Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

[jimreed2160]

Auto--Ask and ye shall receive. Here are some photos of my router table. Like everything else in my shop, it comes with stories. The first is its origin. I once worked with a fellow woodworker named Barry. Like so many of us, Barry found his ww time cut short once his family grew. One day he needed some money and sold his shop contents to me for about $150. I followed him home that day and loaded up my pickup. One of the items was this little router table with said router. I had the exact CM router and burned one of them up. I think this one is his.

Years later, I was able to attend a Saturday shaper class at Highland Woodworking in Atlanta. My dad had given me a CM shaper and I was anxious to learn how to use it. Even though the table was cast iron, the shaper vibrated and made alot of noise. I hoped the class would help me tame it.

It was a day well spent. The instructor had worked his summers as a teen at the Charleston Naval Shipyard. Some of the crusty old WWII vets were still around and took him under their wing. His dad had a shaper and he wanted to know how to use the fence. The shop guys told him to bring it in and they would show him on another piece of equipment. So he did. The old salt grabbed the shaper fence and threw it in the trash. "There you go. That's how you use it."

They went on to explain how the shaper worked and why their shopmade fences were superior in function AND in safety. It really made sense to me.

I made this one from wide furring strips.

The beauty is that this shopmade fence covers most of the cutter and protects the operator. In fact, you can make a zero clearance face for it by attaching thin plywood and gently nudging the fence over the cutter.

I highly recommend this type of fence on a table router or on a shaper. As for my previous shaper, I named it the "Widowmaker" and sold it. The new owner was amused that I was afraid of it. I hope he got it tuned and turned into a good tool.

 

[jimreed2160]

Making a rabbet with glue

I need a drawer for the sewing chest but I really hate to work with small pieces so I took the easy way out.

The glue dried overnight. Here is my drawer front with its rabbets.

And here is the mock up of the drawer with the original. As you can see, the new one is larger.

And here is the glue up.

Those old table placemats have been handy around the shop.

 

[ztorres]

Been busy making some shop projects. I made a drill press table with a fence system.

Then to clear up bench top space I made a router table extension for my new table saw.

Then Saturday I went to the store to check out a bandsaw and left with a 12-1/2" planer. That required a mobile to be made. Luckily there was a nice article in a woodsmith magazine that I had with a design concept. So I made that for the planer; it has a drawer, auxiliary feed table and a collapsible wing.



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[cheechi]

@cheechi Thanks for the report, I was wondering about the quality of the few bits I have. Having never used a router I had nothing to compare to, but the one bit I opened and used was untarnished by time and cut smooth and easy. I guess I should have figured Made in the USA woodworking gear, Vermont no less, would have been well made in the 70's/80's.

A lot of the 70s-late 80s craftsman items like router bits were Vermont American, which has more or less been absorbed into the Skil & Bosch brands nowadays. More modern bits have (more) carbide, composites, and there's a good chance that a middle of the road carbide bit that has the right profile will produce a better cut than an older high quality HSS steel bit. Given the choice I use vintage stuff where it makes sense but the more surface contact the more you may want to at least invest in a backup if its needed.

steel bits in a router typically aren't meant for pass after pass after pass without a break to cool down, and i tend to be a bit aggressive especially when hand routing, you have to go with a lower speed and take less off per pass when you use them.

If you have the budget for it, and need to get new bits, take a look at Whiteside. I have my fair share of Freud/Diablo, and many Bosch also. But I got to pimp the local guys when I can, Whiteside are premium bits and don't cost all that much more than the more mass produced ones.

 

[jimreed2160]

Zach--Those are major shop upgrades and nice ones at that. Your projects will benefit from the new tools.

 

[mefast]

Wow, you guys make me feel lazy with all of your projects and getting to see the progress updates along with the finished pieces. Nice work everyone!

 

[TwoBytes]

Twobytes--Good job on the plane blade. As for the rust, overnight in vinegar will probably take care of that brown stain. How does the sole look? That is the part that needs to be rust free.

Good to see that your dad saved the box. Collectors love those things.

Thanks Jim. The sole isn't too bad. Here it is...
View media item 70230
There's a bit of rust on there, but not enough to leave any marks on the workpiece

@TwoBytes That router looks to be in great shape and the steel box is awesome. Less impact resistant than today's plastic but 1000X classier.

Cheers Autonomous, I like the steel box, but you're right, it's not as practical as plastic

TwoBytes, That Makita Router looks a lot like Black and Decker.

Nice old router though.

Haha, yeah, you're right Craptain, it's definitely a B&D... not sure how that happened!



A lot of the other tools that I got from my grandfather are (really) Makita, and I took those photos a while ago, so I guess my brain was on autopilot and I forgot to actually look at them when I posted them

 

[ScottsGT]

View media item 70220
Next thing is to do something about the rust. What's the best thing for that? I don't have an electrolysis bath, although that would be nice. Soak in vinegar?

Get you some Evaporust and give it an overnight bath/soaking. In the morning, hit it with a wire brush and dunk back into the vat for a few more hours.
I just did a Millers Falls that was in the same condition.

 

[jimreed2160]

Sewing box drawer

So the sewing box drawer glue dried overnight. Time for a trim and fit.

I like to make my drawers slightly oversized and then plane them to fit. Done properly and the drawer will fit like a glove.

But sometimes the glove does not fit.

Because the careless craftsman forgot to trim the sides to size.

Big oops! Time for Mr Bandsaw. Notice the two sets of lines. Yes, I measured twice and made two separate marks. I am beginning to notice that my attention is a little off.

I guess I need to cut back on the allergy meds and avoid the table saw for a few days. Anyway, the test fit is perfect.

All it needs is a little stain and finish. Whew! Sometimes ww is woodworking and sometimes it is wood re-working.

 

[Autonomous]

Looks great. Are you duplicating the trim or keeping it flat?

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[Knyte Tyne]

Sewing box drawer

So the sewing box drawer glue dried overnight. Time for a trim and fit.

I like to make my drawers slightly oversized and then plane them to fit. Done properly and the drawer will fit like a glove.

But sometimes the glove does not fit.

Because the careless craftsman forgot to trim the sides to size.

Big oops! Time for Mr Bandsaw. Notice the two sets of lines. Yes, I measured twice and made two separate marks. I am beginning to notice that my attention is a little off.

I guess I need to cut back on the allergy meds and avoid the table saw for a few days. Anyway, the test fit is perfect.

All it needs is a little stain and finish. Whew! Sometimes ww is woodworking and sometimes it is wood re-working.

Wood reworking. I think you finally nailed it. I know how to classify myself now


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[jimreed2160]

Looks great. Are you duplicating the trim or keeping it flat?

Good question and thanks for your kind words. I pondered over that and finally decided to leave it flat. The contrasting wood with the no trim look should both work to provide contrast. Of course, once I fix up the missing trim, it may look bare.

 

[jimreed2160]

Wood reworking. I think you finally nailed it. I know how to classify myself now

That's why I start with lots of stock. Usually by the second or THIRD piece I finally make something that fits.

 

[bj383ss]

Jim the new drawer looks great. Interested to see how you match the stain.


Thought I would share my new crosscut sled I finished early this month. I have always wanted to build one like this and now that I have been using it all month my chopsaw has been on the back burner.

20170406_101203 by bjohnson388, on Flickr

Bret

 

[jimreed2160]

BJ--Great job on the sled--it looks like fine furniture. I'll bet the cuts are more accurate than those from the chopsaw. No wonder it is semi-retired.

 

[Mr_P]

Auto--Ask and ye shall receive. Here are some photos of my router table. Like everything else in my shop, it comes with stories.

Years later, I was able to attend a Saturday shaper class at Highland Woodworking in Atlanta.

Hey Jim,

I have the same Craftsman commercial router and table set-up that I picked up at a thrift store for $5. I scared a lady about 12" off the ground when I fired it up in the store. It came with a metal fence, but did notice how a slight bump onto it would cause it to be out of square. I might have to go through and build one like yours out of wood.

My question is on the difference between a shaper and a router. I have a couple of shaper Rockwell Carbide-tip cutter bits, but no shaper. Can I buy an adapter for such tips in order to use on the router?

Also, have about two other routers which have not seen a project since bought:
One is an ELU plunge router
And the other is another $5-Porter Cable Model 100 like R_einan which will need some possible re-wiring to make it functional as well.

 

[ez-duzit]

bj--I've never seen such an elaborate sled. Perhaps you'll post some closeup photos of the details?

MP--those shaper cutters were likely designed to operate at <1/2 the RPM of your routers.

 

[jimreed2160]

Mr P--EZ is right on. Shapers run slower than routers and the bits are made accordingly. There are adaptors available. Obviously, you should understand the risk if you proceed. A small shaper bit used in a less aggressive cut would probably be OK. Just don't get fancy and don't use a shaper bit to hog off lots of wood. The last thing you need is free carbide tips bouncing about your workshop.

As for the fence, I highly recommend it because it is very safe.

Routers v shapers

Shapers are usually large, heavy duty machines with lower speeds and higher torque. The bit is fastened to an arbor and stays in one place.

Routers are usually small and hand held. The bits have shanks and are fixed in a collet. Routers operate at high speeds. A router upside down in a stand functions like a small shaper.

Kudos on your thrift store demo. I am sure it made their day.

 

[ez-duzit]

I should have added the obvious--those shaper cutters are extremely dangerous at router speeds. Do NOT use them in your router!

 

[jimreed2160]

Shop tunes

To me, music is an integral part of my woodworking. The shop is just more pleasant with rockin' tunes. My birthday was a few weeks ago, so I treated myself to a radio upgrade. I wanted Sirius but was afraid the trees in front would block out the signal so I went FM.

To fully understand the seriousness of this upgrade, you need a little backstory. It began in the 1980s when I recruited a marketing support IT group and built a team of 15 stars. The company merged, they went to different teams, and I was surplus. During a tearful goodbye party in our conference room, they presented me with a boom box. It has been my shop radio for 30 years.

It was state of the art for the time with advanced cassette features. I mounted it very high and doctored the antenna so I could get more than one station.

I even fashioned a hickory stick so I could turn it on.

So I was way past an upgrade. The new radio gets several of the local classic rock stations and has presets so I can jump around. I made a bracket to hold it to the wall. No more need for the on/off stick. It was 80 degrees in the shop and this is one of the quickest AND dirtiest projects I have made recently.

It is made from recycled plywood kitchen cabinet doors and scrap 2x4 cutoffs and held together with sheetrock screws and glue.

I am tickled with the improved sound and the additional channels. It is fine where it is but now I need(want) a DeWalt cordless tool so I can have a battery and a charger. Then I can take it to my remote projects.

So the shop upgrades continue. Things just keep getting better.

 

[drivesitfar]

BJ: WELL DONE on the Sled. it looks even better on this WW 101 thread than it did on your garage gallery thread. if you have time to post up a few of the cabinets you've been making over here i'm sure a few of us less talented members would like to have it in this thread when we are ready to tackle that sort of work.

Jim: love the extra FM antenna work to improve your reception.

ALL: i had a huge VHS old movie collection and i can't tell you how many times my kids have wanted me to and even volunteered to put them all on DVD, but i like popping in a good old 80's movie in my little 13 inch TV/VCR's in my shop and garage and just have it playing while i work. i rarely watch, but with the music and words i normally know what's going on in the scenes. I need to get some good headphones for working out in the yard this summer cause playing my rock n roll too loud in the yard might wake up my 90 year old neighbors from their naps. I've heard Bose is a good name for headphones and anybody know of a different one with similar or better quality?

cheers

 

[jimreed2160]

Jim: love the extra FM antenna work to improve your reception.

cheers

It works better when I wear my aluminum foil cap.

 

[Autonomous]

@drives instead of headphones for outdoor work is suggest earbuds. High end headphones will be ruined quickly by sweat and sawdust. Plus the buds do a good job of noise cancellation vs saws, and you can clean them with a couple of qtips and alcohol.

The best earbuds I've ever owned have been these from Monoprice - https://www.monoprice.com/mobile/pr...categoryid=12001&subcategoryid=1082303&cpncd=

These are the best earbuds under $70, no joke, and they cost a whopping $5. I've had 3 pair in the last 5 years, used for public transportation, lawn mowing, and garage therapy.

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[ztorres]

Well today I was using a chisel to cut out recesses for some hinges on a jewelry box. I like to keep my chisels extremely sharp. I pushed and the blade went through and cut my finger bout 1.5 cm deep. Didn't even notice it until I looked down and could see pretty deep. 5 stitches later; I've never had stitches but have stitched people up before. Not a fan


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[jimreed2160]

Well today I was using a chisel to cut out recesses for some hinges on a jewelry box. I like to keep my chisels extremely sharp. I pushed and the blade went through and cut my finger bout 1.5 cm deep. Didn't even notice it until I looked down and could see pretty deep. 5 stitches later; I've never had stitches but have stitched people up before. Not a fan

Ouch! Chisels can be dangerous. Sorry to hear.

Chisel sticks are frequently in hand #2 because it is hard to stick the hand holding the chisel. The secret is to safeguard #2. I like to hold a chisel in #1 and a mallet or hammer in #2 so there is no free hand to stick b/c both are behind the blade and away from the action. This means that the work has to be secured. Make sure your shop has sufficient vises and other ways to hold your work securely. There are over a dozen vises in my workshop and most of them get used sometime.

 

[drivesitfar]

ZT: I'm thinking of buying some titanium or cut proof gloves just for that very reason. maybe you should buy a pair too cause i think it might be $10 well spent? sorry to hear you got hurt and hope the emergency room visit was covered by your insurance. best of luck with the healing and your projects.

Auto: thanks for the link to the cheap ear buds, but it's going to be a little hard to carry around my BOOM BOX that looks a bit like Jim's he had up high on his shelf. what do you recommend for music source or do you just have an app on your smart phone? i'm going to get rid of my broken HTC phone and maybe get an Iphone or is there a better phone out there now?

thanks for the tip!!

Jim: i actually think you might have one of those ALUMINUM HELMETS!

is it only rock in roll in the shop or have you got tired of our old rock n roll songs becoming dentist chair or elevator music?

 

[ScottsGT]

I use my iphone and a Milwaukee blue tooth speaker for my music. Goes dead, just yank a battery out of a power tool I'm not using at the time! I subscribe to Pandora commercial free. Best $5 a month I have ever spent!
I constantly switch music styles all the time. I think my wife and kids freak out when they come down and hear Lindsey Sterling playing. I'm usually playing some of the old Country singers. Waylon, Willie, Johnny or Dolly.

iPhones are great if you like the software. I tried a Droid and hated it, went back to the iPhone.

 

[ztorres]

There is a time and place for safety equipment, like safety glasses. But this accident was completely avoidable and was my own fault. Some safety stuff like Kevlar pants for logging, I used to hear a lot "If you need protection to stop yourself from cutting yourself, maybe you shouldn't use that tool". I know people like that protection of safety gloves, but I would rather set my work up in a manner so I won't hurt myself. Like Jim said clamps would make this incident completely avoidable.

 

[drivesitfar]

Scott: thanks for the heads up on music and technology!!

yes i'll go from Willie to Enya to Maroon 5 to the Beetles and Iron Maiden so i'm all over the map when i'm not listening to or watching an old VHS movie inside the shop/garage.

if i want to keep my wife out of the garage a sure fire method is to play country music other than WILLIE cause ON THE ROAD AGAIN IS ON HER IPHONE'S PLAYLIST.

ZT: i do a lot of metal work and outside work and not the fine tuning type work you are doing so i need gloves, but i forget to use them at times when i'm in a hurry too. i've seen some gloves that are pretty nice that other guys use that are almost like you are not wearing gloves that i'm looking for.

best of luck with the injury. one thing we always do is LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES even if they are painful.

 

[ScottsGT]

We need a drawing of the OSHA woodworker now!

 

[jimreed2160]

New project--chessman

I was cruising the auction site late at night (always a bad thing) and found a nice chess set. Like everything else around here, it has a problem. One of the black pawns was replaced with a slightly larger version.

Well this looks like an easy lathe project. All I have to do is locate that box of blackwood cutoffs.

Trust me here, the wood is BLACK, ebony I think. My camera just turned it grey. So here is a quick lathe project. I think the wood will be long enough for me to turn two pieces, so I can pick the best one. With my recent error rate, I think I need some backup.

If I get this done in time, some of my grandkids can be playing chess before school starts in the fall. I wonder if this will get their minds off of Minecraft?

 

[drivesitfar]

JIM: this might not be possible, but could you just put the bigger pawn on the lathe and make it like the smaller ones?

good luck and keep saving that cool stuff off the auction sites so you can show us the fixes!!

Scott: that guy would have ear plugs or ear muffs for certain or at least he should have.

so the ear plugs for the music are actually a safety feature.

 

[jimreed2160]

JIM: this might not be possible, but could you just put the bigger pawn on the lathe and make it like the smaller ones?

good luck and keep saving that cool stuff off the auction sites so you can show us the fixes!!

Too bad that my Black & Decker Shrink-o-Matic is missing its flux capacitor or it would be the perfect tool for the job.

No way to really turn the large one down since it has to change in all diameters and there is not enough stock. This will (should) be a pretty easy project. Except for the spheres. Those are not my best skill areas. But good practice.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jim: of course i knew that, but wanted to hear a bit of your humor to start my day here in PARADISE.

good luck with the PAWN and show some of the set up in a few pictures on your lathe if you would cause i think i might have forgot how to set up a project on a lathe since it's been 45 years now since i last used one.

cheers

 

[jimreed2160]

Mallet

A while back I posted a few shots of this rosewood mallet. It was in rough shape and had random green paint on one of the faces. I spent some time one morning picking out the paint and cleaning up the mallet. It then got a coat of wax.

It is in pretty good shape for its age and does have some charm. I will find a suitable place to display it until I get that vintage sports car with knock off hub nuts.

 

[Autonomous]

@drives: I use a set of amplified computer speakers and the Droid Turbo that I upgraded from as my garage audio, otherwise my current phone plus my earbuds when mowing or using saws.

A coworker just bought a very nice set of Bluetooth Earbuds from Amazon a few days ago and they have good range, he says. I'll ask him Monday. That'd work with any BT-enabled audiobook source and provide the freedom of movement you need.

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[jimreed2160]

Time for some finish

It is time to put finish on the drawer front. I like Minwax stains but they can be harsh. One way to tame them is to wipe the wood with mineral spirits and give it a good soak. That makes the wood less likely to drink up stain like a sailor on shore leave.

Here is a test stick with Cherry on the left and Walnut on the right. I think the Cherry looks good and the walnut is too brown.

The liberal dousing also shows flaws. When I applied mineral spirits to the edge, this glue blob became visible.

Good thing I caught that. It was invisible on the raw wood but a little sanding took it out.

I gave the birdseye a slight wipe--just enough to bring out the figure of the grain.

Overnight drying should get it ready for clear coat tomorrow. Stay tuned.

 

[bj383ss]

Drive,

Here is the BT headset I have. Use it for mowing, weeding, and also watching YouTube on my tablet to not disturb the wife while she is watching TV. They work great and have a very strong battery.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FO0IHMY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bret

 

[turbowoodworker]

Hey Jim,

I like the drawer front. The bird's eye really pops.

One trick I learned and routinely use on curly maple that may be helpful to others, is to use an old method with nitric acid. The old furniture builders and especially the gunsmiths building golden age flintlocks, used nitric acid and heat to bring out the curl.

The technique is to rub nitric acid on the prepped wood stock once it is ready for stain. Once it dries (seconds), run the stock over an electric hot plate or stove (not a flame). The oldtimers heated an iron rod in the forge and held it over the wood. You do this just long enough to heat it, not toast the wood. This will raise the grain so 400 grit sanding is helpful after treating. The light colored maple will look grrenish after treatment. Avoid at all costs using steel wool in prepping the wood because the acid will rapidly rust any stray steel fragments and they will show up as freckles.

Then you add your stain of choice be it commercial, or in the case of the 18th century gunsmiths, they used some combination of iron filings and/or walnut husks soaked in water.

This really really accentuates the curl or alternating hard/ soft rays in the wood and gives it that tigerstripe or fiddleback look. Not sure how this would work on bird's eye but something fun I might try someday on a small piece.

 

[CSRPenFab]

Finally found some shop time yesterday to finish up a few pens. First up was a wood I had not used before, Vasticola Burl from Australia. The figure and glow is very nice, hard to capture in a picture:

Then a "Knurl" twist using a bit of my CA Redwood Burl stash:

Last were a couple of .30 caliber Bolt Action pens using some nice Buckeye Burl that looks like granite when finished: