Woodworking 101--Tools and Tips

[pkpk]

Hello all, here's a new creation! I teamed up with a friend at his home shop to make this cutting board, which I gifted to my brother and his wife as a wedding present. It's made from walnut, cherry and maple, and the size is roughly 13"x19" and 1-3/8" thick. We did two inlays with five thin strips each, one after the other (which turned this into a serious project!) and then routed a finger groove on each side. I cut the corners a little different and asymmetrical to minimize a tiny crack on the end of one piece of walnut, then rounded over all the edges. Then sanded to 220 grit, raising the grain out of an abundance of caution if it ever gets too 'dry' before reapplying oil, and finally soaked it repeatedly in Howard butcher block oil (I know, it's basically mineral oil but I'd already bought it) then Howard conditioner.

Might not be perfect but good enough, the newlywed couple were happy, and just a great memory and learning experience with a friend which I really appreciate!

 

[CRSINMICH]

pkpk: Well done! That was a clever way to deal with a "tiny crack". The inlay raised the cutting board to a new level.

 

[drivesitfar]

CRS: thanks for the pix and also mentioning your thoughts about was vs. stain or finishes. the maple bench has been waxed and lived in an office until I bought it and brought it home to put at the end of our bed. it was only waxed so i'll just keep putting on a light coat of wax as needed and I guess if my bride wants a different finish i'll bring out the sander and see what happens then.

Shift: I hear you on bringing out the beauty of natural wood cause even working with milled cedar for fencing after planing and sanding that first coat of stain is amazing.

ALL: since I built this pretty stout 6 foot tall fence on top of an old retaining wall I built about 30 years ago (on top of neighbor's rockery) I thought it might help to add these 3.5 foot 6x6's that I mounted in heavy duty brackets next to the taller ones. with 14 and 16 inch 5/8 galvanized bolts and washers with washers and spacers in between it really firmed up fencing so now if a 50+ wind blows thru I think the fence should stand it's ground better.

just curious if any of you have built a nice fence gate and want to share where you found/bought the hinges and latches cause I think I want some stout galvanized ones that HD or Lowes or local hardware stores don't seem to carry?

 

[CRSINMICH]

Not too long ago I bought a Stanley #66 beader. I used it to dress up the long sides of a frame saw I built. It worked great. I had a lot of fun and I really liked the look of the detail it created. By the end of the project, however, a problem had developed. The fence started moving as I was using the beader. The problem was the fence. The tapped hole in the fence had begun to wallow which caused some damage to the the thumbscrew threads. My solution was to make a new fence from brass bar stock.

It was a totally old school build - hacksaw and files. I even got to cut the screwdriver slot in the top of the new thumb screw using a NIB Disston Slot Cutting Hack Blade that I bought at an estate sale. The extra countersunk holes are in case I want to mortise the brass fence into an auxilliary wooden fence.

I knew those blades would come in handy someday.

 

[acer66]

Quite exited to have a unisaw now since yesterday which will replace my trusted Bosch contractor saw.
Do not know much about it and it has some odd wiring but in runs with very little to no vibration and besides the missing motor cover it seems to be in good condition.
Still on the truck but I will take a closer look again once its in the shop today.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Welcome to the Unisaw club acer66!

 

[jimreed2160]

I'm going to jog your memory and look back a few years. There was a short discussion of Stanley No. 77 dowel makers back in 2017, and I came across one in a thrift store with no cutters. Is this just a doorstop (or parts machine) or are cutters available?
And by available I mean for less than the cost of my last car...
Joe

I am a lover and user of the 77 dowel maker. Complete and working units are getting harder to find and cutters are even more scarce. EBay cutters are listed in the 125--250 range now. Good luck with your quest.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jim: nice to see you posting on your 101 thread. not sure if you've been taking a break or had some health issues, but welcome back!!

ALL: any of you make feeders for birds, squirrels or other critters? I made a temporary one for our small family of squirrels that were born here in the trees on our property that love peanuts in the shells. if I just set them on the ground the bluejays fly/swoop in and swollow peanuts hole shell and all or if left over night I think the raccoons really are the ones making a mess of what hasn't been eaten.

here's a temp feeder for now that the squirrels have come and eaten and buried maybe 2 huge Costco bags worth this month out of.

 

[Boilerhouse]

Nothing fancy -a winter feeder to hang from our clothes line. I made a couple out of cedar, one for us and one to give away but my ungrateful sister in laws weren't interested -LOL- so I have a lifetime supply. It supposed to be for the birds but the squirrels help themselves and I find their gymnastics to access it pretty entertaining.

 

[CRSINMICH]

I went minimalist with this peanut feeder. Usually it's filled with crunchy peanut butter. This time I filled the holes with whole raw peanuts and before I could get back into the house a Hairy Woodpecker was enjoying the treats.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

My wife got so frustrated with the squirrels eating or just wasting her figs and persimmons that she cut the fig trees down. Having failing to catching anything in the Havahart squirrel trap she bought I picked up the Squirrelinator squirrel trap. After setting it up that first evening I awoke to two squirrels in the trap. I caught 14 squirrels and a juvenile opossum in the first 16 days. Hardly seen any squirrels around since the 6th of this month but as other move into the vacuum my trapping has created there will be more trappings. Each varmint got a one way ride out of town.

 

[drivesitfar]

BH: yep even though the intention of your feeders is for the birds I bet watching the squirrels can be very entertaining.

CRS: well at least the woodpeckers are not pecking at your house like some do.

TEX: I know squirrels are sort of rats with fuzzy tails, but if you watched one grow up from a baby and had them stand on their back legs and say "more peanuts please kind sir" you might have a better opinion of them. yep Raccoons cost me about $200-400 a year on new sod here, but even they have their cute moments. NOW CROWS are rats with wings and they need a population reduction around here soon or they WILL TAKE OVER THE CITY.

ALL: any more ideas on feeders please post them up cause I will have time to build something as the Seattle Drizzle season is approaching?

 

[txlonghorn1989]

...

TEX: I know squirrels are sort of rats with fuzzy tails, but if you watched one grow up from a baby and had them stand on their back legs and say "more peanuts please kind sir" you might have a better opinion of them. yep Raccoons cost me about $200-400 a year on new sod here, but even they have their cute moments. NOW CROWS are rats with wings and they need a population reduction around here soon or they WILL TAKE OVER THE CITY.

...

Drives I know you know this but I'll say it anyway...Happy wife, happy life. She wants the squirrels gone. The last two years she's harvested TWO persimmons from her three persimmon trees. That's just unfair for her. I generally take them north across the river about 11 miles one way and drop them off at a park.

I'd recommend those feeders that as soon as the squirrel steps on it it catapults them across the yard or fence. ;0) If you find one that will send them into orbit let me know! By the way, she calls them tree rats.

 

[Bob Heine]

She wants the squirrels gone.

Txlonghorn1989, we had no luck getting rid of the squirrels with the usual methods. Then, in February 2020, we adopted Jasmine, a rescue from Puerto Rico. She is a Sato, slang for a particular kind of feral street mongrel that roams the beaches and towns of the islands. Estimated to one of 100 to 250 thousand dogs that owners have let loose over the years. They are extremely smart and super loyal and have a really well-honed survival instinct. Ours has completely eliminated squirrels from our property. One day she saw a squirrel sitting on a low table in the back yard, munching on seeds from the bird feeder. Jasmine was hiding among a stand of banana trees 35 or 40 feet from the table. The squirrel was six feet from the fence and couldn't make the leap in the time it took Jasmine to fly across the yard. She brought the unmarked but very dead squirrel to the master bedroom sliding door.

With no squirrels daring to enter her domain, Jasmine set her sights on another invasive species. Over the past year we found four dead iguanas in the yard and suspected raccoons were the culprits. Then, a few weeks ago, Jasmine showed up at the sliding door with this:

That was Jasmine's way of letting us know it wasn't raccoons doing them in. In the past three weeks she has done in three more. We rushed #6 to the trash because the sanitation truck was coming down the street. She almost decapitated #7 but #8 was too big for her mouth.

Jasmine likes to do a little reconnaissance from inside the pool enclosure (the yard six feet below is about 50'x100'):

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Bob That's one heckuva guard dog you've got there! Definitely a keeper!

All After 20 days of no squirrels I caught #15, a female, just after posting to Drives comment above this afternoon. Earlier in the day, I watched her grab the bottom of the side of the 24"x24"x4.5" cage and repeatedly tug it with her teeth until she had move it enough to expose the peanuts in the shell so she could just picked them up like the acorns on the ground. I staked it in place right after that and her next trip back to her "honey hole" didn't go quite like she planned.

 

[jar944]

Made some tdl cabinet doors. The glazing bars were a royal pain to make (well the short 6" ones at least) the profile didn't make it any easier.

View media item 106715
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Took way to long but they look better installed

 

[Firebrick43]

Drives I know you know this but I'll say it anyway...Happy wife, happy life. She wants the squirrels gone. The last two years she's harvested TWO persimmons from her three persimmon trees. That's just unfair for her. I generally take them north across the river about 11 miles one way and drop them off at a park.

I'd recommend those feeders that as soon as the squirrel steps on it it catapults them across the yard or fence. ;0) If you find one that will send them into orbit let me know! By the way, she calls them tree rats.

Thanks for foisting your problems on someone else!

 

[drivesitfar]

Jar: your pics and work deserves much more than a LIKE!!! Well done sir!!

 

[jonshonda]

That kitchen is turning our fantastic!

Winter in Wisconsin is a time for me to play with my tools, and work on projects, as our warmer months are mostly consumed by camping with our 10 and 8yo. I have just recently completed the garage heating project, which involved insulation in the ceiling, hanging, wiring, and gas line to furnace. It costed a bit more then I was hoping to have the hvac guys run the gas line, but for some reason I just chickened out and had them do it.

Circling back to winter projects, my mom was always a very active single parent, and was always doing stuff around the house, even if she really couldn't afford to. It was her passion to be keeping busy with different projects, which is a trait she passed onto me. She has the family curse, which is cancer (her mother and sister didn't survive their cancer), and has been successful in keeping it at bay via chemo and local radiation treatment. She retired early due to her inability to work (nursing educator), even though due to divorce she really wasn't financially ready to retire.

She has talked often of craft related projects that can keep her busy, and generate a little money. I have been thinking that although I don't have a ton of extra time, I would like to use the tools I've got to help get some projects going. I am thinking we start with some easy projects, like bird houses. I cut the materials to size, she assembles, decorates, paints as needed. My thought is that we could make nursing and cancer support themed bird houses, which I think would mean a lot to her.

So I have a table saw, have a bosch router on the way. Got her a Bosch Colt palm router (it was on her list), I have air nailers and a small compressor. So we should have the tools needed to make easy stuff for now. I am guessing assembly jigs would be helpful for her, as her strength has been decreased greatly from the chemo.

What are your guys thoughts on good methods for easy assembly jigs (clamping/gluing/locating) for this type of work? they need to be light and easy to use. My thought is to make our own, but am very open to all suggestions.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Your mom raised you right jon. Good luck with the projects and enjoy the time with your mom!

 

[67carl]

My other half decided the aluminum step ladder she uses to reach the top of the bookcase was unsightly. She saw this vintage spiral staircase step-stool and wanted one. Only they sell for thousands of dollars. We have tools and are willing to try, so we thought "why not?".

An friend, who is retired and woodworks as a hobby, volunteered to assist and use of his shop. So this is what we made.

I did everything myself except the bent wood horizontal bands. For those we ran a slab across a table saw to get thin strips. He soaked those in his pool :-0 then glued and clamped them in a form. It was my first time using a lathe and I practiced for about an hour, then started turning all the vertical supports. None are uniform, but that's ok for us, as we can say "we made it ourselves!".

The only thing left is a bit more sanding then finishing. The walnut treads will be straightforward but all the other wood is poplar. I've got some extra pieces and will be trying different techniques - just tung oil, wood conditioner and walnut gel stain full strength and some thinned for a lighter appearance and other ways.

First 2 pics are the inspiration.

 

[RickP]

That kitchen is turning our fantastic!

Winter in Wisconsin is a time for me to play with my tools, and work on projects, as our warmer months are mostly consumed by camping with our 10 and 8yo. I have just recently completed the garage heating project, which involved insulation in the ceiling, hanging, wiring, and gas line to furnace. It costed a bit more then I was hoping to have the hvac guys run the gas line, but for some reason I just chickened out and had them do it.

Circling back to winter projects, my mom was always a very active single parent, and was always doing stuff around the house, even if she really couldn't afford to. It was her passion to be keeping busy with different projects, which is a trait she passed onto me. She has the family curse, which is cancer (her mother and sister didn't survive their cancer), and has been successful in keeping it at bay via chemo and local radiation treatment. She retired early due to her inability to work (nursing educator), even though due to divorce she really wasn't financially ready to retire.

She has talked often of craft related projects that can keep her busy, and generate a little money. I have been thinking that although I don't have a ton of extra time, I would like to use the tools I've got to help get some projects going. I am thinking we start with some easy projects, like bird houses. I cut the materials to size, she assembles, decorates, paints as needed. My thought is that we could make nursing and cancer support themed bird houses, which I think would mean a lot to her.

So I have a table saw, have a bosch router on the way. Got her a Bosch Colt palm router (it was on her list), I have air nailers and a small compressor. So we should have the tools needed to make easy stuff for now. I am guessing assembly jigs would be helpful for her, as her strength has been decreased greatly from the chemo.

What are your guys thoughts on good methods for easy assembly jigs (clamping/gluing/locating) for this type of work? they need to be light and easy to use. My thought is to make our own, but am very open to all suggestions.

Sounds like a great project for you and your Mom. Using thin plywood for jig bases would be pretty lightweight, especially in pieces the size of a bird house. 1/4 inch ply is about the thinnest I'd recommend. (You could use balsa wood or 1/8 inch Luan plywood for really lightweight jigs -- but they're pretty flimsy, so the jig assembly would be a lot more complex.) Thin Plexiglas is another alternative, but it's a bit pricey and needs some extra care while installing fasteners to avoid cracking it.

For jig sides, edges, and stop blocks, it's hard to beat regular 2x4s. They can be ripped into thin pieces on your table saw, and you can often find some that are pretty lightweight in the big box stores.

Good luck with the project!

 

[CRSINMICH]

jar: Cabinetry as art! Well done. What are your plans for countertops?
jon: I don't have any specific plans for jigs etc. I usually just cobble some together from scraps since I'm usually making one object at a time. Making more permanent jigs for batches is a different matter. It's nice that you're working with your mother.
carl: That's an ambitious project. Let us know how it works out in use.

 

[67carl]

jar: Cabinetry as art! Well done. What are your plans for countertops?
jon: I don't have any specific plans for jigs etc. I usually just cobble some together from scraps since I'm usually making one object at a time. Making more permanent jigs for batches is a different matter. It's nice that you're working with your mother.
carl: That's an ambitious project. Let us know how it works out in use.

Am I the only one who read this as a conversation between Jar, Jon and Carl? I was trying to figure out what the hell we were talking about, then I was hit by the reality bomb - CRSINMICH was talking about each of our posts! I need to pour myself a scotch.

Edit to add - while I haven't put a finish on it yet, it is being used. TBH, that 4th step is too high, especially with no rails. One wrong step and it's about a 3 foot fall to hardwood floor. My other half is too casual about it and it freaks me out.

Also, we have a bronze pineapple on order to go on the top of the pole...

 

[CRSINMICH]

Carl: I'm sorry about the confusion. I've posted like that for a few years. It never occurred to me that it could be read as a script. Make mine a single malt. I agree about the 4th step being too high especially with no rails. The pineapple, a colonial symbol of hospitality, will make a fine finishing top.

 

[jonshonda]

I don't think it's that Carl needs to pour ANOTHER Scotch, rather he had already poured a few too many!

 

[drivesitfar]

I’m cleaning out my parents basement a bit now that they are 89 and I’m finding stuff that hasn’t moved since I lived there and left in 1975.

that said I found a pile of the maybe original 1 inch pressboard and wondering if it’s good for anything cause not even sure I could cut it up and burn it like a presto log. Any ideas?

CRS: I started multi posting almost as soon as I joined cause to many threads had separate responses to each question snd threads were cluttered especially with members using the quote and one word response that would post up a ton of photobucket pics over and over.

thanks for doing your part to keep this forum informative and I’m sure Carl got a good laugh once he figured it out.

 

[67carl]

Carl: I'm sorry about the confusion. I've posted like that for a few years. It never occurred to me that it could be read as a script. Make mine a single malt. I agree about the 4th step being too high especially with no rails. The pineapple, a colonial symbol of hospitality, will make a fine finishing top.

No worries! It's all good fun. Sometimes that's hard to convey in writing. What's your single malt preference? No shortage of SM at casa de 67carl! Got scotch and Japanese. Last night was Nikka Miyagikyo. Regarding the pineapple- we have a, somewhat, subtle pineapple theme throughout the house. It reminds us of Hawaii where we'd like to live one day. We put up a pineapple door knocker, then my other half found out (on-line) that displaying a pineapple on your house is a signal to couples of a certain ****** bent. Yikes! So far, no swingers banging on the door!

I don't think it's that Carl needs to pour ANOTHER Scotch, rather he had already poured a few too many!

Blaspheme! No such thing.

 

[CRSINMICH]

Carl: That's a nice collection of hooch. It reminded me that my wife and I toured a then brand new distillery in Nova Scotia. They had done their best to create authentic Scotch but they were legally not allowed to call it Scotch because it was not made in Scotland. Ironically, Nova Scotia means 'New Scotland'. Now that I think of it, that was 25 years ago. If they were thinking ahead, they would now have some bottles of well aged whiskey.

 

[jonshonda]

Kept my mom busy for a little while yesterday after finding a seller on fb who had 300 license plates for sale, and volunteering her to go pick some out for me. Going to use a bunch for bird house roofs!

 

[CRSINMICH]

ROUBO STYLE FRAME SAW​

I made a working prototype of this saw from construction grade wood a few years ago which I think I posted here.
I always intended to make one out of better wood and finally did. This one is made from cherry; very brittle cherry as it turned out.
It was all done with hand tools. In addition to standard saws, planes, and chisels, I used a beading tool, a scraper plane, rasps, and files.
The tensioning key/wingnut came from a garage sale. I have no idea what it was originally used for. I japanned it just to dress it up.

The finish is Tried & True Varnish Oil.

 

[txlonghorn1989]

Nice looking frame saw CRS. You done good!

 

[ez-duzit]

C--really nice.

 

[Renegade1LI]

CRS: thanks for the pix and also mentioning your thoughts about was vs. stain or finishes. the maple bench has been waxed and lived in an office until I bought it and brought it home to put at the end of our bed. it was only waxed so i'll just keep putting on a light coat of wax as needed and I guess if my bride wants a different finish i'll bring out the sander and see what happens then.

Shift: I hear you on bringing out the beauty of natural wood cause even working with milled cedar for fencing after planing and sanding that first coat of stain is amazing.

ALL: since I built this pretty stout 6 foot tall fence on top of an old retaining wall I built about 30 years ago (on top of neighbor's rockery) I thought it might help to add these 3.5 foot 6x6's that I mounted in heavy duty brackets next to the taller ones. with 14 and 16 inch 5/8 galvanized bolts and washers with washers and spacers in between it really firmed up fencing so now if a 50+ wind blows thru I think the fence should stand it's ground better.

just curious if any of you have built a nice fence gate and want to share where you found/bought the hinges and latches cause I think I want some stout galvanized ones that HD or Lowes or local hardware stores don't seem to carry?

I built this double gate a few years ago with some left over PT decking, the hinges are SS school door hinges w/bearings, the hardware is made out of PT scraps. Now I am making the rest of the fence out of 5/4 PT decking, just makes a nice solid fence, the gate latches I am remaking out of some better wood, maybe Ipe? It's simple & works great, even the dead bolt. Once I finish the fence will pressure wash & stain.

 

[Woody1320]

I really need to keep stopping in here more often.
CRS, that saw came out amazing. I gotta be honest, you've definitely taken my interest in this hobby to a new level.
One last thing-I have a new "assignment" from my better half: a gate for our basement. Her preference is the barn door look. I've got some ideas in my head so far, and I'll absolutely post pics when I get it started. I've got a material list already. I can't wait. I can use some of my woodworking hand tools on the project, along with *hopefully* adding to the collection or upgrading what I have (mainly my power tools).

 

[CRSINMICH]

Renegade: Well done! I like your gate a lot! It's contemporary but with Asian simplicity. The construction seems sound too.

 

[67carl]

I haven't done any woodwork since high school, but recently did a spiral staircase step stool which gave me the bug. A friend has a garage shop that was used to make it and I wanted to thank him, so I'm making a small walnut box that will have some things he needs in it (i.e. dowel pin markers).

The walnut treads on the step stool was the first time I've worked with walnut, but I haven't put a finish on those yet. Anyway, I've been stopping by the store periodically looking at walnut boards for the box. Not having any idea what to look for, and there are a lot of variations in grain, I just kept hesitating.

Hard to tell much when they are dry, so in the store I got my hand wet from the rain water on the cart and wiped it on the boards that interested me. Yesterday I found this board and I thought it was so visually striking that I bought it. It's 3/4 x 3 1/2 x 5.

When I got home I wiped it with mineral spirits. The pic is about 2 feet of one end of the board; the top of the pic is one side of the board and the bottom of the pic is the flip side. I cropped both pics and spliced them together to make it easier to look at and decide which would be the outside of the box.

I'm curious about the grain and figuring. I can see the sapwood and that doesn't bother me. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this is a good piece for a box?

 

[ez-duzit]

For a box anything will work.

 

[CRSINMICH]

carl: From what I can see in the picture, it looks like a lovely piece of wood. It also looks like wild grain which can be difficult to deal with depending on what you're trying to do. There are many many videos on YouTube about box making. Watch a few to see what joinery techniques they use and how they deal with grain issues. Try some of it out on regular one-by wood before you begin your walnut project. You'll probably end up with some pine boxes for yourself - and some interesting scraps. Joinery Tip: Box Joints are called that for a reason. They can be easily done with a table saw but you'll have to make a jig first which is also easily done.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Renegade: Well done! I like your gate a lot! It's contemporary but with Asian simplicity. The construction seems sound too.

Thanks! I really think using 5/4 pt decking for fence building is the way to go, easy to work with and heavy duty. Just made some new hardware out of ipe, should outlast me, what a ***** to machine, nasty stuff even with dust collection. I also have some nice brass door knobs from a city school, but i do like the ipe.