Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

[Woody1320]

I've got a question for those more knowledgeable than I when it comes to woodworking. The wife wants a tray for our ottoman, and I've got the wood to build it (I picked up some pine for the material). The plan is to make it 28 by 28 inches, so there will be 8 pieces along the bottom. I plan on using 1/4 inch dowels and wood glue to join the slats along the bottom. The wood is 3/4 inch thick nominally. I also picked up a couple Bessey 36 inch clamps to hold it all together once the bottom is assembled. Is there a better way to do so? The goal is to have a design similar to the attached picture.

 

[ez-duzit]

W--I don't see where there are any dovetail joints in the photo.

 

[Gasgt1]

Finished the chest of drawers this week. Happy with how it turned out. Finished it with arm r seal and buffed it out.

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An heirloom for sure
Beautiful work!

 

[akalian]

It machines well, but is very hard. Make sure you have a recently sharpened blade in you saw. Here are some wood hardness's (Janka) for comparison:

1450 Hard Maple
1820 Hickory
2410 Bubinga
2520 Purpleheart
2760 Osage Orange

I like working with Bubinga. I don't think there is any wood that can match the grain and character of Bubinga. I've never had any difficulty working with it, but as said a sharp blade is a must.

Some projects I've made using Bubinga are attached.

.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Woody: It seems like what you are describing is something like a butler's tray. There are many options for joining the slats and doweling would work as well as many of them. A tray like that would be fairly light duty so joint strength isn't critical but you may as well make it as strong as you can. I wouldn't make one with grooves between the slats like the one in the picture. The grooves would function as crud collectors.

akalian: Those are beautiful projects made even more beautiful by the babinga. Nicely done!

 

[turbowoodworker]

Woody, if you are going to copy that design ie no sides like most serving trays have, here are a couple of thoughts.
Slats in the light duty bottom can be edge glued, no need for dowels or any other reinforcement.
The sides which appear to be simple rail and stiles, can be joined with anything from mortise and tenon, dowels, biscuits, etc.
Not sure what tools you have, but consider planing the bottom to 1/2 inch thick for weight.
Personally I would turn the rails and stiles on edge and male low sides, say 1 1/2 inches with a soft round over on the edges.
Depends on your tooling and experience.
Good luck and please share your results.
Rick

 

[turbowoodworker]

Akalian, those are some examples of fine woodworking.
How big are the bubinga trees in St George?

 

[akalian]

Akalian, those are some examples of fine woodworking.
How big are the bubinga trees in St George?

Bubinga trees down here in St. George are few and far between.

But a day trip to Salt Lake City and a visit to MacBeath Lumber solves that problem.

.

 

[Gasgt1]

Looks like it is time for some sort of clamp rack.
I had been using my scaffolding for years but now need it for a real project.
It is not coming back to my shop

 

[jshillin]

Couple things I've made over the last few weeks. They aren't anywhere near the level that I see some of you guys making, but I enjoy woodworking when I can find the time.

A simple shoe rack, small mantle clock, a gem holder and an unfinished bar sign.

 

[Sevenhills1952]

Couple things I've made over the last few weeks. They aren't anywhere near the level that I see some of you guys making, but I enjoy woodworking when I can find the time.



A simple shoe rack, small mantle clock, a gem holder and an unfinished bar sign.

Very nice!

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[wxm]

subscribed.

 

[Woody1320]

Woody: It seems like what you are describing is something like a butler's tray. There are many options for joining the slats and doweling would work as well as many of them. A tray like that would be fairly light duty so joint strength isn't critical but you may as well make it as strong as you can. I wouldn't make one with grooves between the slats like the one in the picture. The grooves would function as crud collectors.

Woody, if you are going to copy that design ie no sides like most serving trays have, here are a couple of thoughts.
Slats in the light duty bottom can be edge glued, no need for dowels or any other reinforcement.
The sides which appear to be simple rail and stiles, can be joined with anything from mortise and tenon, dowels, biscuits, etc.
Not sure what tools you have, but consider planing the bottom to 1/2 inch thick for weight.
Personally I would turn the rails and stiles on edge and male low sides, say 1 1/2 inches with a soft round over on the edges.
Depends on your tooling and experience.
Good luck and please share your results.
Rick

Guys, I truly appreciate the advice and the words of encouragement. I will definitely post pics once it's done. I have a circular saw, reciprocating saw, hand sander, drill, and an impact driver that get used quite a bit (Ryobi for all but the impact driver, which is Makita). I'll be picking up a Bessey 90 degree clamp for the corners of the "border", which I already know I can make the 45 degree cuts for with my saw. I could just as easily leave two ends shorter and just screw them together, but I want this to look cleaner (plus, I want to prove to myself that I can do that kind of work). I am looking forward to this project, as I want to tackle more projects like this, and I believe this could lead to more wood working in the future. If this tray turns out as clean as I hope, it could mean more projects for family members (and possibly better/more equipment for me LOL).

 

[turbowoodworker]

Good luck Woody. Let us know how it goes.
Rick

 

[rrich1]

While not woodworking it is a woodworking tool. Picked up an 8" delta pot belly jointer and redoing it. Big upgrade from my 6" short bed delta jointer. Almost done with cleaning the 6 layers of paint off. I think I will start a dedicated thread in the vintage tool section.

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[jar944]

Something other than cabinets for a change. My wife bought a wall map awhile back. Apparently she got tired of it sitting in the box, so I got to make a frame.

I dug through my moulding knife collection looking for something picture frame like. Settled on a bolection moulding profile I typically use for wainscoting and some junk poplar I had in the shop. Frame is 40"x60" and 2.5" thick.

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[turbowoodworker]

Man I would love to have one of those Williams and Hussey molders. They are so nice. I had the opportunity to use one at a class once. I bet the knife sets aren’t cheap though.

 

[jar944]

Man I would love to have one of those Williams and Hussey molders. They are so nice. I had the opportunity to use one at a class once. I bet the knife sets aren’t cheap though.

They are convenient, and relatively inexpensive all things considered. I picked up the two i have for what was a very reasonable price.
The knives aren't too bad either price wise. I'm paying about $50 per inch of profile if I remember right.

 

[MJOPE]

1--lovely work.

Nice job. Very crisp...

 

[MJOPE]

Couple things I've made over the last few weeks. They aren't anywhere near the level that I see some of you guys making, but I enjoy woodworking.

Nice job getting these completed. Congrats. The key is enjoying the projects...

 

[Witolik]

Nice job.

 

[jar944]

Picked this little guy up today.

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[ez-duzit]

j--that looks like the real deal.

 

[jar944]

j--that looks like the real deal.

Ha yeah It would be considered thr real deal in most circles.

Its a 2000 invicta ti-14b (b designated tilting spindle)
The tilt is 45 degrees back, 5 degrees forward.
7.5 hp 3ph motor
1.25" spindle with 5.25" under the nut
420mm (16.53") max tooling diameter (largest table ring is 420)
Is a feather weight at 1297lbs

 

[ez-duzit]

Looks like it's in excellent condition.

 

[jar944]

Looks like it's in excellent condition.

Yeah its clean, really clean. All the Blanchard marks are still prominent up next to the spindle where they are usually worn from miles of lumber and a feeder.

The Millwork/ cabinet shop i picked it up from had it for doors but they were buying them cheaper so didn't get much if any use.

And it was relatively cheap for what it is.

 

[ez-duzit]

Nice find.

 

[rrich1]

Jar-That looks like an excellent machine

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[jar944]

Thanks. I was happy to finally upgrade the tilting grizzly i was hanging onto. There are three model shapers out there i would still be happy to get if possible, but all are either rare as hens teeth, or more than I am willing to spend (or both)..lol

Unloading machines is always an adventure.

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[1Garageman]

^^Scary and exciting! Show some pics of them setup in your shop!

 

[drivesitfar]

Happy NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!

I picked this up yesterday from a guy who was selling an old metal cabinet and he had this sitting in his office. it's held together with 2 3 inch oak dowels. pretty decent looks like hand carved mortise and tendon work and he said it was the 3rd one he made of this bench out of wood from a maple tree cut down and milled off his property.

it's a bit too wide for the short walls of our entrance to our home, but fits nicely at the end of our queen size bed. he told me he just uses Johnson Paste wax on it that seems to be a decent finish.

I'm wondering if any of you might use something different to keep it preserved and clean?

 

[Coryc1]

Great Thread!

 

[CRSINMICH]

drives: That 's a nice piece of furniture. Since you live in a humid climate you might want to seal the wood better. On the other hand, in England (not known for arid conditions) they have been finishing wood pieces with wax for a long time. It must work or they'd have changed by now. I think it has to be renewed from time to time. Keep an eye on it.

 

[jar944]

Since its already waxed i would be inclined to just leave it that way. There really is no harm as long as you keep up with annual waxing. If you like the sheen and texture it should be fine especially since its a surface that I wouldn't expect to see a lot of use (like a kitchen or dining table)

Alternatively if you want to go in a different direction you would need to strip the wax off before you could apply a oil or film finish.

 

[drivesitfar]

CRS: thanks and great point you make there. since I liked the finish when buying it waxing it every few months or so (maybe annually?) might be the ticket.

Jar: good point and yep I was figuring if might be some sanding and a bit of extra work to change the finish.

ALL: here's our maple bench in pieces (sorry the bed is usually made, but we lost power that morning with 60mph winds here) and I really don't want to take it apart again at the moment.

 

[jar944]

^^Scary and exciting! Show some pics of them setup in your shop!

I'll have to take some pics when I get in the final position and under power. Mostly exciting, not really scary... well unloading on a driveway that's not level can be interesting..

it's the little shapers that move around when you turn them on that are scary..

I'm at a crossroad where I need to order a rotary phase converter, but have already spent more on vector drives than the converter would cost if I just bought it first

But I need 5 more drives..

 

[drivesitfar]

Jar: since not many have 3 phase power to their shops or garages around here maybe your area is the same so instead of thinking about what you spent instead think that it's a real investment in your real estate. AND sell the convertors to a few guys that don't have so many machines and just want to power up one or two.

I bet having that hanging off an engine hoist was a bit of a nervous moment. like you i'm fond of moving them around with a pallet jack.

nice find!!

 

[jar944]

Jar: since not many have 3 phase power to their shops or garages around here maybe your area is the same so instead of thinking about what you spent instead think that it's a real investment in your real estate. AND sell the convertors to a few guys that don't have so many machines and just want to power up one or two.

I bet having that hanging off an engine hoist was a bit of a nervous moment. like you i'm fond of moving them around with a pallet jack.

nice find!!

Possibly selling some of the vfds isn't a bad idea. I will say I'm spoiled with the control they provide. Its really nice being able to dial in the cutterhead speed of the machine. That Its irrelevant on most machines those with multiple speeds via step pulleys or change gears. (Like a shaper)

The variable speed aspect of the vfd mated with a powerfeeder is really a fantastic thing. I could go back to 4 or 8 fixed speeds, but I'd always remember what I'm missing out on.

I actually had to reposition the truck to get a more level spot. The first pick had it listing to the right.. that made me a bit nervous.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jar: i'm sure you'll figure it out and maybe save a couple for your favorite machines if you do get more power if that's what you like (if you can afford it).

ALL: so i've been building a fence around our property (again). the last time I built one was about 25 years ago and this one has been in the plans for a while now. I bought all my cedar 6x6's, 2x6's, 2x4's and 1x6 fence boards at a local mill and hauled them home wet and put on big racks to dry (stickered each row) so I didn't have hardly any boards warp or twist.

my question to all you that know much more about wood than i do is this: i'm notching the top 2x6's into the 6x6 posts and i've been leaving about an 1/8-1/4 inch gap for the wood to expand since i'm usually doing my work outside when the sun is shining and it's warm. i'm also planing each board and cutting and routering out the notches. do I need to do this?

here's a few pictures of my new cedar fence and we (my bride and I) really like this PPG (was Sikkens) stain and even though the can says only one coat we like 2 coats best. We've also been brushing on brown Copper Green paint/stain on the ends and tops to maybe help keep them from rotting as quick.

 

[jar944]

Jar: i'm sure you'll figure it out and maybe save a couple for your favorite machines if you do get more power if that's what you like (if you can afford it).

.

Well that took about 20 minutes to search, locate and agree on a price. I like used prices more than new prices.

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