Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife Guys Questions: Hello fellas. I greatly appreciate your show, as its the only one that I haven’t gotten tired of over the years. I’m making a chimney cupboard for the most difficult of clients – my wife. She really dislikes, frame and panel doors and wanted solid doors. So there will be two 40 inch high by 20 inch wide – full overlay doors. I’m using beautiful air dryer sinker Cypress for the entire piece. I’ve convinced her that big slabs of solid wood doors would potentially bow or twist overtime, so I have developed an idea of making each door like this - I’ve sourced a 26 inch wide 8 foot board. after milling and cutting to 44 inch pieces, I cut the middle out to be the panel and will use the adjoining pieces for the rail and styles. The panel will be tongue and grooved to sit flush with the front with the styles - with an 1/8 inch gap. Therefore, it will be a frame and panel door, but out of one piece of wood that looks solid. My question is relating to the inside panel and its thickness. It seems if I leave it thicker (currently 5/8”) it will be more prone to twisting the frame, where if I bring it down thinner like 3/8”, it may be more prone to splitting. Please let me know your thoughts . Thank you so much. Mike Sibley Hi Gents. Love the show. I've invested in a 3 stage sprayer and have been trying it out, getting the hang of it. Any General advice to a new sprayer user? Also, while a perfect coat is the goal, would it be better to put down too much, or too little of 'sprayables'? It seems too little is much easier to fix. Usually just add another coat after it's dried. Thanks for the great show! Mark Bett Brian's Questions: Guy’s, I love the podcast and listen often but haven’t caught completely up yet. What is a good method of making mortise and tenon jointery with a router only? I’ve got a Bosch 1/2” router and intent to buy a router table too. I’ve seen various jigs on the market but was wondering what the best option is for the money having only a router, and small DEWALT 8.5” lunchbox table saw. I intend to build smaller household furniture such as side tables, nightstands and a dresser. Thanks for the advice, love the show, Dave Huffman I would love to get a subscription to a woodworking magazine for my fiance for Christmas. He's a big fan of your podcast. You have mentioned one before but now I can't find it. What are your suggestions? - Lauren Zontini Huy's Questions I have a Dewalt 733 planer and the blades are starting to go dull. I saw online where I could build a jig out of a 2x4 by cutting 2 slots at 42 degrees angles and placing my blades inside the slots. You would then run the blades over a sharpening stone to give it a new edge. Is this a good method for sharpening my blade or should I be looking for another method. Keep making this podcast and I am sure that all of us out here listening will continue to tune in and keep asking questions. Happy Holidays to all of you Cory Sorry if this is a repeat only mostly caught up. The wife wants a painted double dresser. I dislike painted furniture and prefer to work with maple or walnut but we compromised… so the wife’s getting a painted double dresser. I intend to use plywood since it’s a paint grade project but don’t have much experience with it. What’s a good construction method for plywood? I’ve got a small table saw, 1/2” router, kreg jig and hand tools. Can I get way with using the kreg jig and but joints for carcass construction? How about plywood drawers? I intend to use latex paint, should I add a top coat over it? Many Thanks, love the podcast Dave Huffman

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Guys Questions: Hello fellow wood shop enthusiasts! I was recently watching Guys YouTube videos of the secretary with tambour doors. He made a comment about sanding the door to I think 350, but also made a comment about treating the end grain differently so that it would not take on more oil and I assume darken it more then the face. He did not really elaborate on the technique. How is end grain treated differently when applying oil finishes and when staining? - Unkown Hey guys this is Mason from Blairswoodshop again. A follow up from the first question I asked about the jet 16-32 conveyor belt, I did what you said and now there is no more constant adjustments and it seems to work great now thank you for the help! Now for the next question. I have some really nice looking spaulted maple, as you know it's not structurally the most sound. I was thinking about maybe making it into thin veneer for box lids and things like that. I have no veneering experience or a vacuum pump, what is a cheap way to start veneering with out breaking the bank? I've been spending so much on tools last thing I need to do is go to the wife saying I need more tools haha, Thank you all for what you guys do! Look for to hear what you guys suggest. P.S. I do have everything to make the veneers just looking for diffrent ways to attach it to my work pieces. Mason Blair Brian's Questions: 1- I have a Dewalt dw735 planer and so far so good, But I noticed that if I try with a wide plank the planer makes a noise that sounds like it's too much for him to handle, how do you guys use a planer? One dimension several passes with 32s increments? - Karel Any advice for someone trying to start their own woodworking buisness? I do small crafts currently, but I plan to start selling furniture in the near future . Feel free to check out what I’m doing at the moment. - Dillon Huy's Questions: Hey guys, Do you know where I can find information on guidelines for building furniture? (i.e. website or books) For example, I'm looking to build a queen size platform bed frame with 20 inch legs and use castle joint joinery to connect the four sides to the legs. I'm trying to figure out what the minimum size the four sides, feet should be and how deep should the castle joints be? Deeper than my 10 inch table saw can cut? Thanks for all the great help. - Matt I would like to monetize my woodworking as a side business, if possible, in the future. Honestly, I am not sure if that means cutting boards or commissions, but I am leaning towards some simple stuff and seeing where it goes. I’ve thought of adding some sort of CNC to the mix. I am on the fence if I should go the route of a Shaper Origin as I can use this to make patterns for furniture projects, aid in doing some repetitive work, and do some custom accents on small items to personalize items for people or do I go the route of getting a Onefinity or other similar sized DIY CNC machine? The Onefinity would obviously take up much more room and cannot be brought to the project but could work on its own so to speak so if I am going to try and make money it can be working on something while I am doing something else. So, the part two to this question is if I go this route do you think I should get an add on laser attachment again for decorative personalization of future items to be made?

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Guy 1) Hi Guy, Huy, and Sean. I have a question about prefinishing and glue. I know that the generally recommended best practice when prefinishing is to tape off any surfaces that will later be receiving glue. However, I'm building a project that is going to have basically a grid of cross lap joints, and taping off all of those surfaces sounds really annoying. If I use epoxy as my glue instead of yellow wood glue, could I get away with not taping off the glue surfaces? The joints I am making should be pretty strong, so the glue is really just there to stop things from shifting. Thanks! Matthew 2) I'm curious what you do when your local lumber store doesn't have what you want or need?  We have one hardwood dealer in town, and the next nearest supplier is 3-4 hrs away (each way).   The local place has a lot of the most common stuff, but every once in a while I hit a wall when looking for something they don't carry.  I've heard of people ordering lumber either over the phone or online and having it shipped to them.  I think Guy has mentioned calling his local store and having them deliver it to his door; I don't know if this would be a similar process, or something else entirely. Thanks, Monte   Sean 1) Hi Guys, Thank you for all the hard work you put into the podcast. It is extremely educational and very helpful. I am sure you discussed it in some form previously, but I wanted to ask if each of you can describe the equipment you use for spraying, does it handle different type of finishes (i.e. paint, poly, etc.) and would you buy the same equipment again or switch to a different one? Thank you again. Omer   Huy 1) Hi Guys, (and Guy), I wrote you a few weeks back about a glue up question. The advice that you gave was spot on. Thank You for clearing up the questions that I had on that topic. Once again, YOU GUYS ROCK! And Guy, you mentioned to place my Cherry boards outside in the sun for a day to darken them up, WOW did that do the trick! It is tips like that, that really make you guys stand out compared to other podcasts. I am on to another project now, and that is building my grand kids toy dump trucks for Christmas. Here I have another glue up question. A neighbor gave me a quart of Titebond Cold Press for Veneer glue. I was gonna try and use this like regular wood glue. I do not think this would cause any issues but I thought I would run it past all of you to see if I am missing anything. Is there an issue  with using Veneer glue like this? Cory 2) Hi guys! Awesome podcasts, as always, and thank you for answering some of my previous questions. I really appreciate the feedback that you have been able to provide. My question today is about mobility versus stability. I do the majority of my woodworking out of one half of a two car garage and I often switch between power tool focused projects and hand tool projects depending on the project. My project list, both for clients and for my wife and myself, is always changing so it seems that my work flow and my shop setup changes on a regular basis. My bench and assembly table are built on locking casters making them easily mobile, but not stable enough for serious hand tool work. How do you balance stability with mobility? Also, how do you incorporate adequate dust collection with the power tools when they are mobile? I have a 3 1/2 HP Harbor Freight dust collector with 4" hose, but I have not yet installed any fixed piping in my shop, I'm currently moving it from machine to machine. Would you recommend putting it in a corner and running pipes along the ceiling to drop down to the machines? Thank you guys, Joshua The Blackdog Woodworks  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Guy 1) Dear Guy / Huy / Sean - First off, thank you for the podcast you produce.  It is the only podcast I listen to that I have to pull over in the car to take notes on the way to work.  I wish I lived closer to any of you to interact with you on a personal level instead of only podcasts.  Anyway...my question has to do with needing advice on what to do with a crazy looking piece of burl.  I have been helping my parents move out of their lifelong home and have "inherited" lots of wood from my Dad.  The most interesting wood is a wild piece of knobby burl (not sure the species).  I'm struggling with what to do with it though.  It's roughly 6" per side but has many 'branches'.  I can send a pic if needed but wasn't sure how on the website.  I have essentially all the needed woodworking equipment including a mini-lathe but cannot figure out what to do with such a weird piece.    I would love to make something unique but cannot figure out what to make out of this crazy wood.  I would appreciate any creative advice you can give.  P.S. - Guy - the desk you built was jaw dropping and I saved several pics.  That desk is the inspiration for my someday desk.  I wish I lived in Indiana to work alongside you as it seems like you have a dream job.  Huy - similar story to you as well.  As an engineer, I tried to get on with NASA but that path is not for me it appears.  Sean - I'm not sure what your personal life is like as you seem somewhat reserved but I feel like we have parallel lives!  We would make good neighbors / friends I think.   Thank you all for that you guys do.  Keep the saw dust flying!  Cheers, Greg 2) Hi Gents, Thanks for the great podcast and constantly sharing your knowledge, war stories and humor every 2 weeks.  It's always a good day when the Woodshop Life shows up in my podcast feed. That's enough about how great you all are - onto my question. For the 8+ years I've been wood working I've constantly  heard that you should lightly spray your project with water to raise the grain and sand back before applying finish.  So my question is what's the advantage of using water to raise the grain?  Why not apply a light coat of Shellac or poly to raise the grain and then sand back and you're a coat of finish further on?  Is there any advantage to using water? Thanks again for everything you do. Regards, John McGrath, Houston, TX 3) Hey Guys, love listening to your podcast while in the shop. As an Asian American who does woodworking, really appreciate seeing, and hearing, from other Asian Americans like Huy who share the same interest in this space. My question for you guys: I am making a round dining table. The top will be glued up walnut planks with a 51 inch diameter. The base will be pedestal style base with a diameter of around 22 inches. It will be constructed out of bent plywood (using kerf relief cuts and veneering the outside with walnut) and hollow inside except for some cross braces for rigidity. I plan on sealing the bottom with either (1) a 22 inch diameter plywood( or solid wood) base to cover the bottom and add weights inside the base to make sure the top doesn't tip over or (2) a larger than 22" diameter base. My questions is if I do the first option, is there a calculation as to minimum weight is needed to make sure the solid walnut top of 51" won't tip over? Or if I do option 2, how large of a bottom base to do I need to prevent tip over? Is there a calculation for that? I think option 1 is a cleaner and preferred look, but I don't want to risk tipping over and crushing a child or a toe. Thanks in advance and look forward to listening to the next podcast. Dennis   Huy 1) Almost done with the nightstands I have been working on and asking questions about the past month. Made from two hand sawn walnut logs I salvaged etc. Out of logs. Drawer front is 1/2" too narrow side to side. Solution is to put a 1/4" edge band on the drawers. Problem solved. But I decided to make it complicated. Want to do 1/2" edge band on the top as well. Should I just glue this on or attempt to make the smallest breadboard ends ever? By my math I would have 1/2" strips- 1/8" shoulder 1/8" peg 1/8" tenon past that and 1/8" on the strip covering it up. Is this necessary, feel like I am making dollhouse furniture here after the shed and 10' long bookshelves I just finished. Edge banding would run across the grain, 14" x 12.5" x .625" (5/8) top, ripped and glued as per my question a month ago, picture below for reference. Tom 2) Thanks for the amazing podcast.    You fellas have answered my questions and were very helpful!  I”m having trouble centering my hollow chisel mortiser.  I used the “X” method.  Mark a horizontal line and then two opposing 45’s to get center.  I have used a marking gauge, and kept adjusting till it lands on the same mark.  I then adjust my x and y axis table to hit center, then it’s not center.   Any thoughts would be great!  Thanks so much! Scott Bonin  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Wanted to start off by saying how much I enjoy listening to all yall! Been learning quite a bit from the 3 of you. My question seems fairly simple but I know it can turn into a can of worms depending on who you ask. Anyways, considering the woods: Walnut, Red Oak, White Oak, Paduk, and other species similar to those listed. What would be each your top 3 finishes and why? Finished look that I'm not after is shiny or "plastic" looking. I feel it looks really tacky. I'm more towards flat and matte. Thanks for everything yall do! 2) Hello everyone, Wondering what materials you prefer using when building boxes? I see many people using BB ply but wondering if you prefer using solid wood over the ply (soft maple, poplar?). Thanks, Paul at Twin Lake Woodshop   Guy 1) I am a hobbyist woodworker and constantly battling kids' clutter and vehicles in my shop.  All my tools are mobile but, one challenge that I come across is finding level ground to set up my tools on.  My garage has a floor has a  drain in the center of it and the floors all slope inward accordingly making it difficult to set up level and flat,  ie: Dewalt Contractor saw and outfeed table.  Any suggestions that you may have other than re-pouring the floor or building it up would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again, and keep up the great work. Mike from Calgary Alberta Canada. 2) Just recently started listening to your podcast.  I was hoping you guys could discuss a topic I am wrestling with called glue creep.  Last year I completed 2 table top projects using Titebond 2.  1 project I used 8/4 white oak and the other was 8/4 hard maple (both dried ~14-17% MC in SE Indiana).  At the time of project completion, both tables were sanded smooth and finished (1 with a stain and water based poly, the other with briwax).  However, after a year I can feel the glue seam of both tables with my fingernail which I am learning is a condition called glue creep.  I am not sure if it is because the wood is shrinking and the glue isnt, or if the glue is expanding due to joint stress?  The joints seemed rather tight from the jointer and I used dowel rods (triton dowel joint tool) to align them.  Curious if its the glue or joint stress from either not tight joint faces or dowel rods that are not aligned perfectly causing joint stress.  I do find that some dowels are not perfectly aligned when I clamp because the tool has a ton of issues, I just recently bought a domino jointer XL so I hope this helps with alignment. I would like to know how to avoid this as it poses a threat to the quality of my project.  Thank you ! Ty   Huy 1)  I've had the bad fortune of being burned by a few clients, the common denominator in these experiences being that I either didn't ask the right questions or set the right expectations in the intake stage of the process. For instance, one client refused to pay the balance he owed on a Murphy bed because it took too long to finish. The reason it took so long, however, was that the bed I built for him was too big to fit up his staircase, so I had to build a second that could be assembled on site. On other occasions, I've had clients request a custom quote or design, then balk at the price and vanish on me, leaving me out several hours of work designing a piece I no longer have any intention of building. I'd love to hear what your intake process is from the moment you receive a request to when you start building so you can anticipate and sidestep potential issues such as these. I modify my intake questionnaire each time I have one of these experiences (e.g., charging a design fee, asking whether there's a clear path to the landing site, etc.), but I worry there's icebergs I don't see and would love to benefit from more knowledgeable peers. Thanks again, Patrick Bock PDB Creations 2) I recently finished a console table and had some questions about the joinery. The table and legs were 2-3/4” thick and 15” wide solid poplar. For the joinery I planned on using dowels and my mastercraft drill guide. My first plan was to use 3 each leg 1-3/8” diameter dowels but when I practiced the drilling with the guide I could not get repeatable 90deg holes. I ended up using a simple guide and drilling 1/2” dowels but still had some small issues with alignment so on the second leg I made a template and things went much smoother. Anyways I was wondering what you all would do without having a high end drill guide, drill press, or domino. The legs were to big for me to feel comfortable making a Traditional tenon on my contractor saw so that’s why I went with the dowels. Anyways the table turned out great just trying to think of new ideas for next time.  Thanks in advance. Big fan of the show. Adam  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife Sponsored by 3M Xtract   Sean 1) Hi fellas. I found your podcast a few months ago and I'm working my way from the start to get all caught up, so please forgive me if you've addressed this question before. For the last few years, I've been mostly focused on turning, but my wife would really like a new bed frame and has asked me to design and build one similar to one from a local wood furniture shop. I'm planning to make it out of solid cherry. I hear a lot of talk about wood movement, and particularly how it is problematic in cross grain situations. I was planning on using the domino to attach the horizontal pieces of the headboard and footboard to the posts, but that creates a cross grain situation. Is that a mistake? Any tips for making that joint and accounting for movement? Thanks for the great content. For someone who hasn't made furniture in quite some time, it helps to give me reminders of all of the things I've forgotten. - Firelight Woodworks 2) Hello, thank y’all for the awesome podcast. I am looking at moving from south texas to mid-Tennessee and I worried about the change in humidity. I have many projects on the agenda that I can either push to completion or wait until after the big move.  It is extremely humid here in Texas and I have already purchased all my raw materials. So I will have to move all the materials to my new shop (space undetermined at the moment) or risk the humidity shift in the completed furniture. Joshua   Guy 1) Hello guys, always love the show and I tried out the Guy’s tip of the flat cart at Lowes to haul plywood. Not easy still but easier for sure, I had never thought of it!  That got you a new Patreon Subscriber and glad to support you. My latest challenge in the shop has been the quality of cut from my bandsaw. Please don’t laugh. I’m working with a 14” Delta clone from overseas that I bought in about 1986. It has always needed a concrete block on the base to keep it from waddling out of the shop on it’s mobile base when it’s running so I would never call this precision balanced machinery.  I do have the guides and blade tension well dialed in, or as much as you can dial in a 35 year cheap bandsaw.  I have replaced the tires and the blade I’m currently using is good quality and sharp. Motor is 1HP 120V that have never seem to have bogged down. I typically use 4 or 6 TPI ¼” blades because I’m just too lazy to swap blades. The saw tracks well but the cut has never been smooth. It’s not rough like a 10 tooth circular saw blade would be on particle board it’s more like a washboard surface with consistently spaced ridges on all the surfaces. This happens with any kind of wood, every feed rate I can try and It happens when I’m cross cutting or ripping. I have made it work over the years with sanding it all out but I wanted to bounce it off you guys to see if you’ve ever experienced that and been able to pin point it’s cause.  Vibration is present in the saw but I always figured I got what I paid for and I can’t remember if the saw made that kind of cut when it was new. I am studying reviews to buy a new bandsaw but I wanted to pass this one down to a beginning woodworker and would love for it to be cutting smoother. Thoughts? Thanks Bob 2)  G'day fellas, I found your podcast a couple of weeks ago,  and I have since binge-listened to every episode (I operate mining machinery in 12 hr shifts,  so I have a LOT of listening time). I'm a motorcycle enthusiast, currently fitting out a new workshop in my spare time. I decided to fit out the workshop myself,  and in the process of researching that,  I have become obsessed with woodworking. I'm in the position of having a large, new space to develop as I see fit. It consists of 55m² (about 700 square feet) in total,  with a 1200mm high retaining wall along one wall (I have excavated an 2.4m (8ft) high space under the house,  and had to leave a metre along one wall for the stability of the foundations),  resulting in a floor space of 45m², and a 10m² "shelf" along one side. Up until listening to your show,  I intended to use the space on top of the retaining wall to build workbenches, in order to make the space usable. However,  you all seem to value mobility of your workspaces,  so I am now considering my options,  and think that I could be better off using the majority of the space on top of the retaining wall for storage,  with a mix of cabinets and shelving,  with a relatively small space for a workbench along that wall,  and keep the rest of my bench space mobile. What do you blokes think? If you had this much space,  would you continue to value mobility of workstations,  or create more permanent areas? What other tips for setting up a space like this can you give me,  keeping in mind that sawdust is the natural enemy of shiny bikes? Keep up the great content,  and thanks for all keeping me awake through the long night shifts! Jim   Huy 1) Hi Fellas, love the podcast. The value and knowledge us woodworkers get from your content is unmatched. Great mix of personalities and experience. I have worked hard over the last five years to renovate my shop and acquire tools. I have a small space (260sqft) but fully dedicated. Insulated wires everywhere with multiple 240 circuits. I have midrange tools, 6” jointer, 13” planer, table saw, router table, bandsaw, drill press, 14” radial arm saw(yet to rebuild but plan for a joint miter armsaw station. A friend of mine is getting into woodworking and just bought a house that came with a fully loaded cabinet shop. 1600sqft fully loaded. This shop is 5 minutes from me. With access to this, what would you change to your workflow and small shop? I do really like having a full shop so I can work at night when kids are asleep.  Second question, got a pile of zebra wood from an estate sale, I have a 8/4 12” wide 4’ long piece. What would you do with it? Robert 2) Got another one for ya. I know you all have talked extensively about finishing on multiple different occasions but I have a question regarding top coats after painting and I don’t recall that officially being discussed. I made my son a lofted bed during the pandemic. Really basic construction grade lumber piece ( go easy on me Guy). At the time I stained it with a dark oil based gel stain and followed up with an oil based poly top coat. I am now repurposing the bed for his younger sister. I’ve disassembled it and plan on giving everything a good sand because frankly I didn’t do a good enough job with that the first time around. I’m planning on painting the bed white so right now I’m thinking I’ll need to prime it and seal it before using a basic latex paint and then finish it off with a water based poly. Thoughts? My guess is y’all aren’t painting very many pieces, but when you do what kind of top coat do you use, if any? Thanks again.Jonathan  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife Sponsored by 3M Xtract   Sean 1) I’ve found some really nice walnut burl veneer  that I would like to use on the tambours. I plan on veneering these on to solid walnut in the hopes of both accounting for wood movement in the veneer, and not seeing an ugly MDF substrate when opening the doors. Am I going overboard by using solid walnut for the backing substrate, or is there a way to hide the edges of the MDF as to not see them when moving the doors? And would using MDF as a substrate cause issue with the veneer moving over time? I plan on using the heat lock veneer glue to adhere the veneers to the substrate. 2) Hello Sean, Guy, and Huy. You guys always make one of the best podcasts and i love hearing your different outlooks on topics. My question today is about design and encouraging creativity. Obviously, this will be different depending on whether or not there is a client involved, but how do you decide on a direction for the design of a piece of furniture? How do you begin, with the design or the materials? Have you ever looked at a piece (or stack) of lumber and designed your project to highlight something special about it? On the other hand, have you ever designed a piece, and then had to find the perfect piece of lumber to make it with? Thank you,  Joshua from The Blackdog Studios (finding beauty in former trees) Huy 1) So I've heard of some folks making the decision to not have a table saw in their shops. 2 main reasons cited being safety (IF ITS NOT A SAWSTOP YOU WILL DIE) and also space. Personally, I understand their position, but don't think I could do it. I simply like my saw too much. Would any of you consider it? Additionally, what operations does the table saw perform that you could not duplicate on/with another machine? I realize this is more of a thought experiment than question, but I thought I'd throw it out there. thanks for the great show! Mark 2) Hey all, thanks for the great show. I notice I have been getting diminished quality cuts from my full kerf glue line rip blade on my table saw. (That is- minor saw blade marks, occasional burning)  in addition, I notice a touch of increased resistance as I begin to exit my rip cuts, and the blade seems to make contact again as the board moves past the blade. To address these issues, I have adjusted the blade to about 2 thou to the left (I cut on the right of my blade generally) and adjusted my fence. I have an older , beat up Powermatic 64B  contractor saw. I have noticed the plastic faces of the fence are a bit wavy (again, a few thousands, maybe about 10-15 thou variation throughout) but I have the extreme front and back of the fence perfectly aligned. My rips aren’t perfect when I cut from the left of the blade, but the resistance feels more consistent and predictable. I am currently transitioning from hobbyist to full time and would like to solve this annoyance, as it occasionally affects my panel glue ups, and cutting board season is nearly upon us. I think for now, I will clamp on an MDF fence to see if that can help suck out the issue. If it is a fence face or alignment issue. Do you think I should maybe invest in a better fence, or should I consider replacing my glorious Powermatic saw with a  SawStop Cabinet  saw exclusively to spite Guy. I do have 220 in the shop now powering my heater and  big Grizzly bandsaw, with amperage remaining for a 3hp cabinet. It would also be great to have a table saw with dust collection. Side note: Sorry for the length, y’all always ask for more details. And a replacement cabinet saw wouldn’t have to be a SawStop, but I think it may be good insurance when I can afford to hire an employee. That said, this would be an upgrade maybe 3-8 months down the line if I’m making consistent money. Longer if I can get the Powermatic figured out. I do a range of things. From small CNC projects, shelves, cutting boards, and  plan to move onto selling furniture. Dillon Guy 1) Got one more question for ya. Shorter this time. I recently popped open a can of water based poly that I’ve had in storage for a while. The top 3/4 of the can was great but when I got to the bottom 1/4 it had turned in to a thick gel like substance. I did some quick googling and found a forum post where somebody suggested creating CO2 gas by mixing baking soda and vinegar in a jar and “pouring” that gas in to a partially used can of poly. The CO2 will displace the oxygen in the can and then you seal it up. This preserves the leftover poly as the reaction with oxygen is what hardens it. Obviously it’s too late for my can but have you all ever heard of this? If so have you ever done it? Thought it was pretty interesting regardless. Thanks, Jon 2) Hi guys love the podcast.  My question is this ,  is it of absolute importance to have a dead flat assembly table to glue up your work square and keep it square? I ask because I built a dresser and glued it up checked it for square and moved it to my floor which is steel plates, rechecked it for square and it was fine.  Came beck the next morning and took it out of clamps and out of square it was had to disassemble and re glue very frustrating.  So now looking to build an assembly table that is flat and level so I want to know how flat does it need to be. Thanks keep up the good work. Fred clarke

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife Sponsored by 3M Xtract   Guy 1) Thanks for the great podcast, I’ve learned a lot throughout the episodes. I’ve been a wood turner for twelve or so years but now getting into fine furniture making.  A shout out to Sean as I’m a fellow Kentuckian (Louisville). My question is: I’m working on two shaker side tables right now that are 20”x20”.  As I think about the drawer construction, I’m at a bit of a crossroads with the bottom of the drawer. I could get high quality 1/4” plywood  for the drawer bottom and put the plywood in grooves. However, I don’t like the thought of putting plywood into my tables if I were to be honest. I’m sure it would be structurally fine and I wouldn’t have to worry about wood movement. However I’d like for the bottom to be made of poplar like the sides and back of the drawer. How do I make a drawer bottom from 4/4 lumber? My planer says I can’t plane anything thinner than 1/2” and I don’t have a drum sander. What is the best way to thin a board to 1/4” or 3/8” for a drawer bottom? I’d rather not use hand tools as I have arthritis in my hands. Is this a job for a planer sled? Thanks much, John My shop tools: Router & table Lathe Drill press Bench Shaper 6” Jointer 13” planer 14” Bandsaw ( Jet Euro style) Small Saw Stop (still alive!) 2) Hey guys! As always, I love the podcast, appreciate your individual takes on questions, and hearing about what's going on in your shops, except for Guy, he's too busy working to have anything going on in his own shop. My question is about learning from your mistakes. Throughout your woodworking adventures, I'm sure you have all had that project that did not come out the way you had planned or expected. I recently found some very old woodworking projects that I made somewhere in the late 1990's. Instead of throwing them out, I put them in my shop to remind me of two things. Where I've come from, and what not to do. Do you guys have anything like this in your shops? What do you use to remind you to do better?   Thanks Joshua from The Blackdog Woodworks 3) Hi guys, Thanks for the great, inspiring and sometimes intimidating podcast, because you guys are so good. I have a couple of questions. I have been asked to build a dining room table for my daughter. My first question is about design. The table will likely be a trestle style, made of walnut, a wood I have never worked before. The table will be about 6 feet long by 40" wide to fit into the space available. Is there a reason to glue the top along the long edge or along the short edge, or is this strictly or primarily an aesthetic decision? It seems like I would be likely to get a better edge to joint a 40" edge rather than a 60" edge. Second question if I can be presumptious, how do you keep focused on completing a project? It is always exciting to start a new project, but then as the time it takes stretches out, the endless sanding continues, the fear of applying a decent finish,  the excitement diminishes and I get to the point I just want to get it finished. Thanks again for the great information and terrific format. Scott   Sean 1) Hello sirs.  Thank you for providing the best woodworking podcast bar none!  I am building a couple of side tables for my living room to go on either end of my couch.   I am using 8/4 walnut slabs for the table tops.  I'm wondering what kind of finish you would recommend for these slabs?  Bear in mind that I'm assuming my wife and children are not going to be too keen to reach for a coaster every time they want to put a glass of water down.  I prefer more of a matte finish, so don't really want to use epoxy or anything that's going to look like a layer of glass is sitting on top of the slab.  So what products do you suggest to achieve maximum water protection without compromising a matte look?  And please include any specific application techniques, ie: number of coats, levels of sanding, etc.  Many thanks.   Keep up the amazing podcast! 2) Good evening, I'm Mason with blairswoodshop. Before I ask my question I just want to mention I love the podcast! It's awesome for my morning commute i think I'm about 80 episodes compete and look forward to more. Thank you guys for all the hard work on the podcast!  Just had a question for Sean. I see he has the performax 16-32, I just acquired a same style Jet 16-32. My question is if you have ever had issues with the conveyor belt tracking? I can't seem for the life of me to get it to track straight. No matter what I do it always tracks to the right, it has already took a chunk out of my brand new maveric abrasives conveyor belt. I know I'm not the only one with this issue, but no one seems to really have a fix. The only thing I've seen that might work is to buy a rubber conveyor belt which is upwards of 125$ plus shipping. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! 3) Good afternoon, good evening and good night gentlemen. Wanted to hear your preferred method of table top attachment to a base. (Z clips, figure 8s or oversized holes or any other method you can speak on that you prefer) Paul  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife Sponsored by 3M Xtract   Huy 1)I recently got a new 12x16 shed and am planning on shifting all of my woodworking tools out of the multi purpose garage and creating more of a dedicated shop space. I may have more questions on that in the future but for now I’ll start with a simple one.  I have a few different battery tool platforms and I know it’s bad for the long term battery life to expose the batteries to lots of temperature and climate changes. As a result I have all of my batteries and chargers in our laundry room for now. I ( and my wife) would prefer to store these in the shop but I’d rather not sacrifice the batteries well being if I don’t have to. I know yalls workshop space is climate controlled so you probably don’t have this issue. But I wanted yalls thoughts/opinions on the issue in general. Would making some kind of insulated storage cabinet be worth trying. Or is that just poppycock. Ha. For reference I live in NC so the winters occasionally get down to the teens and the summers often the 90s. Thanks for all you guys do. Respectfully, Jon 2) I have been practicing cutting dovetails by hand because I'm silly Using the Veritas dovetail saw I'm pretty sloppy But using a Veritas rip carcass saw I'm pretty on point Is it possible my big rock biter hands are better suited to a larger saw and that offers a better advantage to my end result, than the specific size and toothing of the dovetail saw? These used to be such big strong hands. I know a girl who dated Atreyu from Never Ending Story. Apparently, very short. But I digress. Thank you for any insights before I drop some serious change on Bad Axe or Lie Nielsen saws. These Veritas saws are all from the annual scratch and dent sale. Which is why I have a rip carcass saw oops. I guess I should also say that my other thought was that the Veritas saws are too light and that's why I'm having a problem with the really small dovetail saw it has no mass. Tom 3) Thanks for making ‘Woodshop Life Podcast’ part of my life! It’s a great mix of styles, knowledge and a little snark - from Guy’s aged wisdom. My question takes off from the last podcast, and the ending talk on an eco-friendly woodshop. I work primarily with reclaimed woods, being involved in that part of the industry since the late 1990’s, so was caught by the subjects lead in the podcast No. 103 marquee.  I wasn’t disappointed or surprised that reclaimed woods did not make it onto any of the short lists - though Sean did  trail off the session with “and like the wood - recycle it” - though I imagine that it referred to using shop scraps, but possibly other types of salvaged wood material. So my questions is mostly an open ended one on any experience that you all may have in using reclaimed material - or why it can provoke different reactions among woodworkers, whether used for it’s original or rustic surfaces or resurfaced?. Huy, working in Alabama, must come across some antique pine, though I think he mentioned taking a pass on its uneven grain and amber tone. We’ve sent regular tractor trailer loads of this salvaged old growth material to Alabama - or maybe back to Alabama, as it covered large parts of the state until the mid-1800’s. My perspective on availability can be off, as there’s a lot of the old buildings here in New York City framed with the old softwoods. The longleaf pine is getting harder and more competitive to acquire, but there’s often the Northern softwoods - like less desirable spruce, hemlock and fir, but still old growth in quality. along with the signs that are witness to it’s history - nail holes, stress cracks, aged surfaces, etc. And even if it’s among the local woods available, the mix of species, sources and not least, embedded nails can cause woodworkers to barricade the shop doors. Also - myself and my business partner Klaas Armster, put out a book a short while back ‘Reclaimed Wood: A Field Guide’. We’d be happy to send along a copy and/or some boards of salvaged wood (dry and de-nailed). Thanks again for reclaiming the tradition of woodworking in America - the craft itself seems at the heart of an eco-friendly workshop, despite any type wood that is used. Alan   Guy 1) Hi Guys, I want to start by saying that you all Rock. I listen to a few woodworking pod casts and yours is the best at passing along knowledge. Thank you for helping all of us out with your insights on wood working. I am very new to this hobby and am in the process of building my wife a cabinet. It will be used for holding potato's and onions and a few other things that clutter our kitchen up. My question has to do with the glue up for the top of the cabinet. I am glueing 3pieces of 3/4 cherry together to make the top and I am concerned about it ending up flat. I am wondering if I should use dowels to help with this. I am thinking about buying a dowel jig from rockler and want to know if this is worth it or should I try a different technique. I would like a good jig but do not want to break the bank because it will not be used too often. Also, what type of finish would be good for cherry. I am thinking some stain and then a poly. Thanks again, Cory 2) Hey guys, Jared from Houston here. Really appreciate the podcast! I'm making a wall-hanging cabinet intended to store a couple whiskey bottles and glasses. The cabinet will be solid cherry with one door and maybe a drawer on the bottom. I'm moderately experienced with wood but woefully beginner with finishes. I typically would finish with shellac only and wipe down with steel wool to a matte finish. However, due to the likelihood of contact with alcohol, I believe another approach might be wiser. My favorite idea right now is to put two coats of shellac then follow with a coat of spray can lacquer. What do you guys recommend? Also, to what grit do you sand before applying your first coat of finish? Last consideration on these questions...I'll be donating this to auction at a local school fundraiser and do not want to get called for finish repairs down the road!  Thanks for any advice you can offer! Jared 3) Hello guys (and guy), thank you for delivering an awesome podcast! I know this topic is taboo, but I was wondering what y’all’s thoughts were on veneering one side of a panel when it is already in its frame. I am planning on building a tool cabinet (loosely inspected by FWW Mike Pekovich  tool cabinet) the door in question would be a traditional frame and panel door with a 1/2” plywood panel set into a 1/4” groove. The back of the door has a case style frame attached to the back to give the hinged door some depth to house tools. The reason I am wanting to only veneer one side is due to lack of material, (the door frame will be made of mesquite, and the panel shop sawn veneer out of spalted hackberry) I know I could veneer the back with another material but I am also trying to save on weight/ thickness of the panel. Hopefully y’all will have some advice / experience on this topic. I am planning on doing this project in about 6 months. Thanks in advance, Josh

Sean 1) Hey fellas. Hope this finds you well. I’ve come into a work bench that needs some tlc. I’d like to rehab it if I can. It has a solid steel tube base (clearly store bought) with a butcher block style top  that is  2’x4’. It’s laminated strips of what I believe to be maple. (Sorry; my janka hardness test machine is on the fritz, but I can’t dent it with a fingernail). It’s got a significant bow from front to back (across the 24” dimension) of at least a 1/4”.   Whats the best approach to flatten it? I’d like to save the thickness as it’s about 1 1/2”.  It doesn’t need to be dead flat. It would be a secondary work area (aka a horizontal surface that collects all manners of various and assorted things. ) Thanks for all that you do and keep up the good work! Mark 2) Hey guys. Don’t want you run out of questions, so here’s another one: When and how often do you sharpen your hand tools? I don’t really like sharpening and find myself going through chisels to find a sharp one and using that favorite plane although it’s not sharp anymore because I’m telling myself that it’s not worth it yet to get those stones wet. What’s your balance? Should I just buy new tools when they are not sharp anymore? Just kidding, although I would love to. Jonas   Guy 1) Hello gentlemen, love the podcast and I took your last advice to heart and have been staining some of my projects with polyurethane with great results.  Thank you for the encouragement. My question today is on handling full 3/4" plywood sheets from the store to the shop.  I have not built much carcass based projects as I've been a little too impatient to get everything square then find myself disappointed in the outcome.  As I approach 6 decades on earth I find myself slowing down and enjoying the craft a little more leisurely instead of a to do list and punching a task list as complete approach.  That being said I have built 2 projects now out of plywood starting with full 4 x 8 sheets and they have been fun challenges but I find myself not planning another project because of the challenges of getting a 4 x 8 sheet of 3/4 ply to my shop. It seems like plywood has gotten 1 pound heavier every year that I have aged. I enjoy solo working in the shop so it's not really easy to get somebody to help me go to the big box store and load a single sheet of plywood. I was wondering what are some of the tricks and tips you guys use for handling big heavy sheets. I use the foam board insulation as a backer when breaking it down into panels and I use a cheap cordless circular saw with a homemade fence. It's cheap and slow but that part works fine.  I have one of the handle things that you hook under the plywood to carry it with a handle but that doesn't make the panel any lighter.  I do have a utility trailer so hauling it isn't a problem. Any other other tips, tricks or tools you would recommend for heavy sheet goods? Thanks 2) Hey there, OK so this is a pretty simple question but you did say you need some so… I have a Delta 14” bandsaw, pretty typical and I have had it for about 35 years (holy cow, I just realized how old I am!). Anyway, its pretty basic, and lacks any feature to keep the tires from gumming up as I am cutting. Do you have any advice on devices, brushes etc. that I can add to keep them cleaner as I use the saw? I do connect a shop vac to the dust port, that helps but I still find I have to scrape the wheels. Using you instead of google or Pinterest for this one ;)   Huy 1) Hi guys, I recently had a walnut tree taken down, brought the log to a sawyer and they cut into 4/4, 8/4, and 12/4 boards. I cannot air dry the boards on my property so I am planning on drying them in my basement. My basement is dry, and of course little to no air movement. After about a year, I am considering completing the drying process by putting the boards in the attic above my garage. There is Sheetrock under the rafters in the attic, so there will be very little air movement again. Should I be concerned with the heat in the attic adversely impacting the boards when they are not completely dry. I live in CT so the attic can get well over 100 degrees in the summer. Thanks for any word of wisdom you might have, Mike Gitberg 2) Hey guys I've got a door construction question for you. I've been tasked  with making an extra large sliding barn door for my house. The door will need to be 8' 10" tall by 48" wide by 1.75" thick. The kicker is my shop is in the basement and I can't fit that large of a piece up the stairs. I have an empty room on the 1st floor that I can assemble and possibly use a vacuum press. My thoughts were to make an outer frame(walnut) with a torsion box interior made from 1/2" ply or possibly 1/4 ply and filling the void with rigid foam. I was going to skin each side with 1/4" MDF and then veneer each side with commercial 3/32 walnut veneer. Some of the issues I think I will run into. This would require a 6'x10' vacuum bag (which I would have to make), I'm not sure if my pump can pull a bag that large down and hold. I have a 3 cfm and according to Joe woodworker a max size for that pump is 4'x9'.    After I've pressed the veneer down I have some clean up and and sanding to do, which I'm not fond of doing this on the 1st floor. Also there's finishing which my only option is a hard wax if I finish it inside. Or carry the damn thing outside and spray under a pop up tent.  I've been thinking of instead of one large panel making a series of say 3  horizontal panels pressing and finishing them in the shop, sanding and pre-finishing then and then installing them to the frame with some sort of 1/16" shadow line or maybe a brass inlay between each panel. Or do I just scrap the idea and find a garage to assemble, sand and finish in and bring it to the house for install. Granted this garage will not be climate controlled. I'm concerned about weight, I have a 200# max on the door hardware. I'm open to other ideas for assembly. Also I can't spilt the door into two separate ones, the opening will not allow a door to rest on either side of the opening. Thanks in advance for the advice and keep up the great work with the podcast!! Jesse  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife This episode is sponsored by: Shaper Tools, makers of Shaper Origin   Sean 1) How often should I be cleaning my planer roller and do you know any plans to build a rolling lunchbox planer stand or cabinet. I have the HD ridgid 12" planer. So I guess a better question is how often should I change blades in jointer and planer and maintenance my cheaper tools I use daily. To rid of snip and a seemingly guy crooked planer bed? Broken_pine 2) Hello everybody. First time listener, long time caller. Wanted to hear of any shop items you use that would be more "eco-friendly". An example that comes to mind is instead of using the disposable glue brushes using a silicone one. Thanks, Twin Lake Woodshop   Guy 1) My question is that I have two logs (from the same branch but non-contiguous), and need two nightstands, primarily composed of a 16" w x 14" h x 12" deep mitered box/case. One log is dead straight grain and the other, beginnings of a crotch. Aesthetically, would each of you combine the two logs to make two "truly" matched (well bookmatched) nightstands, or use one log for each nightstand, matching grain WITHIN the individual nightstands, but not BETWEEN the pair? That's confusing even reading it back so please contact me with any questions, For reference the bed these will flank is a California king California king so there is a good deal of distance between them it's not like they'll be on on both sides of a twin. -Tom 2) Hey guys, from time to time I’ve been asking questions and you’ve always provided great advice. My question is, I’m tuning up my jointer and I have the tables co-planner within .002” out 18 inches from the cutter head. Is this close enough? Should I invest in a longer straightedge? Currently I’m using a 24” ruler from a good combination square. Looking online for straightedges, the Starrett 36” is $247.50 and it accurate within .0002”. I also found the Veritas 38” aluminum straightedge for $44.90 and is accurate to .003”. How strength of a straightedge do I need? And can I get away with an aluminum straightedge?  Thanks so much for your thoughts. -Mike Gitberg   Huy 1) I am a newbie in woodworking! and I'm working on my indoor stairs to the second floor. Stairs are completely removed and we plan to have an open riser 3 1/2" thick tread. I have somebody who confirmed the structure and adapted it to city codes for me. So nothing dangerous is happening here. I am trying to get the costs down while I like the walnut looks and because of that I am thinking of ripping and altering grain on 2"x12" nominal lumber from the big box store and making 3" x 11½" x 37½' butcher block of yellow southern pine (construction grade, kilin dried) and veneer it with 1/4" walnut. I am buying a 16' 2x12 kiln dried yellow southern pine and will start ripping it after stocking it for a month in my garage. Should I be worried about wood movement?  I mean movement between walnut and SYP. I am not worried about SYP core because I have one of them made two month ago and it's been staying inside with us and cupping/twisting, has not been observed.  Will the 1/4 glued walnut veneer is a good idea for this application in term of resisting wear and tear? I am using regular glue for making the core. any advice on glue for making the core and veneer? Will you approach same method to do this project? If not, What will you do? vafa 2) G'day team It's the old guy (older than Guy) from Australia who potters around in the shed in his thongs ( Aussie footwear Guy ) I recently bought a Dewalt 735 thicknesser because I like to use reclaimed wood but I really don't have a clue what I am doing but you need to start somewhere. Anyway I recently used the thicknesser on a couple of large pine blanks that came from some sort of industrial packaging which were approx 5 inches wide and 3 inches tall ( I used imperial for you guys) I ran both blanks through the thicknesser  " jointing" one side first by using a planer sled and some shims and then running the other side through squaring up the sides to each other and then gluing both pieces together to make a blank for a bandsaw box, everything seemed good at this stage. I started to cut the blank on the bandsaw only to realise that it wasn't square to the table and that I had actually made a square block that was tilted ( I think it's called a parallelogram, I wanted to use a big word so Huy would feel at home) How can I square this up ? The block is approx 5 by 5 inches and my table saw height is 3 inches. I probably did this all backwards but even though I'm old enough to remember dust being invented I still like to learn. Do I need to buy a jointer ? Thanks for your help  (ps, the nurse is cranky with me because I took some other guys slippers and won't take my medication, hope you guys get this while I'm still alive.........still no Sawstop) -Geoff    

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Guy 1)Jacob from North Carolina, long time listener, 3rd time questioner. I’m building a trestle style kitchen table that will have a painted base. Not my first choice, but happy wife happy life.  My question is:  What do y’all use to eliminate seams when painting?  Spackle, putty, or some other product.  My seams are tight, right and smooth, but when I’ve painted projects in the past, the seams remain visible.  For the trestle table legs, I would like them to be seamless and look like one piece.   Any insight is appreciated. FYI, I’ll be spraying the paint. 2) Gentleman love your podcast and have listened to every episode, keep up the great work. My question is about fence length. Currently the saw I own is a 1980 Delta Unisaw with a 52" fence. I purchased it new in 1980. I am retiring this year after I sell my company. My wife wants to purchase a new Sawstop for me because I'm always complaining about the dust collection on my old saw. She wants to buy me the Sawstop Industrial saw (I love tools), and wanted to know do I want the 36" or 52" fence.  I think I can count on one hand the number of times I used the additional length on my current fence and was just wondering do you guys have the 36" or 52" fence assembly and is it worth having the larger fence.  Normally I just have stuff sitting on it. Second question is for Guy, as I'm in my late sixties and my skin is quite dry and I use lotion regularly I've heard you talk about using gloves in the shop. What type of gloves do you use and are you happy with them. And one last thing Guy at 5'8" I love my Laguna bandsaw the table height is perfect for me :)  Kris   Sean 1) Hey guys I just wanna say thank you for the amazing contact the guys put out! I found you guys about four months ago I’ve been going through the old episodes to catch up. But I was wondering if you guys could help me out and point me to a good affordable biscuit joiner. I would love to get a festool biscuit joiner but it’s just out of my price range, is there anyway you guys can recommend A biscuit joiner that is worth the best bang for his buck. Thank you again for awesome content Ethan thompson 2) I am contemplating making a new workbench to go with my inkliened vise. I like my current workbench made of southern yellow pine but would like to add a few features like a two piece top for clamping as well as an end vise/wagon vise. My question is would ambrosia maple be a good/bad material choice for a workbench? From my wood store is $3 cheaper than soft maple. I could see the color variance possibly being an issue during use and sighting material. I'm not sure the holes in the material would be that problematic. What says you guys? Thanks, Ryan   Huy 1) Hey guys. New listener here! Love the genuine vibe of the show and of course all the knowledge. I build barn doors, blind mount shelves and mantles out of my garage to support my family. I recently had to switch to plywood for most builds due to cost of solid wood (1x and 2x materials) . My question is..I live in Tampa Florida and my wife hates that our pool table room has become the lumber storage room. Now that I'm using sheet goods and don't want to break them down far in advance of projects...what are your thoughts on ways to store plywood in a NON climate controlled Florida garage? Also storing solid woods as well. Oh, and my material is always pine or poplar. I would love your thoughts on this topic. Humidity, drastic weather changes hourly and no climate control? The garage is a dedicated, yet messy work space. 2)Hey Fellas, Thanks for addressing my last question on fuzzy cutting boards.  Sean was correct - I was over-sanding after each raising of the grain.  So many ways to shoot yourself in the foot it seems... I want to ask your thoughts on the practical limits of mitre saws.  I'm sure you've addressed similar before, but as Guy often points out, what haven't you addressed before!   Maybe not from this angle perhaps?  There are folk who do anything and everything with a mitre saw and those who wouldn't  cut a precise mitre with one to save their lives.  In my journey thus far I think the most important thing for novices is to appreciate the full capabilities as well as the limitations of their equipment. Assuming a novice user.., one with a reasonable quality mitre saw and table saw.., one who has learned to keep both reasonably well calibrated.., but one who has yet to be collecting after-market devices such as advanced mitre gages etc..  Can you point to any examples of types of operations that represent a limit, or exceed the limit, of what a novice should reasonably expect from themselves and their mitre saw?  Or put another way.. for this or that operation - have at it..  but at such and such a point..  well then it's time to be pursuing table saw jigs or other skillsets to get where they need/want to go? Thanks again, hope this finds you all well, keep on keepin' on! Colin  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife This episode is sponsored by: Shaper Tools, makers of Shaper Origin Guy 1) Hey guys, Jonas from Germany here. Since you’re always looking for question, here is another one. As a weekend woodworker who doesn’t get much time in the workshop, I regularly get the problem that milled stock doesn’t get touched for several days before I can continue with the project. Right now I am working on an outdoor table made from European oak and there might be a few weeks between milling the boards and actually assembling the table. I have heard of the solution to use plastic bags or shrink wrap but that doesn’t really work for 7-foot boards. How do you handle stuff like that? 2) Hey guys, love the podcast and thank you for all you guys do! I made a dining room table for my sister-in-law about a month ago. The table is made out of Hard Maple and is 3.5’ wide by 8’ long. I noticed when I first bought the boards that there were some very small, hairline cracks at the very ends of the boards. After glue up I was able to square up the table by cutting the end that had the worst cracks completely off. Unfortunately, I did not have enough material to completely eliminate them from the other end. So instead, I cut as much as I could from the other end and filled the remaining hairline cracks with Plastic Glue wood filler. This seemed to have remedied the problem! I then finished the table with 4-5 coats of water based poly, achieving a nice, thick coat of finish. Now, about a month later, my sister-in-law is showing me spots where the hairline cracks are reappearing. Curiously enough, they’re reappearing from both ends too. My question is multilayered. First, is this cause for concern? The cracks are very small and not easily noticed unless you look very closely. However, will these cracks continue to grow over the years? Second, given how small these cracks are, how can I go about repairing this issue? I don’t know if thin CA glue will help with the issue or simply act as a bandaid. And I don’t believe these cracks are large enough to allow thin epoxy to seep into them. Any help/advice you guys could give would be very much appreciated! Chris     Sean 1) Love the show and appreciate what all of you contribute to the woodworking community. I have been a hobbyist woodworker for a long time and though my projects are not fine furniture or wining any awards I truly enjoy time in the shop and making simple things for friends and family. My question is about finishing.  I hate finishing, so much that I feel guilty sometimes that my project truly never really gets completed even those it's gifted away. I justify to myself that I'm letting the new owner finish it to their preferences but the reality is I hate that step.  I've done spray on (rattle can) shellac, poly, cheap spray paint, Briwax  and rubbed on some polyurethane but I would like to venture out a little farther without fear of ruining my hard work. Any suggestions on how to take the next step without jumping in over my head?   I have sanders, planers, all the usual finishing tools but I'm basically lazy. 2) I am a hobbyist woodworker with a full time job to support my hobby, and I am lucky in the fact that people are asking me to make things that I want to make. With the urban lumber I am really enjoying the wild and crazy figure that comes from non-commercial trees, crotch grain especially, and the randomness of pallets (everything from cedar to white oak and an occasional exotic species). My question, since we are all woodworkers, is how much would you spend to not buy commercial lumber? As an example, I purchased my 14" bandsaw, 6" joiner, and 10" planer used for $400 total. The chainsaw and chainsaw mill cost $130. Am I crazy? Joshua Huy 1)Good morning gents. I hope this finds you well. Thanks for the great show. So 2 questions that are related: I'm losing access to my current workshop - a 2 car garage. Renting commercial space is very expensive, so any other suggestions for finding a space for my workshop would be appreciated. I'm only looking for 400 square feet or so. Because of #1, I'm considering joining a community maker space. Pros and Cons? thanks Mark 2) I made a slatted bench out of red oak, but I'm questioning how I want to finish it.  The bench is from Steve Ramsay's course, and can be seen here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-LKKPyBEVE/ Because of the slats, which are about 3/4" wide and 2 1/2" deep, getting finish down there with a sprayer would be impossible, so I think I want to do something I can wipe on.  I've created my own simple finish of equal parts spar urethane, mineral spirits, and boiled linseed oil (so similar to a Danish oil) that I've wiped on to other projects with success, but not sure if there may be other options that I should consider.  This is a gift for my parents and will live inside, probably by their patio door for them to sit down on to put on their shoes. Also, if I go the homemade Danish oil route, any suggestions on how many coats to apply, and what to do between coats? Keep up the great podcast, thank you! -Nick    

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife This episode is sponsored by: Shaper Tools, makers of Shaper Origin   Guy 1) I recently discovered your podcast and it has drastically improved my hour long commute to and from work. I began making attempts at creating things with wood about a year and 1/2 ago after wandering into a woodcraft and seeing all of the beautiful exotic species in person.  I made afew cutting boards and smaller items,  but nearly gave up because my few feeble attempts at joinery completely tanked. I’m kind of a high energy/ ADHD person with almost no attention span, and woodworking just wasn’t working for me. Then I found wood turning, and  found it to be extremely satisfying, almost therapeutic. I still have a long ways to go, but I no longer feel completely incompetent and have made several decent items. I eventually hope to learn some joinery techniques and attempt some small furniture type items. I recently purchased a Jet JWBS -15 bandsaw and so far have been very pleased with it. It has a large cast iron table along with cast iron wheels. The only thing it’s missing is a brake, but since it’s my first bandsaw, I don’t miss it. This particular model, however is not carried by most of the wood working stores and very few people even mention it other than Shawn. Is there a reason why this saw is not popular? The only issue I have is that I go through bandsaw blades like water. I typically use either a green wood blade or the timber wolf 3/8” 4tpi blades and have not gotten more than a month of light use from any. Is this normal?   I cut a lot of rosewoods, ebony and dense exotic turning blanks.  I considered getting a carbide blade but they are upwards of $200 for my saw. Any thoughts? Nicole 2) Hey guys, you’ve answered a few of my questions over the years so I’m now running out of ways to say how awesome this podcast is. I just want y’all to know that it’s been extremely insightful, helpful, inspirational, and motivational (oh yeah, and funny). Woodworking is a great stress reliever for me and your podcast motivates me to keep at it, so thanks again. My question today is about how to determine the weight-bearing capacity of something you build. I generally don’t build off plans. I find inspiration from photos online and then create my own design, but this sometimes means I’m deciding how much support to give certain pieces. For example, I recently completed an outdoor bench with planter boxes on either side. I really didn’t know how much I needed to do to support the bench and the weight of those who might sit on it. It’s 4.5 feet long, so can fit up to 3 adults at a time. I’ll describe what I did and send some photos, but if there are any rules of thumb or resources you can share that would be helpful in determining the weight capacity for furniture builds, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks again for the awesome podcast. Billy   Sean 1) Hey guys, I'm looking to purchase a better flush trim router bit. I'm comparing Whiteside bits UDFT 5152 and the UDC 9112 from Bits and Bits with the astra coating. Other than the bit diameter, cut length, and one having two bearings. What would make you choose one over the other if the bit diameter didn't matter? Do you think the 9112 would run cooler due to the larger diameter? I plan on getting the 1/4" compression flush trim bit for small curves. Thanks for all the real world advice you give. Matt in AL 2) I'm building a console-style liquor cabinet that will have a walnut slab top. The slab is 1-1/2 inches thick, 60 inches long, and 16 inches wide. I'll be using an oil finish and am wondering whether I should apply the oil finish to both the top and bottom of the slab... or if just finishing the top (and edges, of course) is enough. It's my first time working with a slab and I don't want to screw it up! Thanks for the great show! - Dan https://www.woodshopnews.com/columns-blogs/finishing-both-sides-is-warped-thinking Article mentioned during Podcast.   Huy 1) Great show, love it! I have a small shop in Denmark, and recently I talked to a rep from Festool that told me not to sand my wood before all cutting is done, as the small sand grits would make your blades dull. What are your thought on this? Thanks, Ali @toolguy.dk 2)Hello from one of your dedicated listeners!  My question concerns a router dropping bits.  The router in question is a fairly new Triton TRA001  3 1/4 HP plunge router.  Three times now, while making a fairly easy pass, the bit has dropped out.  The first time it happened was while I was cutting a quarter inch deep rabbet on a half inch cherry panel.  The bit cut a hole in the panel and ruined it as it fell straight down onto the floor. The two other times have been while cutting a 3/8 inch deep dado through some 3/4 inch maple ply.   Any advice would be welcome.  And thanks for all the thoughtful and informed conversations about woodworking. Martin  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife This episode is sponsored by: Shaper Tools, makers of Shaper Origin   Sean 1)Thank you all great information from both the podcast. Right now I have a woodriver spoke shave, wood river shoulder plane, i have buck brothers #4 four plane and block plane, both from home depot, totaling $50.  I have learned to sharpen well and get whispy shaving and a mirror surface on most woods.  Though the plane seems to loose it's setting quickly and the blade chips on any thing harder then pine.  I have some money and want to buy a new plane.  I only have about $350 to spend.  Which plane would you recommend? I think Bevel up veritas or wood river and buying a second 50 degree blade. Scott 2) Thanks for the informative podcast. I have a  question regarding dado blades.  I have a 10 inch delta table saw (36-725T2), and I am wondering what blade to get.  Most of the dado blades I see for sale are 8", and some 6".  Being that my table saw motor is not overly powerful , would a 6" blade be better to reduce the weight?  What are your recommendations on size and maybe some brands you have used and suggest?   Thanks. Trevor   Guy 1) I have a question about drilling pilot holes for wood screws. There seem to be 2 types of pilot hole/contersink bits. One style has a straight bit and the other style has a tapered bit. I have read conflicting information about the different types. Are the tapered bits only for tapered screws and the straight bits for newer straight shank woodscrews or are the tapered bits preferable for everything? When drilling the pilot holes should I drill a larger hole through the top board to pull the boards closer? If using the tapered bits how is the countersink adjust for longer or shorter screws as the hole depths are different? Should I just forget about the combination drill/countersink bits and use a separate drill and coutersink. Thanks for your advice. Bob 2) I recently started monetizing my woodworking skills as a side hustle, which has been great as it has allowed me to upgrade a lot of my tool arsenal. I just bought a Sawstop professional cabinet saw, and of course, the differences between it and a jobsite saw are night and day. I have managed to cut both of my hands on 2 separate occasions with my DeWalt table saw (without removing digits, fortunately), so if there ever was a person who needed to invest in a Sawstop, I am that man. I think my next buy will be a Festool (most likely) track saw, or perhaps a helical blade planer. Currently my bread-and-butter work tends to be sliding barn doors. I don't claim to be an extremely highly skilled woodworker who does intricate joinery at this point; I simply realized that I could capitalize on my accrued skills and make smaller-scale projects for extra "shop money".  The one tool I have not invested in yet is a Jointer. I highly desire to have one but I have been able to get by for this long without it, so I am in no particular hurry to get one. My question is this: How beneficial does having a jointer tend to be in your experience, and is it something you use all the time? Is it something you would consider a must have for any serious woodworker? I apologize for this being long-winded. Thanks in advance. Nate   Huy 1)Good Evening Gentlemen....and I use that term loosely I have been blessed to be a Dad for a little son who is now 3.5 years old.  I have had him out in the workshop trying out some of the tools....spokeshaves, hand planes, drill press, clamps and vises, and some other hand tools that I deem safe under direct supervision.  It is so much fun to see the wheels turn as he experiments with them.  I have made a decision to expose and introduce him to these experiences early on in the hope of planting the seed for curiosity and establishing a foundation of fundamental skills and understanding of how things are created.  I do worry though as he becomes comfortable with different tools, he will eventually want to try and experiment on his own.  I am always reinforcing that he is not allowed to do things without me, but at some point, I do worry that he might try and do things while I am gone.  At this time, I flip all of the breakers for the power tool circuits and I am comfortable with this solution now, however, as he gets older and might understand why I am opening and closing that grey panel, I am looking for some more control of when things run.  Are you guys aware of any solutions with new smart breakers ect that would allow more direct control over how and when circuits can have power?  I have looked online at square D's website and I am not finding a simple solution for this in terms of a retro fit solution on a standard electric panel.  It seems like a few smart breakers that are password protected would be a perfect solution.  Some of the tools have those yellow plastic inserts in the switch, but I was looking for something a little more elegant to control the power at the circuit level.  Benjamin and I often listen to the show after the lights go out for bed time, so if you can keep the jokes reasonably clean that will save me some explaining later for his mother.  Love the show and keep up the great work. Brad 2) Thanks for your podcast, I enjoy it tremendously and it is obvious that the three of you are really good friends! I recently saw a short Y.T. video from WWGOA/George Vondruska about a track saw guide rail set that can be adapted to almost any regular circular saw,  and provides accurate straight line cutting of sheet goods and dimensional lumber on a standard track rail.  (Please see the video on YT from WWGOA: "Benefits of a Track Saw | Woodworkers Guild of America ") It would appear that you can buy these track saw rails and adapter plate,  and if the instructions are followed correctly,  bolt your regular circular saw to a base that indexes on their track accurately and with repeatability for making straight cuts.  The purpose of this is to reduce the expense of buying a single purpose saw, when you already generally have one that can be used for this purpose. The adapter plate is bolted to your regular circular saw base with 4 bolts. (Which are supplied by True Trac), using a guide to index for square positioning of the saw onto the adapter plate.  The guide rail track is then trimmed perfectly using the saw, and performance at that point is identical to any other track saw. There are several video clips on YT about this track, and it's available on Amazon as well as direct from the manufacturer. It gets excellent reviews if you place any faith in them. I believe all 3 if you esteemed gentlemen already have either the Festool or Makita track saws & guide rails, so you are extremely knowledgeable and experienced with this type of device. Your thoughts,  please? Thanks again for your great service to the woodworking community. John Malcolm  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife This episode is sponsored by: Shaper Tools, makers of Shaper Origin Sean 1)Hey guys, Thanks for all of the knowledge you guys pass on over this platform, it’s great being able to learn from others more well versed in woodworking than myself, especially when it seems that serious hobbyists are few and far between where I’m at. My question is about shellac, which it seems you guys talk about every  other, if not every, episode. Because I live in California, denatured alcohol cannot be purchased, even through Amazon. I’ve heard of people using Everclear as a substitute for denatured alcohol, but as research shows, everclear looks to be banned in California as well. What else can I use to dissolve these shellac flaked ?? Thanks again for the sick content, Tyler 2) Before I ask my question, I just wanted to thank you for your feedback on my last project. The advice you gave me about the box I was working on was perfect. Thank you! Hoping to get your input again. I have about $1,500 to spend on a bandsaw. Resawing is the priority. Bang for the buck is important, but in this case I could be convinced to set aside another couple hundred or so since I think that the "buy once, cry once" approach could be worth it. If I remember correctly, Guy has a Powermatic, and I remember seeing Sean's YouTube video about the Hammer. Not sure what Huy has. Regardless, I'm very interested in your thoughts, whether you like what you have, and whether there are other options that I should consider. Thanks again for a great podcast and for being so generous with your experience. I'm a big fan. Keep them coming! John   Guy 1) What is the most challenging project you've ever completed? What made it challenging? How did you approach the problem-solving required to overcome the challenge? Help us listeners get "in your shoes" and learn from your approach to tackling challenges in woodworking by providing a specific example from your experience. Thanks for all the insights you continue to share on the best woodworking podcast in the universe! From the other side of the wall, Brian Schmidt 2)You all are an inspiration to me and have always given honest legitimate answers to thousands of questions through the years for so many folks. I’d like to know who  was an inspiration to you as you were growing as a craftsman? Especially Guy since he came up in the trade before the internet and social media. Secondary question if you had the chance to meet or learn from one craftsman, who would that be? Brent Jarvis   Huy 1)Kind sirs- After my last couple of diatribes I'll endeavor to keep this question brief. My wife is a lovely, patient woman and for Valentine's Day I would love to make a pair of nightstands she's been hinting at for a while. Of course, I would have needed to start those two months ago to have any chance at making February 14th. But maybe for next year, with your help. I'll be making these out of some walnut scavenged from the power company clearing lines. I took two roughly 18" long x 24" diameter logs, and hand-ripped them into rough parts (1" panels, 2" leg stock) about 18 months ago with this in mind, they've been air-drying since. My conundrum is that these logs are from BRANCHES - the actual tree, still standing, is about 6' in diameter. So for nightstands, wanting a roughly 16" x 22" top, though my inclination is to use the nicest "slabs," maybe get a little sap wood in there, my gut tells me that will look nice for a year and then end up like Sean's cherry table panels, especially because they're air-dried.  In your esteemed opinions, should I further rip the slabs into dimensional lumber and then glue up panels for construction? Aesthetically, I could probably use some "traditional" furniture, my wife says the house looks like the Keebler elf village already, we have a 14' long 4" thick live edge mantle, all maple trim with walnut plugs, and I use interesting off-cuts to trim windows. That was brief, for me. Thanks Tom 2) Thank you so much for taking the time every two weeks to produce this outstanding podcast, which I have thoroughly enjoyed, and have integrated many of your ideas and tips into building my shop and developing skills as a woodworker. I am in need of an outfeed table, and also a stable, dead flat assembly surface.  I think that Huy's "MO/AT" is a terrific solution, but I have a few questions. I know that the torsion box portion is based on Ron Paulk's popular workbench, which includes the dog holes (that I really want to utilize for clamps, etc.), and the interior storage space.  Also, the removable hardboard surface, with its reference dowels, is a great idea that requires access inside the box. However, I have watched torsion box build videos by Guy, Steve Johnson, Marc Spagnolo, and others, and their designs all differ in that they are thinner, and have a much denser array of "honeycomb" grid elements, which suggests to me a greater chance of remaining dead flat.  But of course, they do not allow for meaningful use of dog holes, or interior access. So I am looking for the best compromise design, one that allows the dog hole array and all of the clamping options, but also has the best longevity for staying flat.  Is there a best height, best grid layout configuration that I can aim for? I'm thinking that between you three engineers, the perfect solution will be forthcoming. Thank you, and please keep up this very much appreciated podcast! Best, Tom Stanley  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Guy 1)First I want to say fantastic podcast guys.  By far the best woodworking podcast out there.  I recently discovered the podcast and have binge listened to old past episodes while building the cabinets for our new home. We are building a new home with a shop / garage combo and I finally have the space to buy the tools that I have never had the space to own before.  Next up on my list is a drill press and trying to decide what size to get.  Bench top model vs floor model, size motor, features to look for, etc.  I build furniture and cabinets mostly but like pushing my creative side and making other odd things as well.   I want the best bang for the money but don’t mind spending a little extra to get what will be my lifetime drill press. Thanks for your help.  Keep up the good work.  Plan to be a long time listener but I didn’t buy a SawStop so I might die soon!  LOL. - Tom 2) My question is regarding learning more about design for my projects. Up to now most of my projects have been based on an existing design or product. I scroll Instagram, Pinterest, furniture store sites and find pieces similar to what I want and duplicate them or mash a few together to make my “own”. I’d like to start developing a design style of my own or pick a lane of design such as Mission or Greene and Greene and focus a little more on that. Can you recommend any books or authors to give me a better understanding of the popular design periods that speak to the elements, features, woods used and so on for the various periods of design to help pick one? I’d also be interested in any books that teach elements of a good design like proper proportions, and similar for furniture building so I can design and build a well balanced piece. There is so much it might be impossible to put it all in a book, but you all offer good insight to us listeners so I’d welcome whatever you have to offer of any recommendations you might have. Thanks all! Mike   Sean 1) Gents - Found your show mid way through a 22-hour drive into Mexico. Listening to you - particularly Guy- reminds me of the people and shops I visited while a board  member of the San Joaquin Fine Woodworking  club in California. Simple, not too fussy advice that is useful for those picking up the woodworking hobby or far into the deep end this avocation. Keep up the good work. You’ve spent a fair amount of time discussing the likes and dislikes of Waterlox. A recent project was a 42” x 78” patio table from 4/4 and 8/4 sapele. Legs are 5” square steel tube tapered and coped in a McIntosch style. As it would live outdoors, I opted to finish with Waterlox Marine Finish in gloss. Prep: Sand to 220 grit; vacuum and compressed air; wipe down with mineral spirits; apply Waterlox with a Jen foam brush. The first coat  was a disaster with dime size voids in the finish … as if the surface was waxed before the Waterlox went down.  I believe  the cause was the mineral spirits: I applied the finish about a half hour after after the wipe down … something I often do without issue with spar urethane. Subsequent coats went down fine after letting the piece off gas for four days. My thinking is the tung oil interacted with the residual solvent. Thoughts? Thanks - Craig P.S. Mentioned the foam brush brand because I’ve found it to be the only that rivals a high quality bristle brush for brush application 2)Hi guys, thanks for the podcast, really helpful info! Keep hearing your requests for more questions, so here are a few. You talked a lot about dust extraction recently. I've seen people claiming that by replacing the filter bag with a fine cartridge filter people have seen major improvements in the performance of their extractor units. Do you have any experience with these? Thanks for all the time you put in, love listening. Best wishes - Chris (UK based enthusiastic amateur)   Huy 1)Hi, long time listener that truly appreciates all of the wisdom and humor you have provided over the years in your great podcast. I have a couple design questions for a sofa and a pair of side tables I am making for my living room.  They are a pretty simple design that uses mortise and tenon joinery for the aprons and legs.  I use my router with a 1/4" bit to make the mortise, and the table saw with a dado blade to make the tenons.  The legs will be just under 2" from the thickest material I can get from my 8/4 stock and about 28" long.  The aprons will be 3/4"thick and 6" tall, they could be slightly thicker, they will come from 4/4 stock. I want to try my hand at piston fit drawers instead of using drawer slides.  How would you attach the inner structure that supports the drawers underneath and on the sides inside the table?  I don't have a domino or biscuit joiner.  I have never had good results with pieces attached with pocket holes staying in place during installation and I am afraid the slight movement will ruin the piston fit. Thank you. Julio 2)Gentlemen- Congratulations as you near your 100th episode, and well-deserved syndication riches. I'm about to complete my workbench of air dried black locust (top) and white oak (base). I am installing leg and twin screw tail vises. I will need to procure additional lumber for the thick components of both. I thought it might look nice to use some Walnut, but I can only get  12/4 kiln dried. I don't see a problem with the leg chop, it's attached with the vise hardware, but would dovetailing a kiln dried tail skirt onto an air dried laminated top would be asking for problems? Thank you for any advice or relevant anecdotes you may have. Tom    

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1)First off I want say how much I’ve enjoyed listening to your podcast over the past year or more.  With the right balance of instruction and interaction between the hosts, it’s both informative and entertaining. I’ve been woodworking for quite some time and I ran across something I never experienced before and was hoping you might have some insight.  I’m building a floor lamp with three curved legs as a base.  I made a template for the leg profile out of ¼ inch hardboard.  Using a straight pattern bit on my router table, I was able to easily create three legs out of ¾ plywood for my prototype.  Happy with the design I used the template to trace out the legs on some ¾ walnut.  I then rough cut out the legs on the band saw, leaving a 1/16inch of material outside of the line.  From there it was back to the router table where I attempted to flush cut the legs using the template and straight pattern bit. This gave me no trouble at all when routing the plywood prototype legs, but as soon as I carefully eased the walnut into the bit, it would immediately catch and tear out. I purchased a ¼ inch spiral flush trim bit and also used a starting pin but the results where the same. I continued to get bad catches and tear out no matter how carefully or slowly I went.  In all my years of woodworking, I’ve never run across anything like this. Any ideas on what I could do different? Terry 2) Hi guys and thanks again for making the ULTIMATE (remember that episode?) woodworking podcast, And by the way, thanks for answering my last question.  I live in Bergen, Norway and a small local timber merchant is selling Beech (I guess it is European beech) and Alder (again European alder I believe) at quite a reasonable price. Here in Norway poplar is not readily available. Given a choice between the two, which would you choose as a secondary wood (for drawers and parts that won't be seen)? And if you were to make furniture project wholly out of one of them, which would you choose? And of course, why? Both are rated as perishable. The beech is quite a lot harder according to the janka scale. 6460N vs. 2890N. The beech is supposedly superb for steam bending, but I have yet to get there in my skill set. And both seem to have quite good workability. I am not sure I appreciate the ray fleck look or the slightly yellow look on the beech that I have seen, but that may be fixed during finishing if the other attributes make it worth while. I have however, little experience with alder. Looking forward to your discussion on this. Sincerely, Gøran Eliassen Nomad Makes   Guy 1) Hey guys. My question is about pricing your woodworking and getting past imposter syndrome. I have recently started making some items for a group of dog breed enthusiasts and I have experienced a substantial growth in demand for items that fall much more into the "art" category than the "furniture" category. As a hobbyist woodworker,  I do not have a huge portfolio of work that I've sold, only a few items here and there. Moving forward, I plan on building into a more substantial business. I obviously want to price my work at what it's worth, but I can be very self conscious about my skills and tend to undervalue what I'm worth. I obviously want to sell as much as I can, but how do I sell my work at a value that gets its out into the world without setting a low bar price-wise for the future? I am my harshest critic. Joshua 2) Hey Guy(s)! Thankfully this question is not very time sensitive, so hopefully you can get to it before I need to take your answer(s) into consideration. My wife and I are in the process of redesigning our kitchen that is in need of a serious facelift. We plan on contracting out the plumbing and electrical and fortunately aren’t doing any structural modifications to the house itself. Our current debate involves the cabinetry. I’m a fairly competent woodworker and love a good challenge. Personally, I’d rather take the money we would pay a cabinet shop to build and install new cabinets and make some needed upgrades and additions to my own workshop to do them myself. I’m not a fan of raised panel designs so I’ll probably do more shaker style cabinets.  I have a Sawstop contractor saw, 14” bandsaw, 13” planer, basic router table, bench top drill press, and an older model Festool track saw, plus various other hand tools Considering I expect to save somewhere in the range of $5-10K by doing it myself, what additional tools would you recommend? As specific as you’d like to be would be great if you have machines you’ve been very happy with. Side note: we had to take down a large white oak in our back yard and I plan to have it milled up and kiln dried to continue its life on our property. Thanks for your time and your continued insight to help us all become better woodworkers! Shawn @terpax     Huy 1) Aloha Boys!  I have a question about managing humidity and rust in the workshop.  I live in Hawaii and have my workshop in a detached garage.  Most buildings here including my workshop have jaulosie style windows and I can't completely seal and temperature control my shop.  I am spraying or wiping down my larger tools with T-9  and other rust inhibitors,  but many of my other various tools and equipment are quickly rusting.     Outside of temperature controlling a shop, any other tips tricks or ideas? Are silicone gel packs a waste of money?   Would it be crazy to put rubber weather sealing on cabinet doors?  Mahalo boys, you are the best! Matt 2)Hey again, love the podcast and the advice you give. Recently you answered why I suck at hinges, and one reason mentioned was the cheap hardware I often use. This lead me to another thought. When do you buy the hardware for a project? Before you begin, or once it's all made? I tend to wait until after the project is made, and unfortunately that also means I sometimes struggle to find hardware that will work. I've been known to buy many different sets of hinges to take home and see how they look on a box, or even carried boxes into Rockler to try there. I've also ran into the issue of fit. I recently made a shoe-shine box, and when I planed the lumber, i just ran it through until I thought it looked good. I didn't measure at all. But when I went to buy hinges, the odd sizing left me with hinges that were either too big and stuck out, or not strong enough for the weight of the lid/shoe support. I ended up with external hinges that I didn't like, and 3 of them for strength, all because I didn't plan ahead. My wife likes it, but what does she know about design?  Peter  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Jolly good day Guy, Huy, and Sean. I've always found the imperfections in wood like knots, funky grain, and discoloration to be interesting. I have decided to try and start using them more as design aspects in my projects. I am tackling using a knot for the first time and other than "use epoxy" I am at a loss as to what brand, type and tints. There is a myriad of options. Any recommendations on products, methods and tints for an end table top knot in mixed clear/brown yellow birch? As always, thank you for sharing the knowledge! -  I want to Stabilize mostly, but I have heard that clear epoxy yellows. Should I tint darken to handle that? Daniel Stickman Woodworking 2) Thank you guys for everything you do with the podcast. My question for you is about table top flattening. My current situation is with a 42”x90” dining room table that went a little wonky during the glue up. A couple of the boards came out of alignment with the rest and so now the top is not flat. I know where I messed up and how to prevent this in the future, but I’m wondering what your suggestions would be to flatten a top of this size back to everything being even. I am currently using my router sled to do this and it is very time consuming. Thank you  in advance for you answers. Sincerely, David Glowacki 3)Hey guys.  I love the podcast.  I learn something new from each episode.  Thank you for answering my question and all the hard work you put into your tube and podcast. I'm currently working very hard to increase my brand recognition to try and make wood working a full time thing.  I know none of you have your own "Full time woodworking gig". and I feel that is a choice. It seems like you guys could break out full time.  Any advice on how to increase my reach to people to start bringing in more business would be super appreciated.  Scott Bonin @tomrarwoodworks   Huy 1) Thank you for the great podcast!  I listen to it all the time and get so much out of it!  I just recieved a free delta unisaw with sliding table.  Two question on this table saw: 1: This saw does not have a riving/splitter.  Thoughts on adding one?? 2: I want to rebuild my shop around this saw.  Right now my table simply butts to my work bench which is also my out feed table. I would like to attach the bench/outfeed table to the saw but the floor is not level.  (garages shop). Would you build to level?  ie, level the saw and build everything to that plane or build to square with the floor.  Great pod cast! Great people!  GREATEST INFO! Scott 2) Hi folks - I am moving in the next year, and am hopeful that I can sell many of my current stationary tools and move up to some used industrial-scale equipment. However, I have never purchased equipment that I couldn’t transport myself or simply have dropped off with lift gate service. I am interested to hear any advice regarding the transportation of large tools back to the shop after winning them at auction far from home (for example). I love my Toyota Tacoma but I’d be limited to picking up one tool at a time, which would be a real scheduling nightmare. Does one hire riggers to load a truck, have the truck driven to one’s own place, and hire riggers to get the stuff off the truck? I don’t have a forklift or anything like that (yet), and as much as I would love to I would rather direct my funds at tools vs material handling equipment. I am simply an enthusiastic amateur looking to get into large equipment for both the fun and the machines’ capacity. Andrew 3) The amount of information you all have given to the community has helped out so many folks and I’d like to say thank you for your knowledge and dedication. My question is in the concerns of a L fence. I have been hearing about them lately and would like to know if any of you have used one. From what I have seen and understand is it increases the safety of making certain cuts. Could you help us understand what an L fence is and if it’s worth making. Again, thank you all for the information you have given to us all. Brent Jarvis Clean Cut Woodworking  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Hey Guy,Huy,& Sean.  I just picked up a pair of Mitutoyo calipers.  I use a straight edge and feeler gauges to set up machines like my jointer.  Do you guys use precise tools like calipers,feeler gauges, and straight edges.  when your building furniture, it seems like they could be really useful.   All 3 of you have that engineering type of brain. (Huy being an actual engineer).  If you do use them in your furniture.  What do you use them for?  Or are tools like calipers overkill for woodworking. Cheers, Nate 2) When you bring a new tool into the shop do you find yourself using that tool as an excuse to rearrange your shop, even if it’s an upgrade from a tool you already have? I’ve found myself rearranging my entire workflow every time I introduce a new tool even if the one I’m upgrading one that’s been in a certain spot for years. I hope all has been well with you and your families. Please continue with the fantastic content! Thank you for your time. Brent Jarvis Clean Cut Woodworking   Huy 1) Hey my name is Mike from odd materials woodworks I have been really enjoying your podcast. I have been following all three of you for a while. Anyways in listening to some of your past podcasts you have discussed the mft with the flip up arm and how you don’t use it anymore.You just use a set of dog with the rail clip which I have been thinking of switching to. My question is how would you approach making repeatable cuts on an MFT style table? Thanks again Mike 2)What is your method for fixing drift when re-sawing with a fence on your bandsaw? Michael   Guy 1)Hi Guys, love the show and the chemistry between you guys, I'm fairly new in the woodworking world with previous experience as a finisher, now I moved to making my own furniture line. I have three questions for you guys: 1- Any tips for crosscutting plywood? 2- How do you guys keep the shop organized with the leftovers of material? 3- If budget weren't an issue what would you buy first a Festool Track Saw or a Sawstop Cabinet Saw?? (I mostly work with sheets of plywood) Thank you and keep up the good work, Karel   2) Hope this is a quick one for ya - I'm stumped on something and it's making me crazy.  I'm making cutting boards, I've got about 10 under my belt at this point.  Most of my quality priorities are improving nicely with time and experience but I have a problem with finishing; specifically grain that raises on my finished product shortly after the board gets put into use.  For context I'm talking about edge grain boards.  I get a great glue-up, scrape them down, finish plane, then onto sanding.  I take it to 180 all around, then I raise the grain.  I take that down with 220, then I raise it again.  I really thought that raising the grain twice, incrementally, would give me an extra level of redundancy against surface issues moving forward.  I finish with 320, then go with a generous treatment of mineral oil followed by the 4-1 oil/beeswax routine.  The "fuzziness" isn't across the entire board, but there's enough of it there to both mystify and frustrate me.  I really put a lot of work into these and I'm trying to get the highest quality that I can achieve.  Everyone expects a board to need care, but my gut says that sandpaper shouldn't be involved. What am I overlooking here?  Any assistance will be greatly appreciated; love the show, keep up the great work.  collin  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) I’ll save you the airtime by not mentioning how awesome y’all are and how awesome your podcast is because you already know that. If Huy and Sean didn’t know that already just ask Guy… he will talk for hours!  Hahah Two part question is… when contemplating buying a new tool do you let the space you have for that tool determine if you’ll be getting one over the other?  Also, when you bring a new tool into the shop do you find yourself using that tool as an excuse to rearrange your shop, even if it’s an upgrade from a tool you already have? I’ve found myself rearranging my entire workflow every time I introduce a new tool even if the one I’m upgrading one that’s been in a certain spot for years. I hope all has been well with you and your families. Please continue with the fantastic content! Thank you for your time. Brent Jarvis Clean Cut Woodworking 2) Hey fellas, I'm looking into a new drill press.  I'm looking to spend about 500$.  I noticed the rikon radial arm drill press is the same price as the standard drill press.  why wouldn't I buy the radial arm drill press?  Thanks Scott   Huy 1) Howdy from Madison, AL!  I’m pretty new to woodworking although  I have been building (and finally finished) our kitchen cabinets including 43 drawers!  Now I’m getting into ‘finer’ woodworking and am building a 2” thick (6’x4’ oval) walnut/maple kitchen table.  My question is about building a base for the table - any idea how to prototype the build so that I can see if the base will actually hold all the weight of the table?  I can build it in Sketchup but that really won’t tell me how much weight it will support… I also thought about building a ‘tulip’ style base as our home has very contemporary styling…  Adrian Abshire 2) First off, this MAY be a repeat (I’ve sent it to SOME podcast but who can keep them all straight ?). I’m making a high chair for a friend, which I hope to complete before the kid goes off to college, from box store mahogany so I’m thinking it’s sapele. I’d love suggestions on how to finish so it’s both durable and safe for a tiny human to gnaw on Jason   Guy 1) Hey guys I’ve been listening from the start. Awesome podcast and has been super informational so thank you for all you do. My question to you guys is, is it worth upgrading my dwelt 734 to a helical head or buy a new 735 four post and upgrade the head later on?(money reasons for later on) The 734 has worked great for my for about 3 years. My only complaint is the knives are crap. They don’t last very long. My question is it worth upgrading the old 734 Vs getting a new four post and upgrading later. It’s a better machine so maybe it will last longer in the end. Thank you for your time!  Mike 2) Hello. My brother-in-law’s house flooded during a recent hurricane. They have a heavy duty metal circular staircase that had carpet covered plywood stair treads that were trashed. I’ve made new stair treads with red oak and was planning to use Osmo to finish, but now they say they want them “dark”. What product would you recommend to both darken and seal that would hold up long-term to foot traffic. I’m thinking a stain with Osmo might eventually wear off leaving an uneven color. Thanks in advance, Mike Sibley Sibley Manor Woodworks  

Be back in a couple of weeks! 

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1)Hi all, Love learning from y’all, though your podcast has cost me a bit of money since I hear about some great things that I HAVE to buy! However, my spouse says that we are running out of room in our tiny 16.5 x 8.75 foot garage and has put their foot down on a thickness planer. They pretty much use a lathe and other machinery to help support their lathe work (benchtop bandsaw, sander, drill press, job site table saw), and have no stated need for a thickness planer. I am interested in moving more into furniture and cutting boards, so I thought a thickness planer, and possibly one day a jointer, would be helpful in my woodworking. I found plans for a jig that I could use my router on but didn’t know if this was a sufficient substitution. Have any of you used such a jig for planing and if so, how did you find it compares to the thickness planer? Also, do you have any suggestions to efficiently plane or joint wood without a planer or jointer? Thanks in advance for your help. Adrien 2) I see and hear people referring to how many hours they have in a particular project - 50 hours for this, 100 for that, etc. and so on.  More so for people doing commission work than just personal stuff, I guess, but it got me wondering... how do you generally figure the hours for a project?  Do you keep track of your shop time, or is it more of a 'best guess'?  Do you count stock prep?  Tool sharpening during the course of a project?  Building jigs necessary for the project? Time spent waiting between coats of finish?  How deep in the weeds do you go on this, and how does it differ between 'individual' projects that you do at home, vs. say projects done at work (in Guy's case)? Thanks! Monte 3) Two things. #1 – for the listeners… there seems to be only 58 Patreon members. This is a great resource and I hope more of them contribute, as $5/month is a bargain. #2 – for the gentlemen, can you please talk about when you do your edge details in relation to sanding. For example, if you’re doing a small chamfer with a block plane, I would think this happens after all sanding is complete. But if you’re looking to blend in a top and bottom roundover, I assume you do this before any sanding, but at the risk of losing some symmetry. Look forward to your thoughts on this topic.  Thanks, Glen   Guy 1) Hey guys, recently found love the show. I started at the beginning and am nearly caught up, but forgive me if this has been discussed already.  I'm planning to build my wife a very large craft desk/work area. She wants it to be 'U' shaped so she can rotate in place and complete each operation of her projects. Due to the shape and size, I naturally want to assemble this in a manner that it is easy to disassemble to allow for future relocation.   Aside from basic, but strategically located, screws or bolts for assembling each section to one another, have you guys used any sort of "knockdown" hardware.  I have used connector bolts on cheap throw-away furniture pieces before, but not on pieces that I have built.  I can foresee some difficulty in accurately locating the various holes to be drilled when using that type of system.  Any thoughts on products and/or approach for such an application? Ps. I have seen a couple of neat options using the Domino and Lamelo biscuit joiner. I have a Dewalt biscuit joiner, but neither of the two other tools are currently at my disposal.  Perhaps this is my excuse to invest in the Domino? Thanks and keep up the good work!  Jason 2)Hey guys.  I really enjoy the podcast.  Thanks for sharing your expertise with the woodworking world. I've decided to upgrade my sharpening media by moving away from Norton water stones and purchasing two of the DMT Duo Sharp diamond plates (220/325 mesh and 600/1200 mesh) and the 6000 grit Shapton Glass Stone for final honing.  It's my understanding the ceramic on the glass stone will require flattening but not nearly as often as the Norton stones which I flatten after every use.  Can you tell me how to best determine when my 6000 grit glass stone will need flattening especially since it will be used primarily only for final honing?  Also, can the DMT diamond plates be used for flattening the glass stone?  If so, which grit/mesh do you recommend.  Thanks again and keep up the great work.  Jack Francis - Geneva IL 3) Question mainly for Guy: ive heard you talk about your love for the Incra 5000 many times. I have one myself for a few years. One part i wanna pick your brain on is how you claim to be able to square it up in seconds. I will preface this by saying that i hope i am missing something in my own experience. But I find i still need to do 5 cut methods for mine every now and then because when the fence gets bumped... you can no longer trust the registration marks until its squared again. Aside from this, theres also so much play in the outer end of the fence before you lock it down so how do you ever truly trust the angle? I find myself only setting it to 90 and still occasionally find its misaligned. I wouldnt dare trust it for angles like 45 etc because of the play of the arm and the other factors. What am i doing wrong? (I have made sure everything is tight) - tree of life woodworking    

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1)  If I use the 1/3 rule for the tenons on the aprons, the tenons would be 1/4" thick if I use 3/4" stock.  Do you think this is thick enough for a side/sofa table that won't see much abuse?  2) Hey guys, love the podcast! I have been following Sean's box build and wanted to talk about box hinges. For side mount hinges, what's your preferred installation method that works every time? It's something I struggle with and would like some tips or tricks. Thanks, Deron   Guy 1) Thanks for the great podcast and answering a number of my questions in the past.  As with many of us I have a love hate relationship with finishing.  I have been using Shellac with a Rubber (I know Huy dislikes that term) using Guy's method of preparing and using.  I've recently tried hard wax oil (Odie's) which I like, but want to try spraying.  I have a Home Right Super Finish HVLP (ie CHEAP) Sprayer, can I use this for spraying Shellac?  I know recently Guy had mentioned that he pretty much just sprays shellac now.  If I do this would I prepare the ratio the same as I have been for rubbing?  Any tips or tricks you could share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Doug 2) To my question, how do you guys balance getting stuff done vs quality?  Is quality always important? Thanks again Liam   Huy 1) What is your favorite species of wood to work on with hand tools  and why? Michael 2) I want to make a bow front bedroom set (night stands, chest of drawers and dresser). I plan to make the draw fronts out of bending ply and 1/16 shop sawn veneer. I was considering sawing them out of 12/4 or 16/4 cherry but some of the drawers will be 10 inches tall and I’m concerned about the stability of the wood over time. After I bend and glue up the drawer fronts, How should I square up the ends so they are parallel plus have a flat on the back for the draw sides? Also, I usually hand cut dovetails when making drawers, since the fronts will basically be plywood, I am thinking this will be difficult. Is there another technique that you could suggest that would be strong, yet simple to make? Also, the dresser will be two drawers wide with a single bow (each drawer will have a half bow). Whatever technique I use to make the drawer fronts on the end tables and chest of drawers will need to be different for these drawers, how do you suggest I square up the ends and create a flat on the back for the dresser drawers? Mike  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Guy 1) Gentlemen- Enjoying, as always, the podcast. Especially with the recent addition of my questions, and your informative, insightful, and obviously thoroughly researched and considered thoughts on my quandaries. Onto my current woodworking-related predicament. I find myself both lacking a proper workbench, and having a surplus of black locust and white oak from my aforementioned shed project. My current workbench is a tall (40") dining room table- when it served as such, it came as set with stools, not chairs. From Bloomingdales. For $2600 f@CKING DOLLARS! IT'S MDF SCREWED TOGETHER! Who gets a tall dining room table as the only horizontal surface in a 400 square foot Manhattan apartment? My ex-wife. Because that makes sense and if it doesn't you are in the bad boy corner. Word of advice to your listeners - if your fiancée insists on haircuts that cost more than a Woodpeckers router lift, don't. Just don't and run and make up an excuse, but don't. Ever. 5 months of hard lessons right there. But I digress. I have enough black locust to make a 26" x 78" top at about 3.5" thick. My lumber dimensions range (rough, not nominal) from 4x4s to 2x10's. The only bench top dimension limited by the lumber is the thickness. I feel like I want a "girth-ier" bench. The legs are going to be 4x6 white oak with 2x6 stretchers and in the drawings the top looks out of proportion. I'm a big feller (6'4") and I generate a lot of force with my hand tool work. I don't want to bring the base dimensions down to suit the current possible top thickness. So do you think I should suck it up and go grab some more 2x6+ and get me a 6" thick top? The goal here is to get rid of all of this black locust - it's not good for woodworking, it's the best for outdoor building, but I want to get back to woodworking. But my parents, who live nearby, need a cathouse. The kind for sheltering an outdoor animal, not housing prostitutes. So I could potentially use the excess to make that impervious to the elements, and make my mom happy. Because apparently Jeff told her his little bitty feet get cold on the stone patio, and my dad built what looks like a homeless encampment out of tarps and pallets as a temporary shelter. But I digress. Tell your listeners to look @figurawoodwork on instagram they can see what I am talking about. I'm going to send you a pic direct so you don't have to dig around. Continue the superlative work, may your blades stay sharp, and your fences square. Tom 2)Hey, Thanks so much for the podcast! I have a delta contractor saw 36-725T2.  I'm very happy with the saw and it happens to line up with my work bench well.  The one thing I'm struggling with is, I feel the table is a little tall.  I need to really stain to look straight down on the blade to line up fine joiner cuts.  Such as diver tails and tenons.  I thought of lowering the saw but I like my bench height, and don't have room for an outfeed table and a bench. Which height is more important? Scott   Huy 1) Hey fellas! Love the podcast and the wealth of info you share. I’m building a dining room table out of old growth fir. I know it’s a bit silly to use such a soft wood for such a high traffic piece, but the wood came from a 12x12 post that was holding up part of my childhood home.   I’ve inset some brass pins and tubes in a flowing pattern on the table top and plan to finish it with Osmo oil ebony stain for colour to contrast the brass, but I’m stuck on what to do for an impact resistant top coat. Have any of you used a foam roller to roll on epoxy and build a couple of coats up? Would an epoxy with high solids be more durable than other more ‘tried and true’ finishes? The table is being gifted to my brother in law and they have a veeeery active toddler, so dents are inevitable but I’d like to protect it as best I can without doing an epoxy pour-over. Apologies if this question has been asked as I’m only on Ep 22! Thank you from Vancouver, BC - Bruce 2) Great podcast fellas, such a wealth of knowledge.  My question is about Sherwin Williams Hi-Build Precat Lacquer (low gloss white).  I’ve been spraying it thru my Fuji for a few years.  I know SW can tint it but I have a big assortment of trans tint dye.  Wondering if it works as well as SW tints.  Thanks David Morton ,Central Kentucky   Sean 1) As I sit here coughing and assuring everyone it isn't covid I just have lungs full of Sapele, I thought to myself... The woodshop life guys can maybe help me. I try my best to wear all my PPE but I often find myself choosing between lung protection and eye (and ultimately hand) protection. I have tried many different masks and   Eye protection but every time if I am wearing both the glasses fog up and I can't see so I take off the mask. What do you all wear or have you used to overcome this. I have seen the full face mask with Ac blowers but I can't spend 500 and need something economical Will  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) My question for you is regarding finishing. I have used an alcohol based dye and sealed it with shellac as ‘it sticks to everything and everything sticks to it’. I’m also using a water based poly over that. Specifically regarding the legs, they are an upside down ‘U’ shape or ‘A’ shape and I have them set up to brush on the poly. Would you finish the outward face and edges first, let dry and then flip to do the inner face (legs are laying flat on painters pyramids that are set up on top of the table saw). Or would you poly all sides at once and try to touch up finger marks as you go? If I were to spray the poly, what would be my order of operations (spray one side and all edges first or all sides at once). What about orientation of the table legs (lay flat/ stand them up/hang from a wire?) The poly I’m using is Zar Premium Finishes fast drying semi gloss. It says on the container ‘do not thin’ if spraying can I disregard this and add up to 10% water to lower the viscosity as I might with other finishes? Thank you so very much for such an in depth dive into this glorious craft. Bruce 2) Thanks for answering my last question on stickering new cherry boards in a horizontal rack. I did sticker them and they stayed stable but in the future I will probably not if they are kiln dried as I have limited space and need to maximize. I just completed a shaker end table with the cherry I had bought and realized when putting the top on that the painter's pyramids that I used to hold the top while I was applying the finish left dents in the top. I finished the top with a coat of BLO and then five coats of shellac. The finish looks great but the dents are ruining the look of the smooth top. I know you can steam the dents out but I am afraid to try this as I do not want to damage the finish. What are your thoughts or suggestions? Thanks again, Jim   Guy 1) Hi guys… I’m a truck driver and listen to your podcast allot. Guy,, do you still use your Incra TSLS fence? Why don’t we see more woodworkers using them? Even on YouTube the videos are years old. Your thoughts please. Brent 2) Name a tool that you have that you're not particularly happy with, but  for some reason have not upgraded, and give your reasons why you haven't bit the bullet and bought a better version of that tool?   Huy 1) Gentlemen- I [insert enthusiastic verb] your podcast, and think you all are etc..I have a...different...finishing question. I am about to complete a small timber framed shed. No fasteners used except 4 hurricane straps and nails for the roof deck. Guy you would hate your life here all the mortise and tenon joinery was cut by hand. The frame base, flooring, and siding are black locust, the rest of the beams are SPF. All locally sawn, and then transported on the roof of my Subaru. The roof is going to be a living moss roof (i have no lawn only moss on 4 acres). I went through the trouble of bookmatching the siding when I made it, and even though black locust will last 100 years outdoors, I would like to, as the kids say, "pop" the grain. Would you recommend any sort of oil-based finish? I know i would have to reapply periodically which isn't a problem, however sanding would be. I live about an hour outside of NYC, we have seasons. Any other info you need feel free to ask. Thanks. Tom 2)  I recently bought a combination machine (itech c300). It's a HUGE step up for me, and I'm worried about neglecting something because of my own ignorance. What would you say are requirements for servicing induction motors? Any other tips or tricks for someone who has just upgraded to a serious piece of kit for the first time?  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Recall an instance when you messed up at a critical step in a build. Then describe what you did to shake off the setback, and what if anything, you did to save the project? Michael 2) Hey guys, I have a question about “chasing the burr” when sharpening plane irons. I use a veritas mark II guide and get a great polish on my PM-V11 plane irons with a 12,000 grit Shapton stone. After the microbevel has a consistent sheen all the way across, I take the iron out of the guide and use the ruler trick to remove the burr. I’ve tried swiping back and forth just once all the way up to 7 or 8 times. Sometimes I can shave my forearm hairs at that point, but often have to go to a strop for a few passes before doing the ruler trick again on the 12,000 grit stone. Since I primarily use bevel up planes with differing blade angles, I’d really prefer not to have to use the strop because it’s hard for me to tell what angle I’m at when stropping freehand. Do you guys have any advice that can help me remove the burr without having to chase it? Damon   Huy 1) I’m moving to a new basement shop with no windows. My concern is about overhead lighting. Did you use program to help layout of design?  I’m working on tool and dust collector now. Also I’m leaning to 4’ LED at 5k color.  Suggestions?  Thanks, Chris Hough 2) My current project required extensive use of a tongue and groove bit set (specifically the Freud adjustable kit) to make siding and flooring. My next project is a set of cabinets for my laundry room (lowers, uppers, and a full-height pantry). Shaker-style, no profiles on the cope-and-stick frames. Is there any reason I shouldn't / can't use the T&G set to route the rails and stiles for the cabinet doors and frames, and should purchase a set with a more "refined" profile? I like the Freud kit, you can really dial in the fit, especially for veneered center panels, but all the cool kids on the interwebs seem to use specific, profiled bits. I should mention I saw Guy did a video with an adjustable set, but you know what they say - don't trust anyone over 40 (I'm 44). Regardless there are 3 of you, so death match over it or something. The cabinets will be made of hard maple which I know is a P.I.T.A. to work with and route cleanly, but I got a tree in the kiln and the T&G I just finished was over 1000 linear feet of Black Locust, so whatever I do will be relatively easy. Frame of reference - Huy, the Honey Locust you had a hard time on your daughter's...bassinet(?) with is 1580lbf Janka. Black Locust is 1700. Hard Maple - pffft only 1450. Cherry/Walnut right around 1000. Thanks for the advice. I'm starting on these in early December, so I'll probably use whatever answer you provide in early January (in case your recent requests for questions have resulted in a backlog). Thanks for keeping it real. Tom   Guy 1) I have a question about cleaning my 3 HP dust collector with dual canisters. I have the Grizz G0562 but I assume that the Jet, Powermatic and other brands similar models are maintained the same. How often, if ever, should I clean the canisters and how best to do that? I recently gave my shop the semiannual leaf blower clean and when I passed the blower in front of the canisters I saw a huge amount of fine dust drop down into the bag. I somewhat often spin the handle on top of the canister but that doesn't seem to release anything noticable. Thanks fellas, keep up the great work! Jeremy 2) Enjoy the podcast and this is the second time I’ve submitted a question.  You addressed my first question very well so let’s see if we can go 2 for 2. I hear you guys, especially Guy, touting the benefits of shellac.  I’m not feeling the love personally.  Now I don’t use flakes and mix my own which may be the problem.  I use the Zinzer product and brush it on.  I have trouble with uneven coats, some areas drying too fast keeping me from working with a wet edge.  Lots of runs and just generally uneven and ugly.  I hear you talking about spraying which I can do but haven’t tried that yet.  When spraying what do you use to clean the sprayer?  I’m using ammonia per instructions to clean my brushes but not thrilled with using it on the sprayer. Do I just need to start mixing my own to get a decent finish?  Also the Zinzer leaves too much of a glossy finish, how do I get more satin? Tom  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Huy 1) Gentlemen- Had two questions, figured I would break them into two missives to keep it organized. Again, thank you for podcast. What are some non-tool, non-woodworking-related "things" that make your time in the shop more enjoyable or productive? For example, for me, it might be my Sirius XM or Amazon Music subscriptions, pot, or the cage I keep my children in. Huy, in your old shop, maybe your mini-split. Do you have anything like that? If you say "blue tape" Mike Pekovich will eat your soul. Tom 2) I’m cutting a 7x5” opening into the countertop of a washer/dryer surround made of 3/4” walnut plywood, in order to access the water shut off if ever needed. Anyways, I’d ultimately like to figure out a way to cut the opening and reuse the off-cut piece as the new “lid” for the opening. I have a 1/8” spiral trim bit for my router and thought to plunge it down to begin the cut… then follow the template I made. I feel like there not a lot of room for error here… any suggestions for cutting openings in order to grain match and reuse the off-cut piece? Thanks! Chris     Guy 1) Hey guys, Figured I’d ask your opinion on shop ceiling heights.  I’ve been planning on building a new detached shop/garage next year.  My original design is a shed roof with an interior height of  12’ on the high side and 9’ on the low side.  But recently I’ve been thinking  maybe a gable roof with a dormer would be nice. Which could make room for a loft however the ceiling height would end  up around 9’ or 10’. Other than stacking lumber vertically, I don’t see the advantage of 12’ ceilings. Side note, I was planning on running some dust collection through the slab floor. Thanks as always, Jesse Beechland Furniture 2) I usually build cabinets with doors and drawers overlapping the face frame. However I would like to inset the drawers on a pair of Shaker style side tables that I am building. How much gap (1/16", 1/8" should I plan for between the drawers and face frame. Drawer face is just under 6" wide. I live in the Intermountain West and it remains pretty dry all year. After I get the position set, any tips to temporarily hold drawer faces in position on the drawers until I can install screws from the inside? Wild Horse Woodworking 3) I've gotten a couple requests from family members wanting some items with the "modern farmhouse" look - specifically rough-sawn boards for some of the 'show' faces.  Given that most of the tools in my shop were purchased with the intention of making wood nice and smooth and square... I was wondering if you have any tips/tricks for intentionally creating a rough-sawn look on boards. Thanks, Monte  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1)Wanted to start out by saying thank you for making my 30 min drive to and from work some of the most enjoyable and informative time of my day. My question is regarding lumber storage; I have a small one car garage shop that has a slight twist from the norm. Though it is a “garage” it is built over a basement and has a thick wooden floor. The basement space is unused and is connected to the basement of the house via a door. Do you guys think the atmospheric conditions in the basement would differ enough from the above garage space as to cause issues if I used it for my lumber storage area. My shop is well organized but pretty tight. I’ll have storage in the shop for smaller wood and I have a dedicated shelve system under my miter saw station to store all the parts for a single project minus larger sheet goods. I want to use the basement to keep 200-300 board feet to allow it to acclimatize to my shop. Side note, the basement space under the garage has a small garage door for lawnmower storage so air transfer will be similar to the garage above. I know Guy I’ll comment so here is the answer, no I don’t park my car over the basement on the wooden floor. Thanks guys and keep up the great work. Brian 2) Hey guys, love the podcast. You guy's, all, have jointer/planers with carbide cutter heads. What kind of finish are you getting with these? Is scraping or sanding still needed for a final finish, or are your parts ready for finish? Are these cutter heads, all they are cracked up to be? Ken   Guy 1) Thanks the great podcast!  I've been catching up on them recently; not quite all the way though.  Haven't heard Guy use 'specificity' for a while, so if you could see to that I'd appreciate it! ;) This question is about pocket hole joints and the need for glue - or not.  Given that pocket hole joints most commonly involve butt joints, i.e. short grain to long grain, is it really worth adding glue to the mix?  Part of me wonders whether with plywood having alternating grain direction to the layers might offset that a little?  I realize that it probably doesn't hurt anything in the long run, but it seems like it just makes everything more slippery and difficult to align. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks and keep up the good work, Monte 2) I'm interested in what you'd recommend for a beginner-friendly spray finish setup for occasional use on projects ranging from small boxes on up to possibly cabinets - if it's even feasible for one setup to cover that kind of range.  If not, what would you recommend for one vs. the other. Thanks and keep up the great work, Monte   Huy 1) So it seems every time I install hinges there is some issue with them, whether it's a lid not closing flush, a door that swings open, or spacing around a door not being consistent. I will qualify that I rarely if ever use "quality" hinges. I'm more likely to use home center or the cheaper Rockler/Woodcraft options. Can you give any advice on having the best success with hinges? Both by hand and using power tools, please. I consider myself a decent woodworker but this continues to be an issue for me. Peter 2) I have been binge listening to your podcasts for the last several weeks and I am loving it. I love the format (especially compared to the other podcasts out there). I have learned a lot from listening to you as a new wood worker. I finally found and went to a hardwood dealer near me and bought some beautiful 5/4 and 8/4cherry. I put it on my lumber rack to acclimate to my shop. They are on a Bora horizontal rack. Do you recommend sticking them to allow air flow all around or should I just  stack one on top of the other? I look forward to your next show and hopefully I make it. Thanks, Jim  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Can we talk about chisels? I know I need to get some in order to start inlaying, but I'm struggling to spot the differences (other than price) between chisels. I'm happy to sharpen my own before use. Bearing that in mind, what features should I look for? What do you each use? Why are some chisels SO expensive? Chris 2) I am Gøran from Nomad Makes on Youtube and Instagram. I am currently on my 3rd binge listen on the podcast and enjoy it immensely. I recently watched Sean’s video an making the William and Mary Highboy and noticed him using carbide tipped tools when turning. I know Guy has said he is not a very proficient turner. And Sean also asked the viewers to go easy in that video. However you guys turn very well for being «not proficient» and only turning occasionally. Which is why I thought you would be perfect for answering this question, as I really don’t turn that often either. Excluding a Tormek style grinder, since I don’t have the space. My shop is 132ft2 and I have crammed in a proper cabinet saw in that space. I am considering learning to sharpen the turning tools (gauges and all) by hand or getting some with replaceable carbide tips. What do you think would be the pros and cons? Note that I already own a normal (not carbide) roughing gouge and 5 more turning doohickeys. Thanks and keep up the good work. Cheers from Bergen, Norway.   Huy 1) My Dewalt 735 planer is occasionally having issues feeding my lumber through. There will be times where it stops feeding and I try to assist it through by pushing a little or pulling from the outfeed side, although that doesn’t feel the safest. It may stop 4 or 5 times in the course of one board. It will likely leave the board with black lines across the width of the board and sometimes cause divots where the planer ate up more wood than it should have. I assume this is an issue with the rollers on the inside. I try to get rid of extra wood chips in there (I am using a DC too) and I’ve also tried mineral spirits on the rollers. Do you guys have any solutions? Matthew 2) Hey Guy, Huy, and Sean, I recently picked up some used hand tools while on vacation on the northern coast of Maine. I picked up a 24” hand saw, a Stanley 78 rabbet plane, and a sharpening stone in a custom fit wooden box (not as nice as Sean’s sharpening station). The two sides of the sharpening some are labeled “fine” and “course”. How can I tell if they are oil stones or water stones, and if they are oil stones, what type of oil should I use? The stone looks to be mostly gray (that may just be residual steel) but might have a brown or reddish hue to them. Additional question, if they are oil stones and I use water will that cause damage? Same question if they are water stones and I use oil. Thank you for the best Woodworking podcast. Joshua   Guy 1) Hey Guys. Jig question for you: when do you decide on whether to keep a shop made jig or pitch it in the trash? I like saving jigs that I plan on using again but I’m starting to run out of wall space to hang them. Is there a category / type of jig that you’ll make over and over vs one where you’ll try to make it once to keep for years? Ben 2) Hi, thank you for the time you invest in this excellent podcast! I have a question about drawers and would like to invite you to tackle this subject quite broadly: what is  the type you usually install in fine furniture, in workshop furniture,... Can you give tips on how to fit them correctly? What is your favorite drawer construction method? I'm asking this question in this way because in the past year I made and installed two different cabinets (including drawers). On these builds I used a gripless push-to-open type mechanism. I’m pleased with it altough it was a bit of work to get the fronts lining up correctly. Since this build I realised this sort of work can be rather tricky and now I would like to hear your take on it! Thanks! Bart  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) How do you guys remove remove squeeze out on inside corners? Let’s assume that you forgot to do any prep work for squeeze out. Is the only option short repetitive tedious strokes with sandpaper and scrapers? It seems like any other  sanding options leave cross grain scratches. Blue bees woodworking 2)Hi guys - Watching YouTube videos I see more and more people using dust masks / breathing apparatus these days. As an old guy ( I'm even older than Guy ) this equipment  was never available or even thought of many years ago, perhaps we would slip on some safety glasses and call it quits. I must confess a lot of my pottering around in the shed is done with just a pair of thongs ( I think maybe in the US you call them flip flops) edit: I don't want you guys thinking I'm wandering around my shed in a g-string ( thong / thongs), translations between countries varies . (I live in Australia) Anyways these days I see people wearing breathing masks / filters/ respirators that start from a simple mouth covering such as a mask to outrageously looking respirators that look like something from a Star Wars movie set. Do you guys use breathing protection ? If so, which type and your thoughts behind your choices PS: I'm older than Guy and don't own a SawStop, please answer as soon as you can as my time on earth is limited Regards Geoff   Guy 1)I have a question regarding cutting and joining 2x 45 degree angles. My question mostly applies to using hardwood, not plywood and thicker stock, like 6/4 and 8/4 for things like a waterfall style table or bench. I have the FeStool tracksaw, which is what I’ve used to cut my 45s. I find that it’s pretty dialed in when I check the angle after the cut, but for some reason when I join the 2 45s it’s always a few degrees off from 90. For what it’s worth, I join the 45s w dominos. I’m just having difficulty getting a perfectly even/square joint. Don’t really know if it’s a clamping or cutting issue to be honest. Any suggestions on clamping or cutting that could Help w this issue? (I’m not opposed to making a table saw sled just for when cutting 45s, but that’s not really an option for larger pieces) - Byran 2) Hey guys, thanks for answering my last question, I thought I’d return with another! My question is about water based finishes and HVLP spraying. I’ve been looking at buying a Fuji sprayer but unsure if it’s suitable and also what stage to go for? I have a small shop and feel HVLP is the way to go although I’ve been advised to go for an airless system instead Mainly be spraying water based paint finishes, but again unsure if this is suitable with HVLP? Also use a lot of Polyx osmo oil, is this suitable to be sprayed? -Mike   Huy 1)For this question. I have a 4ft by 4ft bench.  You guessed.... 2x4 frame screwed and glued to 4x4 legs with 1 sheet of 23/32 ply wood (cut in half hence the 4x4 ft top) screwed down.  I did not glue the top.  My thought was i can change/flip them if one sides gets beat up. There is a slight crown in my bench top.  The center is a bit higher then the edges and the corners are lowest.  What are your suggestions on on flatting this out.  It become a problem mostly hand planing as the corner is lower, and the work piece tips up. Thank you, Scott 2) Hello fellas, this is Garrett Roberson from HMR Custom Woodcraft.  I have a question about building a 36" wide by 72" long wall hanging that will go up behind a dart board.  The customer wants something to hang on the wall behind a dart board to protect the drywall behind it.  I would like to make it hang from the wall so that they can change or move it in the future instead of permanently attaching it to the wall.  My plan is to use a 1/4" ply backing board, then make 6" wide x 1/2" thick panels out of walnut and lay it out in a herringbone pattern going 18" to either side from center.  Finally I plan to trim out around it to cover the ply and give it a more finished look.  What would be the best way to attach the panel pieces to the backing ply?  Should I glue up each piece, laminating it to the plywood?  Use pin nails and no glue?  Both?  Would it be best to paint the ply behind it and leave a slight gap or can I push them right up next to each other?  I just want to make sure I don't have any wood movement issues or things like that.  Any help you can give would be appreciated and keep up the great work. Garrett

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Huy 1) Hey guys.  This is definitely more of a "beginner" question, but can you elaborate on how you determine what speed setting to use on your router?  Does it change depending on the hardness of the wood?  Or the type of grain you're routing?  Or maybe the size or particular profile of the bit?  Whether you're routing in a router table or freehand?  Plunging versus edge work?  I own the DeWalt (DW618PKB) plunge router with speed setting 1-6.  I always leave it on 6 and never think twice about it.  But I'm wondering if I could get better results (less tear out, less burning) if I pay more attention to the speed setting?  Thank you for all the interesting information every week.  Thank you!  Matt @WoodMillerDesigns 2) Hey everyone! Love the show. Have heard you talk about shellac for an initial coat or 2 of finish, then topped with something else such as a water or oil based poly. I know an only shellac finish can have clouding issues if someone leaves a drink on the surface, ie drink rings. I know shellac also could dissolve if an alcoholic beverage was spilled and not cleaned quickly. My question is:  would you still have these issues if you did 1-2 coats of shellac and then several top coats of water or oil based poly?  Or does the poly topcoat eliminate these shellac drawbacks? Ron   Sean 1) Hey there great podcasters! Just wanted to say after you kindly answered my question about grey streaky raindrop trails in my water-based poly finish (your suggestion was that I was using waxed shellac) that I did check what shellac I had used. Sure enough, it was waxed bullseye shellac! I had a can of the sealcoat de-waxed that I had finished and must have picked up the regular, waxed stuff by mistake. (I know, I know, I should mix up my own...) Thanks so much for your excellent deduction and help! Not sure if you're still in dire need of questions, but if you are, I have one you could use: are any of you making woodworked holiday presents this year? If so, what are you thinking? If not, what's the best small, wood-based gifts you've made for people in the past? 2) Second, in a separate conversation, I said I sanded 80, 120, 180, 220. My boss sands 100, 120, 150, 220. (We both sand 320 after the first two layers of finish and 400 is any further sanding is needed.)  When he heard that I went from 120 to 180 he said "I don't skip grits." Which didn't make sense to me because he "skips" 180. It made me think about all the advice on sanding I've heard. I always heard "proceed through the grits, don't rush, don't skip grits." But rarely does anyone mention a specific grit besides where they stop (which can be anywhere from 220 to 400). So where do you start and what are all of the grits you use? Mike   Guy 1) Heyy-o! I am a new woodworker and in the process of trying to get my shop together so I can start making custom pieces.  I am also a new listener. My  biggest question that I have searched and searched for and cannot seem to find a satisfactory answer is: How do I decide what type(s) of wood I should use for a project? I know that there is hardwood and softwood, but which is which and how do I know which to use and when?? How do I know what types of wood are paint grade or stain grade, or just clear finish grade?  It seems like everyone just skips over this, and doesn't really explain the differences. Your help on this would be awesome and super beneficial! Thanks, Daniel 2) Hey Guys, Looking for some direction on Slab style kitchen doors. I’ve got a small kitchen, walk in pantry and laundry room that needs some cabinets. My wife wants smooth style modern doors so they are easy to clean and wipe down.  And she wants them painted. I’ve made plenty of frame and panel doors but curious how you guys would tackle the construction of these. Is it just as easy as cutting up a sheet of MDF or Plywood laminating some edging and spraying them? Or would you make stave cores? Other details. These are full overlay doors, I think the tallest door might be 36” tall in the laundry room. But everything else is standard heights and widths for a kitchen. Thanks guys keep up the good work!! Jessee  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) My question is a little out of the ordinary and is about the mental side of woodworking. I have a fast paced, high pressure job that requires a lot of my time. That being said it has allowed me the luxury of jumping into the hobby with both feet and get some really good tools right off the bat. Probably a bad idea what what the hell. Lol. The down side of the job is it limits my time in the shop and also makes it hard to transition into the mindset for woodworking. I have to multitask and move quickly at work, traits that don’t lend themselves well to the hobby. Do you guys ever have trouble slowing/calming down when you are in the shop?  And if so how do you combat this.Thanks, Brian Wilson. 2) I was surprised to hear Guy say he wasn’t a fan of parallel clamps (and instead preferred pipe clamps due to their clamping pressure). They seem to be standard issue for every woodworker I see. Can I ask you all to share any other overrated (or underrated) woodworking tools? Danny   Huy 1) Hello, I have upgraded my table saw to a 3HP Powermatic 66 and was looking at building an outfeed table but seeing wood prices lately,  I am just going to use my old 1 1/2 HP contractor as the "outfeed" table with both saws pushed back to back making sure the miter slots don't interfere with each other. I'm trying to decide on what blades to get for the 2 saws. I see the work you guys do, so I was wondering which blades you would keep installed. Both saws have router tables, so any dado would be done with a router bit. Thanks for all the great podcast, I have been listening since #1- keep up the great work! Travis 2) Hey guys, thanks for putting out such a great podcast! I have been binge listening to the older shows and have heard several discussions on dust collection. Most of them have been focused on connection a large  hose to a smaller dust port and not getting the full performance from this collection. I don’t have a dust collector, just a DeWalt shop vac. Would you saw that some dust collection is better than no dust collection at all? Working on getting a bandsaw that has a 4 inch port, used green (not the newer blue paint job) Rikon 10-315 12” deluxe, and dust collector would be the next purchase after that. Do you think it would be fine to at least use the shop vac to help, or is this a waste of time? Tim Preach   Guy 1) Hello guys and Guy.  Wondering if you could give any recommendations for a table saw blades.  I purchased the Forrest WW2 10" 40T blade back in May, however it is on backorder until November.  Is there another blade you recommend that would be easier to find and use for the time being?  I'm currently running the SawStop PCS 3 hp and just have the standard SawStop blade that came with the saw. Thanks, Paul 2) Hi guys. For a walnut kitchen table, would you use conversion varnish or Arm-r-seal? I can spray if need be. - Ken    

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) If I wanted to try my hand at veneering my own panels, what set up process do you recommend? This would be an attempt to do it without diving in and purchasing what I hear you guys talk about as a vacuum bag. Is it even possible to veneer my own panels without a vacuum bag? Matthew 2) Hey guys thanks for a great podcast and for answering questions from all of us.  I have a question about planers.  I am looking to upgrade my lunch box planer to something that is better than what I have now (ridgid 12.5").  I had a 15" planer years ago and am wondering if I "need" a large planer (15-20") or would something like the Dewalt 735 work just fine?  Thanks for your input. Troy   Guy 1) Thanks to you all for the wonderful podcast. Really enjoy the way you discuss our (sometimes dumb) questions with great care. I appended my question to an earlier message, but I don't think it got answered. (If it did, please just re-direct me?) I was finishing up a console made of red oak lately with a couple coats of shellac followed by 3-4 coats of Total Boat Water-Based Poly. Again and again, I'd put on a coat of the poly that looked completely smooth only to come back to what looked like dirty grey raindrops with long tails -- not the look I was going for my beautiful sandy red oak piece! I was using a foam brush to apply. I didn't see any of these trails when I was putting on the finish. And it happened on both horizontal and vertical surfaces I finished. Is this a well known problem with water-based poly? Is it my brushes? But most importantly, is there a way to avoid it? I loathed having to sand it back and reapply. Also, while you're at it, is it worse to finish things vertically rather than horizontally because it the finish might collect and drip down? Thank you for your thoughts! (Oh, and tell Guy that he never needs to apologize for giving his "opinion". Frequently, it's not just an opinion but a position arrived at from lots of expert observation!) Adam Potthast 2) Hey guys, thanks for always producing such great content. My question is about dovetails for beginners. I’ve never done dovetails before, but recently purchased the Leigh through dovetail jig TD330 and am eager to get going. What tips, tricks, and general words of wisdom would you give someone who is just starting to work with dovetails? I know that’s super open-ended so here are a couple specific questions to get the juices flowing- I see that this jig can be used with a handheld router or a router table. Do you have a preferred method when making your dovetails? I’ve also heard people say to buy extra material when starting to work with dovetails, but how much extra? If I’m making a box, should I plan to buy enough materials for 6 sides (basically giving myself 2 extra box sides in case of screw-ups)? Thanks again for all the great shows. I’ve learned so much from you guys and really appreciate it. Billy   Huy 1) Hey guys! Quick question - I like to resaw turning blanks to make small boxes and they often come covered in wax (or something). When I receive them, should I scrape off the wax immediately and let them acclimate to the shop? Or wait until I'm ready to mill them? Also, what's the best way to do that? I was thinking skim-cuts on the table saw. Thanks!! Dan 2) Which type of router would you suggest for fitting to a router table? I imagine that if I buy a plunge or fixed type and mount it to a table and I can always take it out and use it handheld etc but with a motor body I can leave it set up and just purchase a plunge type as well ( more tools is always a good thing) -Geoff  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Guy 1) I am looking to build a new bench that will serve many functions.  It would be an outfeed table, assembly bench, finish bench, and anything else I see fit to use it for.  I am very intrigued with the Ron Paulk Smart bench design and will most likely go that route.  The big question comes down to what type of hold down/ clamping surface is best.  I see lots of people do numerous T-tracks and use all the new style clamps designed for this, but on the other end is the numerous dog holes like an MFT top.  I do currently have a track saw that I use a fair amount to break down items too unwieldy to use on my small contractor table saw.  Which design do you think is better and why.  If you choose the dog holes design is there any preference on 3/4" holes vs 20mm holes?  Great podcast and keep up the great work. -Chris 2) This may be more of a question for Guy, specifically. I've heard him mention Trans Tint Dye multiple times on the show. As a hobbyist, I've used Minwax oil based stains for quite a while, but I'm starting to understand why Guy dislikes it. Could y'all explain a bit deeper how you use Trans Tint Dye? After a bit of research, it looks like it comes concentrated and should be diluted before use. Just trying to understand a bit more about the product as it seems preferable over oil based stains. Also, do any of you have any experience with any water based stains? And would you still prefer a water based dye over a water based stain? -Josh 3) Thanks for the great show. The question portion is a great help. We had a house built 4 years ago and the cabinet, doors, and drawers were sprayed with conversion varnish. The leftover product was left with us for touch up. I was under the impression that conversion varnish had a very short shelf life and would not keep but the painter said that as long as it was sealed it would be fine. Something recently fell against 2 of the drawers and damaged the fronts. I repaired the damage and tried doing the touch up with the leftover paint and a brush and it was not good. A friend sprayed it for me with his gun and they look great. The problem is that they have a glossy look that we can live with but they are also a bit tacky. They were sprayed 3 weeks ago and there is still a slight tackiness to them. Is the problem the fact that conversion varnish does not keep and is bad? Will  it cure  or should I strip it, go to Sherwin Williams, get a product they sell to the public, and redo them? Thanks -Bob Smith   Huy 1) Hey guys I purchased a L-Fence from Ben Brunik.  So far I’ve used it for long bevels.  Do any of you use a L-Fence in your workflow?  If you do what other procedures is it good for? Thanks guys -Nate 2) Hey guys! I am a huge fan of the show. I’ve been listening for a few months now and as a novice wood worker I’ve been learning a lot. I’m generally in my shop alone I’m looking to build out a first aid kit. I’ve got the basic tweezers and alcohol I use pretty regularly. But I feel like having a proper first aid kit would make sense around all of the blades I've got going. I’ve been looking at tourniquets, something I absolutely hope I never have to use but just trying to be on top of safety. Love to know if you guys keep something nearby like that just in case god forbid something were to happen. Thank you for the great show, stay well! -Mohamed 3) I’m a newish woodworker and noticed that it’s hard to gauge the actual difficulty level in potential projects (maybe youtubers just make it all look easy). What are some projects you would suggest beginners avoid until they establish a larger skill set? Any that look harder or easier than they actually are? Thanks for the podcast and covering so many nooks and crannies of the craft, certainly a better and more entertaining resource than the many Woodworker 101 books out there. Tyler  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1)Hi, I want to start using SketchUp and wondering if you guys had any tips on coming up to speed with the app? Did any of you take any training or know of some good video series? I'm fairly tech savvy, will be using Windows PC and Android devices. Thank you for your down to earth, real world views! By far the best podcast out there! Eric 2)Hello again, hope all is well. Perhaps this is somewhat of a tool true woodworkers would never use ,but I've always thought CNC machines are really cool and have always wanted to get one in my shop eventually to make custom signs, jigs, gifts and whatever more intricately detailed thing I couldn't do by hand. Have you guys ever used a CNC machine for anything at any point, or maybe more importantly, WOULD you ever use one? Why or why not? Keep up the great work with the podcast - Brendon.   Guy 1)Hey guys,  I'm working on building table tops for 4 or 5 pieces of living room furniture. I wanted to know if I should install something underneath the tops of the Coffee and console tables like 2 metal U channels to keep the tops flat? The coffee top will be about 4ft x 2ft and console top 2ft x 5 or 6ft. I'm using various hardwoods cut into long strips with different widths like a cutting board. My plan at the moment for the coffee top is to glue it up in 2 halves and use dowels to join the two. Also planning to use Z clips to secure the tops to the bases. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Matt in Alabama 2)I’ve tried making finger joints/box joints. I’ve bought the flat grind blades and used the common technique of making groove in a sled and then shifting the pieces over into the slot/shim that I’ve created. It starts out fine for boards less than 4”, but for boards greater than 4”, I can’t get them to fit just right. Either they won’t join together or they’re too loose. What am I doing wrong? I don’t want to have to remake the sled/jig, but will do so if it means I can get boards of any size to fit properly together? How do you guys go about making box joints? ChrisCustomWoodworks   Huy 1)I know it's best to plane, joint etc. with the grain (rubbing the cat from head to tail instead of tail to head). I have trouble determining which direction the grain is running. Any foolproof pointers? Thanks for the best woodworking podcast around! Great podcast - thanks for all the information! - Tim in North Carolina 2)Hi Guys from across the pond in the Uk! Love the podcast, the time in the shop is more enjoyable when I’m listening to you guys laugh and chat about your woodworking knowledge, it’s a great help and has answered so many of my questions already. I wanted to ask your advice on shaker cabinet doors. I make a lot of shaker doors for cabinets, alcove units and fitted wardrobes. The problem comes when painting. I don’t spray anything and use water based finishes. I use a water based wood primer undercoat and then a acrylic eggshell topcoat. I lay the doors flat and level on my bench, as soon as the first coat of undercoat goes on the door bows badly, it bows with the centre going away from you on the painted side. After about half an hour the undercoat has gone off enough for me to flip the door and paint the other side which then flattens the door back out but it sometimes doesn’t go back to what it should and also this just doesn’t feel great to me, with my straight edge the door is perfect after glue up/sanding but it’s never this good after painting. Any tips on what I could do/am missing when it comes to finishing these doors. Would love to hear from you guys and keep up the good work, love the show and keep producing great work! Thanks Mike @mgscarpentry  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1)Hi guys I'm in the market for a miter gauge for my table saw and really like the look of the Incra Miter 5000 but the cost over here in Australia is a bit on the high side ($700 plus postage). Ive started looking around at different manufacturers etc and the usual YouTube searching and I notice a lot of users using a miter gauge only as opposed to a sled with miter type options. Would you use a miter gauge only as opposed to a sled configuration. Thanks for the great podcast Geoff 2) I would like to make a assembly table top with dog holes just like the MFT basic. I already have an MFT table. Would it be possible to use my existing MFT table top as a template on a larger piece of 3/4 MDF? I was thinking of clamping it down somehow and pre drilling some holes and using my festool plunge router with a flush trim bit. Would this work and how would you do it with what kind of router bit? I see a lot of jigs made or bought online for this but if I already have a MFT table why not use it as a template - Anythony   Guy 1) Long-time podcast listener, thanks for the great content and helpful advice for woodworkers of all skill levels! I'm a few years into woodworking and have a 12 x 15 shop in my basement. No windows in the basement and my workshop is in the climate-controlled utility room with the finished basement just outside the workshop door. I make a variety of things such as boxes, crosses, shelves, trays, etc out of hardwoods, primarily walnut and curly maple. So far, my go-to finish has been a few coats of Shellac (Zinsser Sealcoat) finished with a coat of satin Arm-R-Seal. This finishing process can be a bit tedious, especially when making crosses and boxes that have lots of small crevices.  I'd love to settle on a finish that checks the following boxes: - Easy to apply - Isn't overly smelly, given my workshop location and lack of outside ventilation - Accentuates the beauty of the wood (e.g. highlights the figure in the curly maple, richness of color of the walnut). - Doesn't involve pre-finishing, if possible, as I'm lazy and often have some sanding and clean-up work to do after assembly. - Is quick from start to finish, as my workshop time is limited with 3 young kids and I want to spend as much of the shop time as possible making sawdust, not applying finish. - Easy to clean up. For example, I'd love to avoid spending 30 minutes cleaning a spray gun after using it. Also, I don't have a ton of space due to my Sawstop PCS 36" saw, router table, planer, drill press, etc. Should I keep with Shellac and Arm-R-Seal, or should I look at a spray option? And if a spray option, should I do an actual sprayer or buy rattle cans of finish? I'm open to recommendations. Thanks! Brian 2) Being 69 years old now, I find my reflexes, muscle control, eyesight etc. aren't quite as good as they used to be. Would it be, in your opinion, foolish to go to a SawStop table saw for the increased safety, when my Powermatic PM 2000 works fine. I realize there are other sources of hazards in the shop, but reducing one at the table saw is being considered. Thanks for the great podcast! Tim in North Carolina   Huy 1)Hi Guy, Huy, and Sean, love the podcast, I learn so much every episode. After only a year of woodworking, I've decided it's time to get my shop better organized. I'm going to start making a lumber cart, clamp racks, flip top tool stand, various storage cabinets, assembly table, etc. Most designs for these kinds of things call for plywood. But with plywood prices through the roof, I don't want to spend a ton of money on each thing. MDF prices are still high but seem a bit more reasonable. How can I determine when MDF can be substituted for plywood? And do you have any other tips for how to make shop furniture on the cheap with today's prices? Thanks, Matthew 2) Hey Guys, love your podcast; it’s one of the few woodworking podcasts out there that actually pushed me to be a better woodworker. Keep it coming. My question is this: I’m considering purchasing a dust extractor. I currently don’t any any Festool products, but I am considering the new Festool C15 dust extractor. (My budget doesn’t allow for the high prices of the other units with Bluetooth and since I dont own any other Festool products, I don’t see a reason to have any of the other units, but maybe someday). My current set up for my orbital sander, biscuit jointer, etc is a 4 gallon 5hp Dewalt shop vac with 90 CFM. I also have the vac and tools plugged into an I-socket auto switch which allows the vac to automatically turn on/off when I run my tools. I find that this set up does really well. With a price tag at $350, do you think it’s worth it in my situation to upgrade to a C15? What additional benefits do I gain from it that I don’t already have? - Scott  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Huy 1) When using a hold-down clamp to prevent wood movement -for example on the Incra 5000 crosscut sled, I find that often the wood moves veers slightly as I tighten the knob to hold the clamp against the workpiece. Have you experienced the same? If so, how do you deal with it? Would adding some sandpaper to the bed of the jig potentially create other accuracy issues, you think? Great podcast - thanks for all the information! - Tim in North Carolina 2) What tool or machine do you use for something it’s not necessarily  intended for? ( I wanna hear more than I use every tool as a hammer haha.) For example:  buiscuit joiners are intended to align two boards but people also use them to make slots for Z clips. Or table saws to make cove cuts instead of a shaper. Etc. ) I’m curious to hear if you guys have any neat tricks up your sleeve?  As always love the podcast and keep up the great work.  Nick   Sean 1)With increasingly limited space in my workshop, how do you decide what scraps to get rid of, and which to keep?  Mark 2) I really hope all has been well with you all. It has been a while since I have wasted your time with a question for the podcast. I mean, come on, we all know how the answers that were getting from this podcast are as spot on as much as the MSRP of a new car. Anywho, I was wondering if any of you use your woodworking tools for other materials other than wood. I have always been weary of using my table saw or bandsaw and such for cutting things like acrylic or even aluminum sheets. Since I have made the router sleds I have found myself more and more using my woodworking equipment to cut those two materials in particular. Now, I do not use my expensive woodworking blades for this purpose but I was just curious if any of you have used your equipment for different materials. Thanks a bunch for wasting your time to keep my interests peaked just enough to listen to every episode in hopes that one day I’ll learn something. Brent Jarvis Clean Cut Woodworking   Guy 1) I have a makita corded track saw that I've had for about 4 years. I don't have a table saw, so the track saw is probably my most used power tool, and I'm really relying on it to give me straight, finished cuts I can reference from. Recently I was cutting some Baltic birch for a jig where squareness of the panels is critical, so I was checking every cut afterwards. I found that my track saw was not cutting straight. I haven't put A ruler to it, but it might be 1/64 or maybe 1/32 out over 4 feet. I took everything apart, cleaned sawdust out of every nook, cleaned the grippy strips on the track, cleaned and waxed the top of the track, cleaned the blade, tightened the track snuggers. I checked the back edge of the track against my straight edge, and that appears straight.   Do you guys have any suggestions? The blade I have on it is more than 2 years old, so I ordered a new one. if that doesn't help, I can reach out to makita about how to check and adjust the blade for squareness relative to the track slot on the saw base. If none of that works, I'll probably order a 55 inch festool guide rail (Amazon reviews say they work interchangabley with the Makita saw).   Anyway, I find this very frustrating, but I'm glad to have a reason to write in! I love the show, thank you all! - Jonathan 2) I am going to be making a 72”w x 14”h x 14”d credenza with a mitered waterfall edge out of walnut with a finished thickness of 3/4”. (All four corners mitered) There will be 3-4 drawers in it.  My initial thoughts were to do it out of solid wood but I am now wondering if using walnut plywood would be a better choice as it is more stable than solid wood. I plan to use a domino to join my edges but not really sure how to account for wood movement on a large mitered box.  Love the podcast and have learned a lot from you guys, please keep it coming! Lindsey

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1)It seems that no matter what I try its hard to make great mitre cuts.  I have a sawstop with a Osborne mitre gauge,  an older radial arm saw (70's craftsman) that I've tried the broken fence technique on and I seem to still have trouble with mitres.  I do all kids of woodworking from segmented bowls (though rarely) to picture frames to simpler miters.  It always seems to have issues.  Is the solution the Kapex? if its really amazing (as the domino is) I'll spend the money but is there a better less costly solution?  You guys are awesome! thanks, Dan 2) My question is concerning marking gauges, a lot of suggested beginners kits include some sort of marking gauge. When watching youtube very rarely do you see a marking gauge, and even more rare is someone that is putting one to use. While I understand what a marking gauge is and how it functions, i don't see a place it in my workflow. Do you, gentlemen use marking gauges commonly in your workflow, and if you do when do you use them?   As a related question, do you guys use marking knives? I understand marking knives will give you more accurate results but again rarely do you see YouTubers using marking knives. -Jim   Guy 1) Gentlemen I greatly enjoy your podcast.  I have a question about stain.  I just finished a large dining table and like most other projects I’m very disappointed in how the finish turned out.  The table is red oak and I stained it a medium brown followed by three coats of General Finish   Armor Seal Satin    .   I don’t go cheap on stain, I forget the brand of stain but it was $35 per quart and was custom mixed at my lumber supplier.  Is there any tricks that you guys can recommend to get a more even end product?  The top is six boards that are different grain patterns so maybe I’m expecting too much. Also Guy I heard your comment a few episodes back about only using pipe clamps and kind of snickered but in gluing up this table top which is 7’ x 42” my Besseys couldn’t begin to compare with the old reliable pipe clamps.  I used dominoes for alignment purposes and it took a pretty good squeeze to pull everything together.  I’m a believer. -Tom 2) Hello again (you said you needed questions so submitting a second today) Like most woodworkers, I started out with pre-milled lumber at mostly 3/4 inch. Once I got a planer, I found myself often planing lumber down for aesthetic reasons. I make mostly smaller projects, and 3/4 is just too thick for my tastes. My question is, beyond looks, when do you worry about thickness choice? Is there a weight determiner, length of boards, etc. Ever made a mistake and went too thin to suffer later? As a slight followup, do you ever purposely buy thicker material with the anticipation of re-sawing over planing down (like from 3/4 to 1/2") and just wasting material? Peter          Huy 1) Hey guys, love listening to the podcast and was hoping you could help me out with a problem I ran into. I put a nice new glue line saw blade on my table saw and when I went to switch out the blade to my multi purpose, I physically can’t get the blade off the arbor. It is not the arbor nut, that was removed easily, it is the blade itself that is stuck on the arbor. Has this ever happened to any of you and what would be your solution. I have been thinking about heating up the blade to expand it off the arbor but wanted to see if you had any other options. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for the awesome podcast!! Seanvella designs 2) Hey guys, Have any of you taken a chance on wood species that are uncommon both in wood working and lumber yards. Their are many local species in my area (north Arkansas) that I could get, but wonder if people don't use them because there garbage or their just not good for commercial sales. Some of the trees are black gum, Osage, paw paw, pecan, cotton wood, dogwood  Tyler    

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Second question: This question is for Sean, mostly. I'm getting ready to make a blanket chest with frame-and-panel front, sides, and back, out of cherry and walnut, but the recipient wants the wood from a single source. So for the first time I'll be making the internal panels out of resawn cherry rather than plywood. I remember that you said you had a problem with trapped hardwood panels in a set of end tables (I think?) you made for your parents a while back. I can't quite find the episode, but I was wondering what how you would go about doing hardwood panels for a frame-and-panel cabinet now -- what would you do differently to keep the wood movement under control? Any tips for making thinner, 1/2 inch panels in general? Thank you all -- I love supporting such a great conversation. Adam 2) Hi guys! Another quick question - I'm making a small table and the base will be ash, ebonized with India ink. What would be a good choice for topcoat over the India ink? I was thinking of using a water-based poly, but it seems to "reactivate" the ink. Maybe shellac would be fine? Thanks!! Dan   Huy 1)I was recently setting up to rip 60 facets to create a hexagonal column that is 1.5 inches across the flats. I have a right tilting arbor on my table saw. With my rip fence on the right side of the blade the blade tilts toward the fence. This would mean the top facet would be cut with that geometry and the the work piece would be pinched against the fence. I could move the fence to the other side which would allow me to cut the bottom facet and the work piece would not be pinched against the fence. I have never ripped on the left side of my blade. I ultimately decided to do this on the bandsaw which worked fine.   This brought up the question as to which is the preferred tilt direction for the table saw? Do we need one of each or is one direction more useful than the other. I would like to know your thoughts about this.   Thanks,   Dave Pollatta Ontario, New York 2) I rarely hear mention of woods like Cumaru and Ipe for exterior use in articles, podcast or see it used by woodworkers I follow on social media, is there a reason? Weight and hardness Im sure factor into the decision as they can be difficult to work, but are they still worth a mention?   Guy 1) Question: I prefer 3/16” solid wood edge banding over the veneer, have to ask your opinion? Harder to install, but better I think. Glenn 2) Hey guys! First off, I have to say, glad to have fellow metalheads in the woodworking community! I wanted to follow up on something good ole' Guy said a while back about how he makes his own Danish Oil. Poly, BLO, and.... Naphtha? The Naphtha threw me for a loop seeing as how every YouTube video says to use Mineral Spirits. Well, I gave it a side-by-side test and yep, I liked Naphtha better! Good call! So, my question is, what other chemical tricks do you guys have up your sleeve? Anything out of the ordinary novice woodworkers may not know? I pretty much have one of each and only a little used from each. So I'm looking for inspiration! And lastly, we all hear the combustible chemicals need to be stored in a metal cabinet. Why? It'd have to cram in next to all my other wooden shop cabinets anyway. Keep up the great work! Paul  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Shop router table or store bought. Pros and cons -trszki 2) Hi guys, I'm curious as to whether you guys use metric or imperial. I'm thinking it makes sense to switch to using metric for fine woodworking. I'm curious your take, what you are using and if you are using metric how was the switch and what are your pointers on making the switch. Thanks and I love the podcast. Trent   Huy 1) I'm planning on replacing my melamine kitchen cabinet doors/drawer fronts with Shaker style I make. I'll be using Whiteside's Shaker Rail and Stile set in a router table and the doors/drawers will be painted.   I would like your opinion on material. I was thinking poplar for the rails and stiles and MDF for the panels.    Also, do you have a preference on type of hinges and brand? My  current plan is to use European style, using jigs for drilling and mounting. I've never used European hinges, so any tips would be greatly appreciated if you agree this is the way to go. 2) Good morning fella's.  I have a question about timing a unique finishing option when assembling an outdoor closet (used for storing shovels, rakes, etc.).  I'm making the closet out of white oak and it will be hanging off of the back of my brick outdoor fireplace.  Lately the internet cannot decide what to call the finish I want to use, so I'm just going to say that I want to do a burned/charred wood finish.  The question is, when to do it.  I want to do traditional mortise and tenon assembly where the bottom is mortised into the sides and the sides into the top.  Do I burn all the wood first then cut the joinery?  Do joinery first then burn while avoiding the joinery locations?  Or assemble the whole thing and burn as one piece?  Any help would be appreciated and keep up the great work. Garrett   Guy 1)Hi there, I’ve written in before and appreciate you answering my questions.  I have another question that I would love some guidance on. I was wondering if your had any tips on cleaning up glue squeeze out on inside corners. The majority of my work I’m using titebond 2 glue. Ive tried letting the glue gum up and scrape it, and also tried wiping it right away w a wet cloth.  The orbital sander doesn’t full clean out the inside corners, and sanding the corners by hand and the rest of the piece w an orbital sander tends to show a subtle difference in how those areas take the finish. Any tips would be a huge help. Thanks again, Bryan 2) Thanks for the best woodworking podcast on the web! I know it’s best to joint and turn “downhill” in regards to grain direction. How does one tell which end of a board was  closest to the top or bottom of the tree ?   Thanks again, Tim in North Carolina

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Do you sand inside surfaces before or after gluing dovetailed parts together? Sanding before = potentially changing the fit and sanding after = having to sand inside corners. TheRoaringWoodwork 2) Do you buy your hide glue or make it yourself? Leather by Dragonfly 3) Would you guys ever want to build a wooden bathtub? Keith   Guy 1) So I’m new to veneering. I finally purchased a vacuum pump and bag. I love the fact that you can arrange veneer  into different orientations to get the look that you desire. I want to make a modern credenza and want the grain to run in the same direction and match from the vertical carcass pieces to the horizontal carcass pieces. What’s the best method to ensure grain matches. Robert Couch 2) I recently got an old school desk and am planning to repair and refinish it so that my kids can use it. I'm starting to think about what kind of finish to use since it will obviously be getting some abuse, but I don't know a lot about finishes. I've just kept it simple and have always used Arm-R-Seal for my projects so far. I know finishes is a huge topic, but could you talk a bit about if certain kinds of finishes are better for pieces that you know will get abuse (e.g. desk, table) versus projects that are more accent pieces? Is it simply a matter of applying more coats to get a more durable finish or are certain types of finishes really better? Lastly, does the sheen (satin vs glossy) make a difference? Maybe nicks and dings wouldn't show as much with a satin sheen? Thanks in advance and keep up the great work. -Billy   Huy 1) After reading Bill Pentz’s website, my eyes have been opened as to the proper way of setting up a dust collection system. I’d like to run a 6” main run coming directly from my Oneida dust collector inlet. Pentz’s suggests maintaining the duct sizing and reducing right up until the tool. He also suggests keeping the ports as large as possible as well. However, almost all of my tools have a 4” port. For the bandsaw, it makes sense to have 4” ports since there are two of them (one right under the lower roller bearing and one in the lower cabinet). However, my table saw only has one 4” port. Wouldn’t it be better to increase the port size to 6” to get more airflow? Do you think it would be worth increasing the port size to 6”? For context, I have a SawStop 1.5hp PCS. Moser Woodcraft 2) I’m very new to woodworking. I have a modern chair piece that I’d like to build with lots of angles. I have it modelled out in SketchUp and everything looks great. However, when I start cutting the test pieces on the miter saw or on the table saw with a miter gauge, I can’t get the angles just right and I end up with small gaps. Everything will be joined with floating tenons. Are there any techniques or methods that might solve my gappy joint problem? All.Woodworking

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Great show guys. Been listening a while and I've heard them all. Thanks for sharing your experience. Hoping you can give me some ideas for potential workaround. I recently made a mitered box out of a nice piece of cherry, with continuous grain running around the sides. I rabbeted the inside edges of the top and the bottom and used those rabbets to seat in some 1/4 in. baltic birch plywood veneered with bubinga and wenge. I'm a relatively new woodworker but I think they turned out pretty nice. After the glue dried I noticed that I had slightly undersized one of the rebated panels on two of the ends. Maybe somewhere between a 32nd and a 64th. As this is on the outward face of the box, what are the alternatives for closing this gap? The rest of the box looks pretty nice, and I'm afraid to goof it up with a sloppy patch job. Any suggestions? Thanks again guys for the great work! - John 2)So I've been trying my hand at shellac, with mixed results. I've put a coat on some soft maple sanded to 220. I decided I didn't like it so I wanted to sand it off. After waiting several hours, while it looks dry and feels dry to the touch, when I sand it, it is clogging my sandpaper. I then tried waiting over night. Same results. Is this normal? Some details: it is a 2# cut of amber shellac flakes, freshly mixed with denatured alcohol, applied with a blue shop towel. Temps were in the low 60's to high 50's with humidity ~40-50%. Shellac flakes don't get old do they? Is it possible that the denatured alcohol doesn't have a high enough % of booze in it? I did buy it @ the big box store. -Mark   Huy 1) How would you get rid of bandsaw marks from thin shop made veneers, that are less that an eighth of an inch thick, but still come out with a consistent thickness. I don't have a drum sander, yet. Was thinking of a sled with the veneer stuck down with double sided tape in the planer. Just afraid it will explode under the planer knives. I've tried a hand plane, to no avail.  I have an old Inca,  Jointer/Planer with a Tersa head. Any help would be very cool. ps..Love the Podcast - Ken 2) Hey guys. I’m looking into buying a track saw along with corresponding work table. More specifically, the  . I’m hoping you all could give some insight when comparing and contrasting these two and whether the Kreg system, while more budget friendly, sacrifices quality or is lacking in any way. Love the show and look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks, Phil.   Guy 1) I have many slabs of 8/4 maple that have been air drying for a couple of years after I milled them. I know how you feel about slabs, but don't worry, I plan to dimension these to 6/4 and 10" wide with the aim to build a dining room table of approximately 8ft long by 40" wide. For legs, I'm thinking of the "panel" style that are situated about a quarter of the way in from each end. I'll use a cross beam between the two panel legs, but does the top panel require an apron or any additional underpinning or support structure?  Thanks for near 70 shows of insights. Glen 2)Hey guys - can you explain why tool companies produce / sell multiple tool brands?  The latest I’ve noticed is the South Bend tool line that Grizzly is distributing - it looks very similar to the Grizzly line of tools but with a new paint job. I’m sure they’re not the only company with this practice. What gives?  As a follow up, as someone only a few years into the hobby, which single brand would each of you select if you were starting a new shop (and I’m assuming Guy’s answer will be Powematic)?  Thanks for the episodes - really enjoy them - Mike

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Hi all, greetings from Australia. Love the show and appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge with people like me who are just starting out. I have a question about router dust collection. I have recently built a router table and am looking at the dust collection. I have a router lift and round body router installed I am waiting for the port to come for the fence dust collection, but have a question for under table dust collection. What do you recommend here? I have seen something from milescraft called a dust router 1501 that  has a router fence and router dust collection. Currently the router is mounted on a router lift which technically will sit inside a space covered by a door. Any advice welcome - Jamie 2) I just bought a new house with some property and it has A big detached 2 car garage that will be my new shop. I was planning to get a Laguna Fusion F2 to upgrade my dewalt jobsite tablesaw, but they are backordered until August. I can still find Sawstops in my area so it looks like I'll plop the extra money and save my life. At this point the 52 inch fence is only $100 more than the 36 inch In your opinion is the 52 worth the money and extra space or is the 36 big enough, I mostly build custom furniture but will be doing all the cabinets in the new house remodel, bathrooms and kitchen as well as bed frames, a master closet, building etc. So a mix of sheet goods and hardwood builds. I don't have a track saw, I use a circular saw with the bora NGX strait edge system to roughly break sheet goods now.   Thanks for the great show I learn so much.   Will @ Oleksy wood works   Guy 1)I have a question about Festool sanders.  I currently use a delwalt 5" random orbit sander that works well enough.  I have it hooked up to a shop vac that I run with a standard filter and a hepa filter at the same time.  This results in no dust coming out of the vacuum, and it gets most of the dust from sanding coming off the sander itself.  I still have to wipe down my work after sanding which I don't mind. I recently built a desk and had to sand vertical surfaces for the first time and was surprised at how much harder this was and how numb my hand was afterwards.  It was pretty miserable. I have the chance to upgrade to a Festool sander and I see several different used models for sale locally.  I was leaning towards the RO 125 because of its versatility but have read that it can be difficult to handle and can vibrate more in random orbit mode than the sanders specifically designed for random orbit sanding like the ETS. Will one of the Festool sanders actually leave a better finish than my dewalt?  If so, is it better to go with the RO 125 because of its versatility or will a dedicated random orbit sander have less vibration?  Will I see a difference in finish between the RO 125 and an ETS 125? I am somewhat new to woodworking but I am fortunate enough to have a well outfitted shop.  I have been working on smaller projects like boxes and shoe racks.  I'd like to get into building more desks, tables, cabinets, and doors.  I don't really strip or refinish furniture, so I may not have a need for the material removal capabilities of the RO 125? Thanks Julio 2)  Hello, I've been a fan of the podcast since the beginning and thought I'd finally submit a question. So, I plan to make one of those bath tub trays for my soon to be wife. It will be made with 1 inch thick purple heart wood with various little slots and grooves and routed out sections to place a wine glass, hold a phone or book, put a candle on that sort of thing. My question is what would the best finish be for something like this that is always going to be used on a bathtub and be exposed to water every time it's used even if it's only for short periods of time. I've basically only ever used typical stain and brush on poly/varnish for my projects, but wouldn't mind using a satin oil finish for the look. What do you guys think is the best finish for such a thing? Thanks - Brendon   Huy 1) Jonas from Germany here! Love the podcast and the wealth of Know-how you guys provide! Since you’ve been asking for questions, here is mine: I’ve been trying to wrap my head around wood movement in general and more specifically around keeping wood straight while still allowing for movement. I am in the midst of building my workbench right now and a couple of questions have come up. I know that wood moves mainly across its width. Is that still the case if you flip  a bunch of boards 90 degrees and glue their face sides together, as is often done for workbench tops? Not sure if that would mean that the top now moves mainly in its thickness or width. Also, If i wanted  to build my workbench more like a mft (but from solid wood)  with aprons on all sides and less like a traditional workbench.  What would I have to look out for regarding grain direction and wood movement? I guess the long sides/aprons  are not the problem as they Would be Long grain, just like the top. What about the short aprons? 2)  Hello  Guy, Huy and Sean. Over the summer I made one the nesting serving trays from a plan in Fine Woodworking. I used paste wax as my finish. It looked great and really brought out the character in the mahogany. Then I used it for it’s intended purpose on a camping trip. It was much more convenient than bringing the cooking ingredients from the camper to the grill, then I put the plates with the warm food on it to bring to the table. The heat melted the wax. Did I just ruin my piece by using wax as the only finish? Is there a way to remove it and put something more durable on like lacquer or shellac? Is there any finish that I could put over the wax if I fix the affected areas? If I have to remake it, I have enough mahogany left over, but I’m cheap and I ran out of waxed cotton threads for the handles... help me Wood shop life, you’re my only hope!! -Joshua

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Hey guys, I became a patron supporter a couple months ago and I really love the format of the podcast. I am a beginner woodworker who is in the process of acquiring more tools. I would like to start to resaw my own lumber from rough sawn. I was hoping to get your advice on what is the best bandsaw you all would recommend. If money was no object what would you recommend? Again, my main objective is to resawn Lumber and the number one challenge I’m facing in picking a machine is they are not on display at any of the usual stores, Woodcraft or Rockler. I appreciate your response in advance. Juan from Boston 2) Hey guys! Digging the podcast, keep up the good work. I have a question and curious how you guys would approach fixing tear out on a table top? I’ve got a ambrosia maple top I just glued up. And noticed a nice 1/2” x 1/2” wide chunk that’s  about a 1/16 to 1/8” deep right in the middle of the top. How would you fix it? Also you can’t flip the top, there another mark/divot that’s worse on the bottom side. Would you use a decorative inlay/ bow tie? Or try to hide it? Details: Top is 1.75” thick, I know a little heavy but gets a large chamfer on the underside. Overall it will be 40” wide by 7ft long. And I don’t have access to a wide belt sander. Thanks, Jesse   Huy 1) Hey guys! Great show! I have been having problems with raising and lowering the height of my table saw blade. I have a Grizzly 1023RLW. It is new from Grizzly, and have had it for about 6 months. My question is, what do you guys use as a lubricant for the moving parts? I cleaned everything good, and used grease. Like packing bearings grease. It works great for about a week, and then gets all packed with sawdust. Is there a better way? Thanks for the show, it has been a real help. Keep it up! Marc 2) Good day Sean, Huy and Guy.  Thank you for the podcast.  It is an excellent resource.  I prefer the french pronunciation of Guy, so in my world Huy and Guy rhyme which greatly increases my enjoyment of the podcast.  I recently got a 20" bandsaw for free.  It has a 3 phase motor right now.  Is there a compelling reason to purchase a phase convertor as opposed to a new motor?  They are in the same ballpark in terms of price--the motor being a bit more expensive.   It may be more difficult to find the motor with the proper mounting brackets and etc. but I would guess I can find it.  Is there a performance based reason to select one or the other?  (Huy should great insight on this as a rocket scientist which is a close cousin to an electrical engineer, right?) Thank you for any insight you may have. Darrick   Guy 1) So a bit of non woodworking question for you - I need some new music to listen to in the shop. What’s on your playlists right now? For the record, I don’t listen to music while I’m using anything with a blade or cutter, it’s too distracting. only when I’m sanding and finishing. Just sayin’. Thanks, Mark B 2) My shop is being constructed and I’m about to face the electrical decisions.  One decision I’m stuck on and could use some other input on is about the tools in the middle of the shop. I don’t like cords running across the floor to trip on, so I’m considering putting some outlets in the ceiling and having the cords come down with the dust collection run.  I’ll need 240 and 120 for the center tools.  Does this sound like a good idea?  Should I try to get something in floor instead?  This would add cost, but then think I would need to consider adding dust collection pipe as well to free up my head space.  My ceilings will be vaulted, so that brings another complication.  Just looking for thoughts from seasoned woodworkers. Brian

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Guy 1) Hey guys! I love the pod cast, ya'll really do a great job. My question is about radial arm saws. I have recently started selling tables on the side to try and make some extra cash. Right now I do pretty much all my cross cuts with my 10" Chicago Electric miter saw and I am tired of having to flip over anything wider then a 2×4 to cross cut. It seams that these radial arm saws are a dime a dozen on the market place apps and can be bought pretty cheap. How do they stack up to a sliding miter saw? I've really been thinking about giving one a shot just based on the $75 price tag. - Jimmy 2) Another question for you all. Every power tool I own seems to come with it's own set of tools - allen wrenches, different heads, attachments, maybe a spare cutter or bolt, etc. How do you organize these 'spare parts' in your shops to keep them handy when you need them, and help identify which of these things belong to which tools? Attach them to the tool somehow (with string? duct tape? magnets?) With hand power tools, keep the paraphernalia with the tool? The Ziploc bag method I'm using now seems so gauche. thanks for the great show Mark mlbettwoodworks   Sean 1)In a recent episode you discussed laminating two pieces of hardwood together and the need to offset grain directions to avoid warping. I’m building a simple, traditional writing desk (with a modern flare) and my plan is to accent the air dried walnut drawer fronts (5/8” thick) with an 1/8” piece of curly maple. I’ll be routing out the section to receive the maple taking the walnut thickness to about 3/8”. My plan at that point was to laminate the maple into place. Is this a situation where I should be concerned about movement? Do you think the lack of material thickness will minimize these potential issues? Any advice or input would be helpful.  I have sent a sketch photo to your IG page for reference. Cheers, Taylor (not Tyler) 2) I recently completed a build for two white oak desktops and, in my excitement to see how the grain would pop and without considering the ramifications of my actions, I threw on some mineral oil. Man, those desktops looked BEAUTIFUL. After applying just one coat, I realized I should've done some research. I'm still learning about finishing techniques and figured I could use mineral oil the same way as mineral spirits in this context. I quickly realized the gigantic mistake I had made. After spending some time on a few woodworking forums, it became clear that there's really nothing to do but lean into finishing these desktops with more coats of oil as no other finishes will properly adhere. However, I have seen some comments mentioning shellac as a possible option since shellac and mineral oil are used in combination for French polishing. This is not necessarily the look I'm going for but I'm wondering what you'd advise in this situation. PS I'd really like to avoid sanding it all down again. And its 10 degrees outside so I'm limited in chemical options if I have to open the garage doors for ventilation. Thank you guys for all you do. This podcast is always a huge help! Christina   Huy 1)I currently have my bandsaw (Rikon 10-326) set up for resaw with a 1/2" Woodslicer blade and its working great, but now I need to cut some curved workpieces. I only need to do a couple and then I would want to go back to the setup for resaw. I dread having to change the blade and set the guides for 1 cut, and then again for resaw, but I also don't want to distort or dull my resaw blade. Should I just use this blade for both jobs or is there a blade or configuration that works for general purpose to minimize the changing blades and guide setup? Dan 2) I have a question regarding drawer slides: I am just getting into cabinet making and am excited to slowly make cabinets for my shop. I am first working on a built-in of sorts in my house as part of a bathroom remodel. The built in faces out into the hallway and the back juts into the bathroom, it creates a nook for the toilet area. I made the carcass and have it installed in the wall so that the bathroom side of the project can continue. I plan to have two deep drawers on the bottom and then shelves with drawers above. I am a little unsure of how to properly size the drawer slides and would love to hear a discussion from you three on this subject. I ordered 21" undermount Blum softclose slides last fall when I was planning the project. Now that the carcass is made, the inside depth from front (frameless design) to back is 20 3/4". I see quite a bit online regarding how to install various drawer slides including different YouTube videos that you guys have but I am having trouble with the beginner step of learning how to size the drawer box and drawer slide properly. Do I buy a slide for the cabinet depth or for what my drawer box will be? I think the next available size down for a Blum slide is 18", will this be difficult to mount in my deeper carcass? Thanks guys, keep up the great content! Jeremy  

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1)Hey fellas. 2 questions for you Purely hypothetical- you can only have 1: table saw or track saw. And why? When sanding back, how far is back? Are you aiming for a perfectly flat surface? This is harder to achieve on open grain woods like oak, yes? Keep up the great show. Mark Aka Matt 2)I am finishing a large table, 10'x 5', and would like to use Shellac on it, then seal it with water based poly, specifically General Finishes High Performance Water based Satin. How important is it to keep a wet edge with the shellac? Since it dries so quickly, I can see some difficulty keeping a wet edge on a piece this big. If so, any advice on how to do that? On a test piece I've been using, the above mentioned poly is drying FAST. As in completely tack free in under 10 minutes. I'm working indoors in Central Ohio, with temp about 68, and low relative humidity, probably around 35-40%. Should I be concerned that the Poly is drying that fast? Will it cause any problems? Thanks  and keep up with the great show! MLBett WoodWorks   Huy 1) Good morning. I have a quick question about building a slab top hand tool bench. I was recently gifted a great 60”x20”x4.5” oak slab. I’ve read Chris’s book and would like to do a roubo style bench. My problem is my current shop is in the basement and I would eventually like to move to a new outbuilding shop down the road. What design ideas would you suggest for a sturdy base design that is functional but could eventually be broke down and moved them out back together? I was thinking sliding dovetails in the bottom of the slab then build a base to connect to that? I have no idea. 😂 appreciate the help. Cheers, Garrett 2)New Patreon supporter here. Love the show. Love you Huy! Love you Sean! Kind of like you, Guy! HA! (Why is he so cranky?!) I'm a garage hobbyist who loves to work in the shop as a getaway from real life. Generally speaking I'm a neat freak and the dust in my garage makes me crazy. I'm currently using a 2HP Harbor Freight Dust Collector with Dust Deputy XL and Wynn filter. I've got a combination of PVC piping and flex hose to my tools. The PVC joints are taped together but not glued. I try to keep the wynn filter blown out and have even taped the top of my plastic bag to the metal housing for a better seal. Every time I turn the collector on I get a ton of fine dust in the air. It covers everything in the shop and even gets to the point of looking a little foggy. I intend to get an air cleaner (or just some box fans) but I can't imagine that it will take care of all the dust. I don't know what to do. I'm considering the Oneida Supercell because it seems totally self contained with no exposed filter or bag, but that's a big purchase for a hobbyist. I see shops that look spotless online. Is having a dustless shop really possible? Is there anything you suggest I look at in my current system to minimize the dust?  Thanks for all you do for the woodworking community and Guy, please cheer up. Thanks- Ben in North Carolina   Guy 1)Good day gentlemen. Great information but let's jump right in and not boost your egos more than necessary :) My wife and I built a custom house in 2020 which somehow has a master closet that is only 50sqft smaller than my woodshop. Can you help me understand how I allowed this to happen? Ok kidding, I am grateful to have my own shop space but I would like your thoughts on using pre-finished plywood for making built-ins for said closet. It will be a huge project and the thought of spraying latex or a pre-cat lacquer on that many cabinets sounds daunting. The built-ins will be some shade of white with lower drawer banks and upper open shelving/hanging areas. On the lower sections, I can use UV finished ply as the interior will not need to be white but can I get custom colors for the open uppers? If I go the route of using pre-finished ply then all joinery will need to be concealed and I would likely need to purchase a system for this. The Lamello p-system looks slick but a hefty investment. What system would you choose for this application? Thank you for your input, Chris Olsen 2) Hey fellas, when starting a clamp collection, what size parallel and f style clamps do you use the most? My future projects include several cabinets for a wet bar, benches, coffee table, and maybe a round dining room table. Thanks for the help! - Chris

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife   Sean 1) Hey fellas. So I’m having some trouble getting nice glue lines when I’m edge jointing long boards (6’+). I’m building a table top (72”x36”) out of hard maple.  How particular are each of you when building table tops? Should the glue joints be flush off the jointer? Do you massage them with a hand plane? Are small gaps ok as long as they close up with a bit of clamping pressure? I have checked, rechecked and rerechecked my jointer and it seems dialed in so I’m pretty sure this is user error. Thoughts on using a magnetic feather board on the infeed side of the jointer to help with stability? Love the show - keep it coming! Mark MLBettWoodWorks 2) Hey guys I have a question/conversation. Just wanted to get your guys thoughts on the topic of the expense of woodworking as a hobby. I feel a lot of woodworking influencers I guess you’d call them are afraid to actually talk about the real cost of woodworking. I feel it’s taboo or something. If your someone who is cheap or doesn’t have the means I don’t think this is the hobby for you. Things like having a climate controlled shop. Having proper dust collection. Having all the proper 220 installed in your shop. Then having the right tools to do each operation. I dunno I guess I’m just blunt about it. If you wanna do this hobby right and also safely it’s a lot of money. Just wondering your thoughts   Nathaniel   Guy 1) Thanks for the best woodworking podcast around! It's so good to have a podcast that's all relevant information and without the hosts' constant snickering among themselves, as if they think that's entertaining. Here's a question regarding pocket hole joinery: When assembling cabinets for my shop, and other projects using pocket screws, I often end up with the parts sliding out of alignment as the screws are installed. I have and use the Kreg clamp that has the pin that goes in one of the pocket screw holes, but still often end up with the parts slightly misaligned. I'm considering driving a couple pin nails before driving the screws. Any other ideas that won't leave telltale (albeit small) holes that have to be dealt with? Thanks again for the great format! Tim 2) Hey guys, I’ve been pondering the idea of adding a second smaller dust collector to my shop instead of upgrading to a 3 hp system fully piped to each machine. Currently I’m in a small basement shop that’s about 400 square foot. I have a HF dust collector with a cyclone and filter. I’ve piped it with 4” to the table saw, jointer, planer and miter saw.  It’s not the best but it gets most of the chips from the planner and struggles with the other machines.   My thought was to add a wall mounted dust collector to the table saw and the miter saw. Then leave the planer and jointer hooked up to the cycle dust collector. Curious how much of a difference a larger dust collector fully piped would make.   Thanks, Jesse   Huy 1) Hey Guys...Wondering if you could give us opinion of the Festool domino machine. Any tips and tricks you may have figured out? Can the cutters be resharpened? What size domino do you mainly use? Do you make your own dominoes vs. buying them? Just curious. - Dale 2) Hello gentlemen. First, thanks for your input w/r/t my belt sander question. I did keep it, and it saved me a bunch of elbow grease on an epoxy project. I’m kicking around the idea of installing a wood floor in my shop which is a 2 car garage with a concrete floor.  I would frame it with 2x4 with plywood on top of  those right over the concrete. Benefits include : - easier on my feet - save the edges of my dropped tools - be able to run electric & dust collection, among others. I can’t seem to find any drawbacks outside of the cost. What am I missing? For the record no cars park inside, and I do have large stationary tools including a table saw, 6” jointer, bandsaw etc. weight considerations? Should I use 2x6 instead? What about moisture possibly wicking up through the concrete? Thanks for the input and the great podcast. Mark Bett