your podcast and wanted to say thank you, so...thank you! You asked for questions, so I thought I'd submit something and see what you all thought. It's a strange one, so hang on! I started woodworking during the pandemic and fell in love with it. I had zero experience but after watching some YouTube videos I made a few shelves, then some cabinets, then moved to building furniture. Recently, I thought I'd try to elevate my skills and build more elaborate pieces using joinery like dovetails using hand tools, chisels, hand plane, dovetail saw, etc, and have been really enjoying the challenge. I have forced myself to use my hand tools almost exclusively to accelerate my skill building with some success, but I am looking to speed up the learning process. To that end, I was hoping that you guys could suggest any "drills" that I can use to improve the basics of hand sawing, chisel work, and hand planing. I tend to break down a task into its sub-components and work on mastering each of those skills to improve as fast as possible. For example, hitting a baseball, you can break down into small sub skills like loading, stepping, indexing, swinging, follow through, etc. I'd spend hours on getting each piece perfect and then bring it all together for an excellent swing. Anyway, I was looking to apply the same process to hand tool skills, but I don't know what I don't know, hence the (way too long) question. For example, before I attempt to saw a tenon or dovetail, I'll put a bunch of lines on a scrap board and practice staring a cut on a line a bunch of times, then make the cut down the lines, or next to the lines, etc, just to get warmed up before I cut my work pieces. Chisel work is brand new to me and where I really need help, so I'd love to start there, but welcome any sawing or planing drills as well. Any suggestions on skill building exercises I could use to level up? Sorry this question is so long, and I hope that it makes sense. Feel free to edit this down if you do happen to use it on the podcast, I know it was long and rambling. I appreciate any help you can offer as well as all you do for the community. Cheers, Tobias