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Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

jar944

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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.

Unless the boards are bone dry (and if they are treated wood they are not) you wouldn't need to make the notch oversized. Tight to the rail should work as i would expect shrinkage not expansion.
 
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Woody1320

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Well, I finally started on the ottoman tray. The plan is to make some finger joints on the edges (probably two equal fingers per side) to give it a somewhat "fancy" look on the corners. Tonight will hopefully consist of getting the bottom doweled and glued. I've done some test fitting on scrap pieces (for the dowels, mainly to get the depth marked on my drill), and I have confidence I can get those to work to add a bit of strength.
 

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CRSINMICH

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Woody: Sorry Woody. I read you PM before I saw your post. My advice about finger (box) joints doesn't really apply to what you are planning to do - except for the part about taking your time to get the fit right. Oh, and the part about end grain taking finish differently. Keep at it and be sure to post more as you go along.
 

CRSINMICH

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HIDE GLUE TRIAL​
Notice that I didn't call this an experiment​
I have a small repair to make on an antique steeple clock. CAUTION: Keep cats away from antiques! I merely have to re-glue the corner steeple block. I've been watching Thomas Johnson Antique Furniture Restorations so I decided to glue the block with period appropriate (and easily renewed) hide glue. I have a bottle of Old Brown Glue which requires heating and a bottle of Titebond Genuine Hide Glue which does not. I followed the directions for both glues then glued small blocks of soft wood. After clamping two samples for each glue I let them set for 24 hours. I then pried the blocks apart with a screwdriver and a mallet.

The two blocks held together with Old Brown Glue were hard to separate but when they did let go it was directly along the glue line. All four faces were smooth. The blocks that were glued with Titebond were much harder to separate and some of the wood from one piece was pulled out of the other side. The glue joint does seem to be stronger than the wood.

DISCLAIMER: This was only the results of a slap-dash trial of two different glues. It was NOT meant to be a comprehensive examination.

UPDATE: I used Old Brown Blue. Titebond definitely held better but, thinking ahead, OBG was more easily repaired. That might be important because we still have the cat.
 

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jar944

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I've been wanting a door clamp, but I'm out of space. I decided to try adding a couple boards to my outfeed/assembly table to act as 90 degree stops for squaring cabinet doors in the glue up process. Same basic procedure as using an actual door just manually clamping and reclamping the door to ensure its square

So far its working exactly how I wanted, though a good bit slower than a actual pneumatic door clamp.

All the door parts layer out ready for glue (you can see the extended stops screwed into the edge of the table.
View media item 109866
Glue applied and the door loosely assembled, making sure the rails are proud of the stiles.
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Door assembly pulled (or clamped) against the square corner stops noticed the board acting as a caul on the far side.
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Door pulled tight against the stops with some clamps
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Pinned in place prior to moving for a re-clamp
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Square and off the jig.
View media item 109873
 

drivesitfar

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CRS: thanks for taking the time to post that!!

JAR: what brand are your door clamps. very nice and i'm sure they will also come in handy when doing glue ups on other projects.
 

drivesitfar

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anybody buy lumber from the mill and bring it home to dry outside before using it?

i'm picking up a few 4.5x6.5x16 foot beams and thinking maybe i should paint something on the ends of them to keep them from cracking and checking?

I've never painted anything on my piles of cedar 1by's and 2by's, but thinking FIR might be different especially since these are thicker.
 

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drivesitfar

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Henry: i'm not sure that I could even find or buy Creosote anymore, but since i'm going to plane and stain these beams I'll probably use something a bit less invasive. probably a good old product as maybe was oil, but maybe not legal to use now. thanks for the idea!!

All: i'm hearing anchorseal might be a good product. i've seen other products so just gathering up information. I'll have an inch or two I can cut off each end before staining and just don't want any twists or cracks if i can help it.
 

beelsr

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anchorseal is the bomb but I now just use leftover oil-based paint and give it a good thick coat, sometimes two (once i stuck saran wrap on the wet paint but it was messy and didn't do much better than paint alone). I've used mis-mixed paint from hd/l but latex is more porous than oil. Some people melt paraffin and dilute with mineral spirits - at that point, the price of anchorseal wins in my book.

it's more important to get something on the endgrain asap to slow the water coming out of all those little straws, ideally within hours of cutting - definitely same day. and you're always going to lose some wood from the ends - nature of the beast.
 

drivesitfar

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BEEL: thanks for the 411 so to speak!! isn't parafin wax? i wonder if I get a beeskeeper's excess wax to use for this if that would work. I know a lot of work, but I do like a clean straight piece of wood.

sadly my gramps started logging in the woods in 1926 and his firewood was old growth scraps and i didn't start liking woodworking til his wood supply was long gone.

here's a couple of his logging trucks in the 50's
 

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beelsr

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usa paraffin, yes. wax. brits call kerosene paraffin.

beeswax would work, i suppose. too much work for me, though. :)

nice pics. rarely see logs mounted transversely. :scared:

my father-in-law burned hundreds and hundreds of board feet of cherry, maple, beech and walnut chunks and scraps. And then he discovered he liked turning and making small boxes.
 

drivesitfar

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that's probably why I rarely throw scraps away of good wood, but honesty you can't keep it all.

i've put ads in for FREE wood and most times it will go to people burning it, but I do like to hear when they are excited about making something out of it. there is a FREE section in Craigslist, but I think you can post FREE items in a lot of places instead of hauling to the dump or burning it if you really can't store or use it.

I agree the beeswax might be a bit much, but I might run up to the mill after he cuts my 4x6's and slap on some anchorseal if he can't deliver for a few days or weeks.

I would go with my gramma & gramps during the summers for a few weeks from like 4 years old thru 10 ish cause both my parents worked and my twin sisters would stay with my grandmother while i'd go to the logging job. I honestly can't recall any logs that big and I was born in 1956, but those pics were in my mom's photo album and I think they were polaroid black and whites from the early 50's.
 

beelsr

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yeah, you sure can't keep it all but you can keep it when you have room for it. for me now, there's always enough wood laying around to burn. I can't keep up with the deadfall. haven't had to fall a tree proper in a few years.

growing up in MI and now in PA, we never saw/see anything near that girthy - it's all pecker poles out here. When I was out West in NorCal in the 80s, now that was fun times with the long bar...
 

drivesitfar

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Henry: thanks for the tip and you probably did mention it used to be used. one thing I can't understand is a ton of retaining walls are or were built with wood with creosote cause if it's up against dirt and weather it will rot eventually. sure has that great smell does't/didn't it?

Beel: i think i'll always enjoy driving thru the Redwoods and sure hoping all those fires in California don't burn them down.

ALL: speaking of old growth wood my parents have some cedar firewood at their home that is just that. it was usually cut up for kindling so it's still in about 18 inch long triangle shaped pieces. any idea what I could make from it either on a lathe or with a planer and hand tools?
 

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drivesitfar

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I was just looking up ANCHORSEAL and noticed that Copper Green was in the list. granted Copper green doesn't have wax, but since i've got a couple gallons of unused green since I found they make a brown version (i'm using on the tops of my 6x6's and cuts for new fence) i'm wondering if using the CG would do a decent job on my 4x6's from the mill? or is CG more of a bug and weather deterrent?

EDIT: i've been watching a few youtube videos since I asked this question and really we are just trying to slow down the drying process so even wax melted in an old crock pot brushed on should work ok depending on where you are located and weather.
 
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beelsr

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never heard of copper green before - looks more like a post-build preservative thing.

yes, it's basically about having the wood dry in a more balanced/even manner - think: end-grain and cross-grain-wise.
 

pkpk

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Hi everyone, this is really basic stuff but I'd like to make some simple wall shelves, and instead of buying pre-made brackets I wanna try to make some out of 2x scraps. I've been tinkering with a design before cutting a bunch of them, and figured I'd see if any of the knowledgeable folks here have any feedback to offer, or if necessary a "hell no that won't work"!

The bracket is about 7" tall and 8" long, and I drilled two 1/2" channels for cabinet screws so there will be about about 1" to 1-1/4" of wood for the screw to clamp against the wall (going through drywall into studs). Right now I'm thinking of moving the top hole down maybe a quarter-inch because it turned into a tight/time-consuming fit for drilling, both a cordless drill and my little drill press were rubbing against the upper edge of the bracket. I intend to use 1x10 boards for the actual shelf, which I'll connect to the brackets with a screw near the wall. I don't mind exposed fasteners for this but might use 1/2" dowel to fill those channels in.

I attached one of these to a 2x4 leg of a worktable and put 30 pounds of weights on it, balanced near the outer edge, and it didn't budge overnight, so I think these should be strong enough for my needs, which is mostly holding smaller plants that are hiding inside for the winter. But any thoughts on this idea would be appreciated!!
 

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CRSINMICH

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pkpk: Your bracket and shelf system should work fine provided the brackets are not spaced too far apart and, of course, the potted plants are not exceedingly heavy. Leverage will magnify the force against the mounting screws. You may want to drill the bracket holes slightly off the center line by making one slightly to the right and one slightly to the left of center as a precaution against the bracket splitting as the screws are tightened. It looks like you paid attention to the grain direction when you laid out the bracket.

Your shelving system should hold plants nicely.
 

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pkpk

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pkpk: Your bracket and shelf system should work fine provided the brackets are not spaced too far apart and, of course, the potted plants are not exceedingly heavy. Leverage will magnify the force against the mounting screws. You may want to drill the bracket holes slightly off the center line by making one slightly to the right and one slightly to the left of center as a precaution against the bracket splitting as the screws are tightened. It looks like you paid attention to the grain direction when you laid out the bracket.

Your shelving system should hold plants nicely.

Hey thank you, I really appreciate the feedback! Good to know I've got a decent idea here, and I'll keep that potential splitting issue in mind when drilling those holes. Thanks for posting that photo too, it was actually kinda hard to find online photos of a similar basic wood bracket like this, and I wanted to keep it minimal and avoid using a backing board.

Plan is for each shelf to be a 24"-long 1x10 on two brackets, each going into a stud spaced 16" on center, and I'd put maybe 4 or 5 plants on it, maybe a 20-25lb load total. I also have some old "project boards", or whatever you call the little boards cut in shapes with a nice edge profile, that I think would look good used as a single-item shelf (with one bracket) like what your photo shows. Maybe I'll have some results to share in a couple days!
 

Unruh

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Hey guys. I just started doing some YouTube videos. I pretty much do woodworking, and I would love some feedback. It is a lot tougher than it seems to make something worth watching.

 

jar944

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Irritating that embedding works in general tool discussion, but not in the garage gallery.

Anyway here is 17 minutes of a 8 lite TDL divided lite door glueup sped up to 1 minute.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y4YwypE4RFE" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

rrich1

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Update to the jointer and mobile base. Everything is painted and currently getting assembled back together. The motor needed a new button and will be picking it up tomorrow... hopefully. The knives I ordered over a month ago never came in so I cancelled that order and purchased from a different vender. Those already shipped and will be here this week. While waiting on the motor and the knives I built a mobile base. Came out pretty well and works great. The bar helps a ton and will be adding the bar to my workbench castor's. Apparently I didn't get a finished pic with the jointer in the mobile base. [emoji849]11ac91605e8e72740b0a1576586f4ae5.jpga1d18457ea33cce2fd58ce29b8455a97.jpgf7b5ad44a1375deb31230e4c6f26f11a.jpg9afd7bc8da0228ed118bba95e5f71411.jpg8faca7e4750710b683b99d8d235f5cc8.jpg26553a637668f830ccbdf5163230b9e8.jpg

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 

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pkpk

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Hey guys. I just started doing some YouTube videos. I pretty much do woodworking, and I would love some feedback. It is a lot tougher than it seems to make something worth watching.


Just watched your video for the table saw spline jig -
- it's great! (Also watched some of the video on turning a wand with epoxy in the handle, mostly to see the results lol... I don't have a lathe) You ticked all the boxes imo: good camera angles and lighting, good pacing, clear narration, and *no* music. Also a nice and cute but to-the-point intro!

I'm always interested in jig videos like that, maybe make one for your crosscut sled? Or a how-to about making a small box with splines? Just a thought.
 

pkpk

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Here's another request for advice about putting velcro on disc sanders.... last summer I picked up a homemade 9-inch disc sander through fb marketplace. I used it a bit back then then put it aside in an unheated garage, where it's currently about 15 degrees.

I recently dug it out and the sanding disc's adhesive backing is coming loose. I still need to get the whole disc off but in my experience that gets messy, does anyone have a preferred method for doing this?

Next I'd like to attach velcro to the backing disc to make it easy to switch out hook-and-loop sanding discs, both on this and a combination belt/disc sander I have. I see lots of different types of velcro strips on Amazon, are they all equal or does anyone have a recommendation?

And what should I use to adhere the velcro to the backing disc? I wonder if the cold winter temps will be an issue. I'll bring the sander inside to apply adhesive and velcro and let it dry, but then it's going back out to the garage... any thoughts on how to do this would be appreciated!
 

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pkpk

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Awful idea.
Oh wow, really? I'm all ears (eyes) if you wanna explain further, I'm always learning and sometimes overlook obvious stuff, but I've seen youtube videos on doing hook-and-loop like this with a wooden backing disc on DIY stationary sanders:
 

ez-duzit

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...I've seen youtube videos on doing hook-and-loop like this with a wooden backing disc on DIY stationary sanders...

Lots of amateurs out there playing with their new video cameras, trying to make money off other amateurs, or showing off what they don't know. Anyone with any real shop experience at all knows that sandpaper must be stuck flat to a rigid disc surface because it is for shaping flat, not contour sanding, like a random orbital sander, for example.
 

pkpk

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Lots of amateurs out there playing with their new video cameras, trying to make money off other amateurs, or showing off what they don't know. Anyone with any real shop experience at all knows that sandpaper must be stuck flat to a rigid disc surface because it is for shaping flat, not contour sanding, like a random orbital sander, for example.

Okay thanks for this! Happy to be getting good insights here. You've convinced me, I won't bother with this idea anymore. I had been wondering about exactly what you said, the rigidity of this type of setup, but I'd seen a handful of times in popular and not always amateur-looking (and not very down-voted) youtube videos and channels and took that as proof of concept, basically. But I'm trying to work on my precision as a woodworker, making sure as much as I can that tools are tuned and square etc, so I appreciate you pointing this out!
 

rlitman

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Lots of amateurs out there playing with their new video cameras, trying to make money off other amateurs, or showing off what they don't know. Anyone with any real shop experience at all knows that sandpaper must be stuck flat to a rigid disc surface because it is for shaping flat, not contour sanding, like a random orbital sander, for example.


All that. Also, heat conduction. A RO sander has holes in the pads for airflow, and doesn’t have anywhere near as much power. This disc will generate a lot of heat that won’t have any escape. Normally, the metal conducts quite a bit of heat away from the disc. With the Velcro being a decent insulator, the trapped heat will build up to the point of melting the Velcro.

On big belt grinders, platens can even be water cooled.
 

drivesitfar

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anyone care to share how they would attach sandpaper to their round sanding disk on their sander? i've never had to change mine cause I rarely use it so i'm all ears on what is the best method too since i've got maybe a lifetime supply of sandpaper?

i'm guessing it's a special glue behind sandpaper because I also think velcro behind the sandpaper is not a good idea. or do tell?
 

rlitman

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anyone care to share how they would attach sandpaper to their round sanding disk on their sander? i've never had to change mine cause I rarely use it so i'm all ears on what is the best method too since i've got maybe a lifetime supply of sandpaper?

i'm guessing it's a special glue behind sandpaper because I also think velcro behind the sandpaper is not a good idea. or do tell?

I have to admit to no longer owning a large disc sander. I prefer belts myself (this is strictly a PERSONAL preference).

But, when I had one, I recall Titebond making a liquid tacky but peelable adhesive for sanding discs. Or you can use contact cement.
 
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pkpk

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All that. Also, heat conduction. A RO sander has holes in the pads for airflow, and doesn’t have anywhere near as much power. This disc will generate a lot of heat that won’t have any escape. Normally, the metal conducts quite a bit of heat away from the disc. With the Velcro being a decent insulator, the trapped heat will build up to the point of melting the Velcro.

On big belt grinders, platens can even be water cooled.

Aha! Thanks to you both for chiming in and explaining. I got ahead ahead of myself when I should have thought more about why factory-built disc sanders don't use velcro/hook and loop and holes for airflow like a RO sander. Good to know when *not* to follow through on an idea!!

Titebond as an adhesive for discs - which type, exactly? Pardon my ignorance.

And any tips for removing an old disc with its own adhesive without making much mess? Acetone, maybe?
 

ez-duzit

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...And any tips for removing an old disc with its own adhesive without making much mess? Acetone, maybe?

Save yourself a lot of trouble and use PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) discs. A little 3M Adhesive Remover; then industrial alcohol or acetone cleans up easily. There is also 3M Disc Adhesive if you really must use plain sandpaper.
 

pkpk

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^Thanks again to you both!

Yup, I use PSA sanding discs but the old one on my disc/belt sander is not peeling off cleanly at all, and the last time I changed discs (been a while, I use one of those yellow cleaning sticks often to help unclog the sandpaper), removal was a mess. I'll have to track down some proper adhesive remover vs whatever I tried to use before.
 
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