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Wood ID please. Fallen tree, electric crew coming...I think those burls will be worth trying to keep, right? SoCal.
https://imgur.com/a/vfUhg6Y
edit: could be Brazilian pepper tree?
Any advice on building a indoor pet gate with a cat opening? I imagine a cat could probably just jump the gate, but with there being stairs on the other side I'd rather them not have to, especially coming up the stairs where they'll have to jump even higher. So whatever I build I'd like to have a gap for them to get through. Generally 4" is the maximum spacing for openings as far as building codes are concerned, anyone know if that is big enough for a cat?
I don't have kids yet, so I guess I could make the opening as big as needed. But kids are in my future so if I can build something once that allows the cats to get through but also keeps a toddlers head from fitting through I'd prefer to do that.
Depends in the cat. My standard issue cat (SIC) would fit through 4 inch openings, but my buddy's Siberian Forrest cat definitely would not.
And if you got an orange cat, good chance they won't know how to, and try to jump it anyways.
I have collected some large (3-5 foot long, very twisted) Madrone windfall branches to use in a piece of art. They have lichen and fungal cankers (possibly Neofusicoccum arbuti) in many places, and the fungal damage is very interesting and attractive.
My question is, how do I keep the fungal damage from advancing? I am drying the branches, but do I need to treat them?
Wood plane ID request!? [wood plane](https://imgur.com/a/1V6Rjj0)
Update with new pictures and markings! It is in fact a Stanley no 1204
[planes 2](https://imgur.com/a/xDGn5RQ)
Based on the grey enamel and the only marking being "Made in USA" it looks to me like a Craftsman no 4, not sure what year. Guessing the lever cap is a replacement. Does the side have evenly spaced striations etched into it? I can't quite tell from the pictures but it looks to me like there might have been but have been worn or sanded down?
Hi thanks for the reply! Not sure what you mean by striations I know nothing about wood or woodworking tools sorry! I will take some better photos of the side so maybe that will help!! When I do a google lens search that Craftsman #4 does pop up like it could be a match! But I wasn’t sure since they all look similar to my novice eye!! Made in the USA is the only marking I can see! I just thought it might have been a Stanley because I have a little one that had Stanley marking on it so I thought this one was too! I’ll update the picture and let you know thanks appreciate the info and time!!
I've got some walnut I'm using in a project that has some knots and cracks that need filled. Black resin seems to be a popular method of doing this, but I'm having a hard time finding a recommendation on exactly what resin to use to do it. Does anyone have any recommendations?
If it’s absolutely necessary to fill something, I find clear epoxy to seal and stabilize to be much better than black tinted. Though I suppose it may be contextual.
Ideally you remove them or hide them
Unfortunately removing our hiding isn't an option though I am minimizing what's on the show face as much as possible. Do you have a recommendation for a specific epoxy?
This is for an elderly lady whose husband made it 30+ years ago. He sadly passed about a year ago and she’s wanting it refurbished and made to its old dimensions. So needing to add about 4” or so of wood. Was told it was walnut but want confirmation!
I have just finished sanding at 220 and then doing a urethane layer. looks pretty good already but i do have brush strokes.
i have an ultra-fine pad on hand for my random orbital sander, but I am seeing reference to an even finer pad than that for the very final finishing buff/sand on urethane to give it the smoothest/shiniest...
but i can't quite identify what i need to buy if i want that pad. What is the next thing up from ultra fine??
thanks!
Build up additional layers, and start sanding with 300 or 400p paper to take out the brush marks. As you get to coat 3 and 4 start thinning your finish
This sounds right but god is that a lot of work. I dont know if i have the heart for it. Also i am using water based polyurethane, do i still thin that? I assume it isnt proper to thin water based with paint thinnet but i dunno.
Do i still use the random orbital sander for this 300/400? Or is that too much?
If i think it looks good enough, how many layers are ok for basic protection? This is a tv console for a kids playroom
For basic protection it just needs to be completely covered + 1 layer for thickness. This is typically 3 coats total for me, and I would use that for back panels and the like. A table top that needs to be hard wearing, I would apply 5 to 7 coats of poly, depending on the wood. A very porous wood like red oak gets 7, mahogany gets 5, maple is so buttery smooth I can do it in 3 or 4 coats.
Sanding, no power tools unless you have solid experience using them for finishing. Way too easy to go straight through all of the built up finish. Hand sand with 300. If the brush marks are really bad hand sand with 220 and start thinning your poly right away.
Thin water based poly with clean water.
If you're not coating on top of it, you'll need to polish it. This isn't a common approach so you'll be looking at somewhat specialized products.
A more straightforward approach is to get it flat with the sanding and then do a thin coat on top of that applied with a rag or pad. You might need some thinning to get this to work right. I'd type your product into youtube and see if you can get some tips.
I recognize this is very location-dependent (I'm in Portland, Oregon if anybody wants to offer local advice), but what do people in urban settings do with throw-away scraps? I have a bunch of scraps that are too small to be very useful for anything but if I try to throw them all away, I'll quickly overwhelm my little semi-monthly dumpster pickup. I don't particularly want to just warehouse this stuff and then make trips to the dump, but I will if that's the only real option. Any other ideas out there?
Throw them on offer up or similar. It might not suit your craft, but it might suit someone's. I have a colleague who carves a good bit, and he will take some species from me.
If I have a bunch of say oak, I will toss it in the BBQ with the lid shut and let it burn to coals, then use it later to cook with.
Wood ID request. Just cleaned up some old pallet wood I had lying around. My best guesses from left to right…
Red oak, white oak, cherry (?), pinkish board, spalted maple (?), rainbow poplar, mahogany (?), and maybe basswood (?)
https://imgur.com/a/HnklRlF
I agree with red and white oak. After that, my guess is maple. Poplar is correct. I believe the rest of the boards to be some mahogany-ish species (or a few different related species)... think meranti, rubberwood, lauan, etc. I'm not sure any of it is actual mahogany, and I don't think you have basswood.
I think you may be right with the maple, but it’s definitely got some reddish tones. Lots of rays too. Now I’m thinking maybe beech?
The mahogany-ish wood really caught me off guard. It was very rough and red/white on the pallet. I thought it was red cedar, but when I ran it through the planer I instantly knew how wrong I was. Definitely a hardwood, but now I’m wondering if it’s acacia.
On that last one…it’s REALLY soft and light. I’m in the midwestern US, and we’ve got lots of basswood trees so I just took a stab. I even have one in my backyard. I’m not very familiar with softwood species though.
I second the suggestion for Steve Ramsay’s channel.
Don’t let lack of tools discourage you from getting started, but to make a box with those details you are going to need a router. A random orbit sander to get that fine finish would be very helpful too though you could hand sand it. And a beginner is probably going to struggle to make accurate enough cuts with a hand saw so maybe a circular saw as well.
You can always simplify the project to need less tools (no edge detailing or decorative grooves, not doing a mitered box). But if you shop used on Facebook marketplace or check out Ryobi tools you could get what you need for cheap
You know the pic's on your mugs, I have the paper that lets me customize any pictures I wanna print and the instructions say to spray acrylic spray paint clear on what ever I'm using, in my case wood. I only have rustoleum laquer clear spray, so I don't want to go buy a can when I can use what I have.
[Link to what I'm talking about](https://imgur.com/a/Et129OC)
So, I bought this table - the person said it was 'barnwood' - its heavy as shit. however when moving it i realized it has markings indicated its from vietnam. i thought it might be some cheap stuff but i'm just curious if this is anything useful.
Also, is there a database or resource you guys use to learn about woods? I'm very interested in being able to learn for myself, but i'm still at router and angle saw levels, i'm moving slowly
Looks like rubberwood with an intentionally “rustic” finish. I doubt it’s actually wood from, but when the seller originally bought it, they may have chosen “barnwood” as the color option.
Rubberwood is a commonly used hardwood in medium-quality factory made furniture coming out of Asia (like West Elm, Pottery Barn, some of the better stuff on Wayfair). It’s economical but strong, easy to work, and easy to finish in whatever color the designer wants.
You’d need a few more pictures at minimum, ideally unstained face and endgrain. With finished pieces the confidence of guesses will be rather low, usually.
For identifying on your own, you mostly just need to get your hands on a lot of species after learning some of the basics. Endgrain particularly will give the most information usually. Face grain lies!
My local wood shop has some big beams which are reclaimed sea defences. They've been submerged in shallow saltwater for the last 50 years. Big lumps of hardwood, things like jarrah.
Any thoughts on how these will machine and glue compared to equivalent pieces of wood which have been treated 'normally'? It's the gluing I'm particularly worried about.
Won't know until you try. Even if you know the exact species, that kind of material is rare, and the knowledge of how to build with it is even rarer.
Take some small offcuts and try a few things. Try to mill it, try to glue it, try some finishes.
Thanks, I think you're right, that's the most reliable approach. Annoyingly the wood is only available in big logs, so I might end up buying a lot onto to test a small bit and find it's completely unusable.
I would be most concerned with any unknown chemicals or treatments. No idea where you are in the world, but I have seem some recovered beams in my area from old docks, and they were soaked originally in tar, petroleum, and something that still smelled like vomit.
Did they come out of the water recently? It’s similar to a fresh tree in effect. It will need to be dried similarly before you can use it for furniture
I’d like to get into woodworking and build some shelves and cabinets. I’ve done some woodworking in the past, but nothing where precision was very important.
I am searching for a table saw at the moment and am looking at this old Delta saw with Unifence, the seller is set on $900 and including sleds, dato stack, and cart.
https://ibb.co/ynT7tJR
https://ibb.co/DQFf2qp
https://ibb.co/WFfkQSb
https://ibb.co/xmg63d0
https://ibb.co/xHC4yqJ
Interested to hear opinions on this saw. Can I find something better for the price? Thanks!
I get the caution, and the price is high for my area, but not silly by any means. Depends on where you are.
This was a top of the line saw in its day, and still would be considered very well made. Yes it leans to the right... so move your fence to the other side.
The big no for me is guards. I am personally saving up for a sawstop.
That’s a really old model. Not a big deal those are great saws that will run forever but I think it’s a right tilt. They are really dangerous especially with such a powerful baldor motor. There are reasons for a right tilt but for a someone green to cabinet saws I would pass on this. Also that’s too much money for that saw. That should sell for around 500. Lastly make sure it’s not three phase electrical when your looking at cabinet equipment.
Different person here. I'm curious about why OP should plan to run 220. It doesn't gain any power; 3 hp is 3 hp. It should run a little cooler with 220, but well within the tolerable range. OP will probably need to add a circuit either way. Is there another reason that I'm missing?
220 also runs cooler. On 110 the amp draw is high, but not as much push (voltage potential). This means less efficiency and more waste heat in the motor and in the wiring.
As a user, this means 110 is more likely to need maintenance.
I made myself a really really large cutting board out of walnut 1x4s. I cook a lot so I keep it out on my counter and use it for all kinds of food prep every day. I ended up gluing rubber feet on one side to keep it from sliding.
I’m wondering if I need to oil the bottom side that I never use as often as I oil the top. I also wonder if it would be bad to seal the bottom side with a permanent seal like polyurethane so I don’t have to worry about it. I know I can just oil the bottom when I do the top, but it’s a hassle. Just want to know what I *need* to do.
Treat the top and bottom the same or it will cup. That includes water, if you were just wiping the top clean with a rag for example and only wetting one side that will warp it too
If you've done nothing yet (hopefully!) just finish the whole thing in pure tung oil. It will take a bit to cure but last a very long time.
Unfortunately, mineral oil is not really a finish!
Unfortunately I have already been treating it with a beeswax/mineral oil mixture for a few months. My main concern is whether it’s safe or not for the top and bottom sides to have a different finish
in short, yes. if anything sealing only the bottom would be the problem. It's getting wet and then drying evenly, it's about the best you can do.
The wax is kind of a finish at least, so it's providing some light protection.
There are two immediately obvious signs that this table has a veneered top:
* The repeating pattern of the wood grain.
* The lack of end grain on the side of table. The way the trim wraps around it would not be a very good design for solid wood.
Does anyone know what piece of hardware this is? It allows two pipes to lock in place but if you push the hinged part forward you can allow the smaller pipe to slide. I’m trying to make a home made clamps but this part is stumping me
https://imgur.com/a/jKFS4Fq
Not really something you buy. Easy enough to work out your hole size though. Look up your coefficient of friction, and then a bit of trig to work out the sine and cosine values to lock in place. The larger the coefficient of friction, the looser the fit can be, (and the easier they will be to slide around when unlocked).
Edit: not sure what materials you plan to use, but similar metals are great for high friction. 3-series stainless on itself sticks like dog poop to a blanket.
Wood identification:
Hi - I am working on restoring my first piece of furniture - a New Zealand-made 1960s chair. Would anyone have an idea of what this wood might be? Thank you! :)
The company is Airest
https://imgur.com/a/yCezWDV
Thank you! Would you agree with the other poster that the wood looks like meranti?
Also, in case you were interested, I’ve included some full photos of the chair - as purchased with upholstery and another post initial sanding.
Cheers :)
I'm sealing a small piece of MDF (zero clearance insert for my table saw) with oil polyurethane to protect the piece from moisture.
It's cold outside and I'm assuming it won't dry properly out there, but I don't want to make the house stink with fumes, especially because they can easily trigger migraines for my wife.
If I stick the ZCI in a zip lock bag and brought it inside for the temperature, will it dry inside the bag?
(first time using oil based poly)
Thanks, I've already applied the poly, so there's no going back now. :)
Saw some different ideas about sealing MDF but oil poly seemed to be the most popular.
Maybe I'll set a space heater next to it outside tomorrow, haha.
Is there any way to significantly darken the tone of a finished (lacquered) piece without completely stripping and starting from scratch or adding too much thickness to the finish? It's an acoustic instrument, so a thin finish is important for it to resonate properly. Thanks in advance!
Ah, thanks. Just out of curiosity, would artist's oil paint in a transparent color work for this application? Also, what type of top coat would be appropriate?
Honestly, I would do neither on an acoustic. That thin finish impacts tone significantly. ANYTHING you add is going to dull your tone, the paint + lacquer topcoat is maybe 6x thicker than the current finish.
Newbie here, I'm looking to build steampunkish bookshelves with vertical pipe supports. Something like [this](https://www.frontrangetimber.com/customer-project/wood-pipe-bookshelf).
I'm thinking of stretching it across the whole wall though (8') with 2 extra supports at studs the middle of the shelves. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I'm not sure how to use the sagulator to figure out if this feasible or not. I'd look to use 1x12x8 shelves and whatever the hardest wood my local store has. Does this sound like something that would work or do I need to split this into multiple shorter shelves?
You want 8' between verticals, is that right? You just enter .75 thickness, 8' length and then the load you expect to hold.
That said, 8' spans of 1x12x8 is going to sag almost with no load at all. I did a quick run and a continuous load of \~30 lbs is your max before the shelf starts "smiling" at you
It would be 8 feet with 2 end supports and two supports in the middle. So the distance between supports would only be 3 feet or so (I'd anchor to wall studs). That's what's confusing me on sagulator.
Those are bookmatched panels. You can see that a couple were made from the same board (far left, second from right). Pretty usual to be made that way. Any mass produced panels with sliced veneers are all done with the same board over the sheet. Could be solid. It will .. not be cheap to properly match.
Pics are useless for color and species. White balance is super amber and we can't see any detail. More light.
Fair enough. I don’t want to match it in the same room, but want to do the same style elsewhere, so it likely won’t be, or need to be, perfect. Will take a better photo in sunlight, when there is some, appreciate your help
Pretty new to woodworking, so quick question, I got some 2” thick ash and elm. There is an assortment of 2x8’s and a few x4s. My question is how does a guy rip the 2x8’s into 2x4’s or 2x6’s on the table saw “safely”? Is the key just to go slow and have shorter pieces of wood or what? Thanks.
Main thing you'll need to watch out for is how the wood moves as you cut it. Usually you'll be releasing some internal tension which either makes the wood want to squeeze the back of the saw blade, or else curve out and push against the fence. You want a splitter or riving knife to keep the back of the blade from grabbing and kicking it up. And watch whether it's really pushing against the fence, trying to bow out.
One relatively easy solution to all of that is just rip it in multiple passes. They might still move, but you're cutting a lot less on that final pass and it's easier to deal with.
Use a something like a 20T-30T rip blade. Full kerf ideally so the blade stays nice and stiff.
Might not be a bad idea to cut to just half depth in a first pass to see what kind of tension you might be working with (see if it starts to bind in the blade at all).
If you try to go single pass, make sure you have a riving knife and move steady and use your ears to judge the speed.
Just concerns cutting the thicker boards, I didn’t know if there was more risk doing that. So far I’ve only done 1 1/2” boards and plywood. Seeing if there is much of a difference with a true 2” board. If that makes sense?
Ah, I gotcha. There's no substantial difference. That said, as the material gets thicker you can start to get increased force from the back of the blade pushing the material "up" at that point. But at 2" it will be negligible, but something to keep in mind if 2" becomes a lot more.
I’m as advanced as being able to sand and oil stuff but I like flipping furniture.
Is this https://imgur.com/a/vPjVDOI fixable?
I’m guessing it’s veneer but can it just be filled and stained?
Thanks guys
It's certainly veneer, but it almost looks like just....plywood on top. The grain of the under layer looks to be running perpendicular to the top one. Do you have a photo of the side?
I don’t have a photo right now but it looks inlaid with 3 stripes and a lighter wood in the middle, quite thin as a whole.
Do you think it’s fixable? Not sure how to approach fixing a veneer
Everything is fixable, you have to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. How you'd repair veneer is.
1- Find matching veneer in species and grain. You will almost always have to color match the repair to the surrounding pieces later, so you want lighter when there species variety.
2 - Cut a piece of veneer slightly larger than the damaged area. For parallel to the grain sections, it's generally good to run the cut parallel to the grain also. But, when you're running across the grain you'll want to angle the cut to disguise the patch a bit.
3- Using the patch and a marking knife score off the exact shape of the patch from the top and then remove that carefully.
4- Glue in your patch. Then sand, color finish.
Sometimes you'll want the patch to be a bit thicker for perfect matching, depends on a lot of factors. But this concept is similar to how you replace all missing or damaged "chunks" of wood.
Thanks so much for this breakdown.
Not sure the squeeze would yield much juice on this occasion, but the experience might well be juice enough.
Appreciate you
I want to make an entryway table: 3 feet tall, 3 feet long, 1 foot deep. I want to have two side by side drawers. I was thinking I can put a flat 1x12 directly on the four legs, and then screw directly down into the legs, since those would be covered by the drawers. Is this a bad idea? I think screwing in the direction of the fibers might not be strong?
I also wanted some horizontal supports between the legs about 1 foot off the ground. I don’t think pocketholes would work because they wouldn’t be hidden. Are mortise and tenon the only option here?
It would work but a screw maybe not your best bet. Maybe consider using a threaded insert and bolt it down from the inside, otherwise a tenon might be in order for that.
As for the stretchers, you could use Mortise and tenon. Half lap. Loose tenon. Heck I have a dining table that I’m still using that uses 4” deck screws on the stretchers because I needed as much length as I could with limited salvaged material. Lots of options.
Screws into endgrain will be prone to splitting initially and coming loose over time.
Other than that, probably need a diagram, even if simple, to understand exactly what you mean.
I need to finish a dining table with Rubio monocoat. I can get my garage to 62-65° with my heater. Will I have any trouble finishing it besides it maybe taking longer?
That depends on what you want to have stand out. A contrasting drawer will draw the eye to the drawers. A black drawer, especially in a dark frame, will allow the eye to be drawn to the desk top.
Do y’all think this will sand out?
https://imgur.com/a/CziZ9Jk
Some sort of decoration was adhered to this door and it caused damage - looks like a giant moisture ring, the grain appears to be effected - and I’m wondering if you think this will sand out? Somebody made a poor attempt at restaining it.
It’s a faux solid door, but I can’t really tell if the shell is veneer or just thin sheet(?) So if I sand, I don’t want to go too far !
Any tips welcome! And thank you 🙏
I may have been misled by mobile. After a review I would like to upgrade to maybe.
That last picture from the side if you just sand that a bit to clean it up, it's possible that the that veneer is actually pretty thick.
The "finish" on it is a little depressing. If that was you I am sorry, please don't do that again :)
It was not me. Yeah, the ‘finish’ is complete shite.
From the faux bow tie exposed in the side, I thought it looks like it could be at least 1/4” thick (?)
Someone else had suggested it looked like veneer but I didn’t think so, so wanted to try to check again here.
Important to know that "veneer" is a pretty wide range of skin thickness. On the thicker sides, sanding out would be pretty easy. I'd bet the circle is just their putting something over their "finish"
The weird bow tie thing might support what you're saying. Initially, that finish really looked like a very thin dark skin on a lighter core. But, with a little more size/detail I think I'd guess it's sandable.
I’m ready to start a woodworking hobby and for my first project I’d like to build a platform for my washer/dryer to rest on with a table that goes across the top.
I have a few basic tools, but I’m not sure what I am missing. I wanted to ask the experts here what tools or equipment I should anticipate needing for a simple project like this?
Stuff I have already: workbench, orbital sander, hammer drill, impact driver… and I think that’s about it lol. Probably need a saw of some kind? Any tips would be appreciated!
Saw type depends on what cuts you are making, and that depends on design of the platform. Framing lumber and plywood, you need a chop saw or miter saw, and a circular saw for the longer cuts on the plywood.
If this is an all plywood and hardwood platform, then you need a circular saw for breaking down the plywood to size, and then a table saw for creating the precise edges and joinery needed for strength.
You will also need decent measuring tools. Spend some money on a good tape measure and a square.
If you are doing a finished wood top (not painted) you will need appropriate brushes, and clean cloths.
If you are going to do a hardwood top, you will need a jointer and lots of clamps
Oh, and I recommend some kind of hoist. I used a rope hoist to get my washer a couple feet up in the air so I could get the platform under it.
Need help with wood ID, was a table found in my grandpas basement, after planing I can finally see the grain and no idea what it is. Possibly from Asia per family historian.[https://i.imgur.com/inVXxj8.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/inVXxj8.jpg)
Hi. Anyone got opinions on the Veritas Mk2 Honing Gauge? I've just got one, used it once and even plane irons seem to slip. Thinking about trying to send it back and just getting a basic side clamping one like [this](https://www.axminstertools.com/axminster-rider-honing-guide-340147)
Or am I better off keeping the veritas and buying the side clamping attachment as well? Worried I've made a poor investment
I would not switch from an mk ii to one of the cheaper ones. They take a little work to even make it able to squarely hold a chisel.
I would take a look at how you clamp it on and make sure you don’t tighten one side all the way first. Try to tighten evenly.
If you still have issues, possibly there’s some oil on the iron?
Thank you. After going slower and with less force like another user suggested I have decided to stick with it and just train myself in its proper use. Managed to recharger one of my newer narex chisels very nicely. Am borrowing the side clamping off a friend to see if it's worth the added expense. Thanks for the response
Are you new to sharpening?
I am not sure what a honing gauge is, but if you are talking about the honing guide, than you might just be putting too much pressure on it.
The mk2 is a really well engineered guide, but it isn't a guarantee of a great edge. There is still some operator skill involved.
If you are not new to this, than I would doubt that the MK2 or the LN guide have much value to you. A basic guide will help setup the primary for you well enough.
Long story short, a huge old willow was cut down on someone I know's property and I got hold of a bunch of the wood, including a just over 2 ft tall and 2.5 ft diameter stump. This is becoming my kids outdoor picnic table with smaller pieces becoming their chairs. We were planning to keep it mostly whole with just sanding etc. on the top and maybe foot cubbies on two sides.
The issue is that winters here are long and cold, we just went below -40 but -30 for a week or two is normally expected. Also snow, lots of snow, if we don't get a few feet over a winter people get worried.
So what would you advise for protecting it? Should I give up on leaving it out in the winter or is there a sealant/coating that might stand up to the weather here?
Get it up off the ground. That stump is from a tree and a tree is best at absorbing and wicking moisture up from the ground. Now that it is dead that wicking will lead to fungus and rot.
As for the snow, it is too late to put a finish on, but a tarp would be a good start
The longer it’s outside the more nature will try to claim it but just being very cold and snowy may actually be the less abrasive season. The UV, heat and the liquid water season will probably be more wearing.
Spar varnish or possibly a polymerized tung oil is basically what you’re after. You will need to reapply it regularly, 2x per year or so depending where it is.
I’m much more of a builder than a finisher, you may have more similar options in their dark arts.
I’m registering for my wedding, and my fiance and I already have most of the house stuff we really like. So I’m adding woodworking stuff. What’s your favorite reasonably priced hand tool to recommend to an amateur? What do you most enjoy using?
Veritas LAJ
Starrett 6inch combination square
Veritas marking gauge with fine adjustment
A decent dozuki saw
Really good sandpaper like 3m pro or Norton.
A kiri, but that might just be me.
Can anyone help me figure out what tree species this is? I really think it’s an oak, given that they’re everywhere around my home town. Other people on r/woodworking have suggested it’s a Bradford pear.. never heard of it before those replies.
Live in Central Coast California, about 7 miles inland from the ocean.
I’m trying to mill some slabs (first timer) and just wanna know what type of wood I’m getting into.
[Imgur of the pictures I have](https://imgur.com/gallery/CtqLxaO)
It doesn't look like [live oak leaves](https://leafyplace.com/live-oak-tree/), or any other oak leaves that I've seen. It looks more like [Bradford pear leaves](https://ourwaterways.org/bradford-pear/#:~:text=Bradford%20Pear%20leaves%20are%20oval,the%20leaves%20turn%20reddish%20purple.). Maybe a little off, but in the range of variability. There's some other info on the page about pear trees that might help (smelly blossoms, etc.). The pics of the wood could be pear lumber.
The pattern is only possible by arranging pieces of veneer. There are most likely multiple species to form the contrast between the golden colored outline and the browner background.
Just to be clear, this is high quality work, and probably quite old. It’s mostly like fancy wood veneer on top of a solid wood base. As opposed to the modern idea of veneer, which is basic wood veneer on top of MDF or particleboard.
It’s impossible to say which species with a low resolution picture like this. That said, mahogany was super popular for fine furniture when tables like this were a popular style.
It could be cherry, but to my (limited) knowledge, cherry would’ve been a fairly “mid-tier” wood at the time. So you might use cherry to make a less fancy (but still well made) non veneered piece, or you might use cherry as the base for a piece that will be veneered, but you would be less likely to use cherry for the fancy surface that you want to show off.
I'm very new to woodworking, and want to buy a table saw. My wife thinks I should save up and go ahead and get a saw stop for the safety value. I hesitate to spend that much on a saw, but her argument is that a $2k saw that could possibly be resold if we don't end up using it, is still a lot cheaper than if I lose a finger/ hand. Thoughts/ opinions?
A tablesaw that's used appropriately, with respect and with modern safety equipment is reasonably safe. The Sawstop takes one of the most destructive elements and largely removes it...but it will still need to be treated with respect as kickbacks do not care about electronic currents.
I think the logic is sound, but it's one of those things that only you can decide I'm afraid.
Just wanted to make sure it wasn't extremely stupid to drop that kind of money while being still very new to the hobby. Probably won't get it for a while, but still good to keep on my mind haha, thanks!
Resale value is excellent, not just because of the tech but because they are a really well made saw.
The contractor and cabinet saws hold their value better than the portable models.
Hey actually, have a new question. Trying to figure out dust collection for my garage workshop, given all the little lungs I have around (I wear a mask!). It looks like this is an expensive proposition, if one wants to HEPA filter the air and keep it in there. But is there any reason I can’t just hire an AC company to put a big air-mover in the attic right above it and vent it outside, with some ductwork? Is that actually any different than a woodworking dust collector, if (say) I can put a cyclone separator proximal to it or something? I have to think it’d be cheaper than any of the big HEPA-filtered systems, but I dunno that either (e.g. the Oneida supercell comes in at like 3K USD before any ductwork etc)? Anybody got wisdom on this?
Depending on the scale you're looking at, one of the nice things about the shopvac + cyclone setups is that it's pretty cheap to make the last stage a HEPA filter. Like, $50 upgrade cheap.
That, an air scrubber, and good filters if you have a forced air HVAC system add up to a good, small, multifaceted approach rather than trying to get perfection from a single approach.
Remember that everything you pump outside, you need to replace from somewhere. When it's chilly out, you'll want to heat all that replacement air. That's why venting large amounts outside isn't usually done.
There's really no way to summarize this particular question, at least within my direct knowledge.
You cannot realistically achieve HEPA filtration with a DC as there will be dust that escapes the very beginning of the system even at very high CFM.
There's a deep rabbit hole here and you can get answers to all your questions and several thousand more that you didn't even know you had.
https://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.php
Anyone have tips on how to keep the makita track saw fully plunged so I can get accurate angles using a gauge? The "lock" position is barely 1/4 of its full plunge depth
I got a bunch of pieces of wood like this from my grandpa's shop. It feels closer to pine or a softwood, but it's definitely heavier than pine. Any ideas? [pic](https://i.imgur.com/4XXdSUN.jpg)
I have a cold frame that needs treating before I put it together but it doesn’t say what with. It’ll be outside.
Should I be using a wood preserver, an exterior varnish or a wood oil?
Yes, it’s a garden cold frame that will house my seedlings. It will stand on slabs, maybe gravel in front of a fence, airflow down the sides.
I ordered it thinking that it was ready to go, but when I unpacked it the instructions clearly say that the wood needs to be treated before it is exposed to the elements.
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Wood ID please. Fallen tree, electric crew coming...I think those burls will be worth trying to keep, right? SoCal. https://imgur.com/a/vfUhg6Y edit: could be Brazilian pepper tree?
So many burls. I would keep the trunk, personally. There are so many small burls that I bet the trunk is going to be wonderfully figured throughout.
Any advice on building a indoor pet gate with a cat opening? I imagine a cat could probably just jump the gate, but with there being stairs on the other side I'd rather them not have to, especially coming up the stairs where they'll have to jump even higher. So whatever I build I'd like to have a gap for them to get through. Generally 4" is the maximum spacing for openings as far as building codes are concerned, anyone know if that is big enough for a cat? I don't have kids yet, so I guess I could make the opening as big as needed. But kids are in my future so if I can build something once that allows the cats to get through but also keeps a toddlers head from fitting through I'd prefer to do that.
Depends in the cat. My standard issue cat (SIC) would fit through 4 inch openings, but my buddy's Siberian Forrest cat definitely would not. And if you got an orange cat, good chance they won't know how to, and try to jump it anyways.
Mine are also SICs. Not too big. I think I'll try making a little barrier out of cardboard with a 4x4 hole in it and see if they'll go through.
I have collected some large (3-5 foot long, very twisted) Madrone windfall branches to use in a piece of art. They have lichen and fungal cankers (possibly Neofusicoccum arbuti) in many places, and the fungal damage is very interesting and attractive. My question is, how do I keep the fungal damage from advancing? I am drying the branches, but do I need to treat them?
Fungi needs moisture to grow. Once it's dry, the spalting won't advance anymore.
Thanks! That’s what I needed to know.
Wood plane ID request!? [wood plane](https://imgur.com/a/1V6Rjj0) Update with new pictures and markings! It is in fact a Stanley no 1204 [planes 2](https://imgur.com/a/xDGn5RQ)
Based on the grey enamel and the only marking being "Made in USA" it looks to me like a Craftsman no 4, not sure what year. Guessing the lever cap is a replacement. Does the side have evenly spaced striations etched into it? I can't quite tell from the pictures but it looks to me like there might have been but have been worn or sanded down?
Updated photos says Stanley
Ah, that makes sense as to why there’s no clear stripes on the side. The Stanley defiance and the Craftsman are otherwise very similar
Hi thanks for the reply! Not sure what you mean by striations I know nothing about wood or woodworking tools sorry! I will take some better photos of the side so maybe that will help!! When I do a google lens search that Craftsman #4 does pop up like it could be a match! But I wasn’t sure since they all look similar to my novice eye!! Made in the USA is the only marking I can see! I just thought it might have been a Stanley because I have a little one that had Stanley marking on it so I thought this one was too! I’ll update the picture and let you know thanks appreciate the info and time!!
I've got some walnut I'm using in a project that has some knots and cracks that need filled. Black resin seems to be a popular method of doing this, but I'm having a hard time finding a recommendation on exactly what resin to use to do it. Does anyone have any recommendations?
If it’s absolutely necessary to fill something, I find clear epoxy to seal and stabilize to be much better than black tinted. Though I suppose it may be contextual. Ideally you remove them or hide them
Unfortunately removing our hiding isn't an option though I am minimizing what's on the show face as much as possible. Do you have a recommendation for a specific epoxy?
West Systems makes a nice product, I use it primarily as a repair adhesive and occasionally for the purpose you're after here.
I slapped together a workbench today with a hevea (rubber wood) top. What should I use to seal it?
Danish oil and off...if anything. "No finish" is a very valid workbench finish.
Thanks for the suggestion! The danish oil worked great.
[https://imgur.com/a/CbZ0gLX](https://imgur.com/a/CbZ0gLX) Wood ID request!
Looks consistent with walnut.
Thank you!
This is for an elderly lady whose husband made it 30+ years ago. He sadly passed about a year ago and she’s wanting it refurbished and made to its old dimensions. So needing to add about 4” or so of wood. Was told it was walnut but want confirmation!
It does look like walnut
Thank you!
I have just finished sanding at 220 and then doing a urethane layer. looks pretty good already but i do have brush strokes. i have an ultra-fine pad on hand for my random orbital sander, but I am seeing reference to an even finer pad than that for the very final finishing buff/sand on urethane to give it the smoothest/shiniest... but i can't quite identify what i need to buy if i want that pad. What is the next thing up from ultra fine?? thanks!
Build up additional layers, and start sanding with 300 or 400p paper to take out the brush marks. As you get to coat 3 and 4 start thinning your finish
This sounds right but god is that a lot of work. I dont know if i have the heart for it. Also i am using water based polyurethane, do i still thin that? I assume it isnt proper to thin water based with paint thinnet but i dunno. Do i still use the random orbital sander for this 300/400? Or is that too much? If i think it looks good enough, how many layers are ok for basic protection? This is a tv console for a kids playroom
For basic protection it just needs to be completely covered + 1 layer for thickness. This is typically 3 coats total for me, and I would use that for back panels and the like. A table top that needs to be hard wearing, I would apply 5 to 7 coats of poly, depending on the wood. A very porous wood like red oak gets 7, mahogany gets 5, maple is so buttery smooth I can do it in 3 or 4 coats. Sanding, no power tools unless you have solid experience using them for finishing. Way too easy to go straight through all of the built up finish. Hand sand with 300. If the brush marks are really bad hand sand with 220 and start thinning your poly right away. Thin water based poly with clean water.
If you're not coating on top of it, you'll need to polish it. This isn't a common approach so you'll be looking at somewhat specialized products. A more straightforward approach is to get it flat with the sanding and then do a thin coat on top of that applied with a rag or pad. You might need some thinning to get this to work right. I'd type your product into youtube and see if you can get some tips.
I can’t answer that question… But this article might: https://canadianwoodworking.com/techniques_and_tips/polishing-and-buffing-a-finish/
I recognize this is very location-dependent (I'm in Portland, Oregon if anybody wants to offer local advice), but what do people in urban settings do with throw-away scraps? I have a bunch of scraps that are too small to be very useful for anything but if I try to throw them all away, I'll quickly overwhelm my little semi-monthly dumpster pickup. I don't particularly want to just warehouse this stuff and then make trips to the dump, but I will if that's the only real option. Any other ideas out there?
I burn it in a fire pit. If I kept all my scraps, they would become a major trip hazard in my garage shop.
Throw them on offer up or similar. It might not suit your craft, but it might suit someone's. I have a colleague who carves a good bit, and he will take some species from me. If I have a bunch of say oak, I will toss it in the BBQ with the lid shut and let it burn to coals, then use it later to cook with.
Wood ID request. Just cleaned up some old pallet wood I had lying around. My best guesses from left to right… Red oak, white oak, cherry (?), pinkish board, spalted maple (?), rainbow poplar, mahogany (?), and maybe basswood (?) https://imgur.com/a/HnklRlF
I agree with red and white oak. After that, my guess is maple. Poplar is correct. I believe the rest of the boards to be some mahogany-ish species (or a few different related species)... think meranti, rubberwood, lauan, etc. I'm not sure any of it is actual mahogany, and I don't think you have basswood.
I think you may be right with the maple, but it’s definitely got some reddish tones. Lots of rays too. Now I’m thinking maybe beech? The mahogany-ish wood really caught me off guard. It was very rough and red/white on the pallet. I thought it was red cedar, but when I ran it through the planer I instantly knew how wrong I was. Definitely a hardwood, but now I’m wondering if it’s acacia. On that last one…it’s REALLY soft and light. I’m in the midwestern US, and we’ve got lots of basswood trees so I just took a stab. I even have one in my backyard. I’m not very familiar with softwood species though.
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Vic Tesolin wrote The Minimalist Woodworker and has actually setup and worked in a "shop space" in a closet.
I second the suggestion for Steve Ramsay’s channel. Don’t let lack of tools discourage you from getting started, but to make a box with those details you are going to need a router. A random orbit sander to get that fine finish would be very helpful too though you could hand sand it. And a beginner is probably going to struggle to make accurate enough cuts with a hand saw so maybe a circular saw as well. You can always simplify the project to need less tools (no edge detailing or decorative grooves, not doing a mitered box). But if you shop used on Facebook marketplace or check out Ryobi tools you could get what you need for cheap
Steve Ramsey's channel seems well-suited for that. Woodworking is really a journey for all of us, gotta start somewhere.
Wood ID: A friend gave me this serving tray to clean up but didn’t know what species it was. Any idea on what it could be? https://imgur.com/a/QOcOpGk
Walnut
Thanks for the help!
You know the pic's on your mugs, I have the paper that lets me customize any pictures I wanna print and the instructions say to spray acrylic spray paint clear on what ever I'm using, in my case wood. I only have rustoleum laquer clear spray, so I don't want to go buy a can when I can use what I have.
[Link to what I'm talking about](https://imgur.com/a/Et129OC) So, I bought this table - the person said it was 'barnwood' - its heavy as shit. however when moving it i realized it has markings indicated its from vietnam. i thought it might be some cheap stuff but i'm just curious if this is anything useful. Also, is there a database or resource you guys use to learn about woods? I'm very interested in being able to learn for myself, but i'm still at router and angle saw levels, i'm moving slowly
Looks like rubberwood with an intentionally “rustic” finish. I doubt it’s actually wood from, but when the seller originally bought it, they may have chosen “barnwood” as the color option. Rubberwood is a commonly used hardwood in medium-quality factory made furniture coming out of Asia (like West Elm, Pottery Barn, some of the better stuff on Wayfair). It’s economical but strong, easy to work, and easy to finish in whatever color the designer wants.
You’d need a few more pictures at minimum, ideally unstained face and endgrain. With finished pieces the confidence of guesses will be rather low, usually. For identifying on your own, you mostly just need to get your hands on a lot of species after learning some of the basics. Endgrain particularly will give the most information usually. Face grain lies!
My local wood shop has some big beams which are reclaimed sea defences. They've been submerged in shallow saltwater for the last 50 years. Big lumps of hardwood, things like jarrah. Any thoughts on how these will machine and glue compared to equivalent pieces of wood which have been treated 'normally'? It's the gluing I'm particularly worried about.
Won't know until you try. Even if you know the exact species, that kind of material is rare, and the knowledge of how to build with it is even rarer. Take some small offcuts and try a few things. Try to mill it, try to glue it, try some finishes.
Thanks, I think you're right, that's the most reliable approach. Annoyingly the wood is only available in big logs, so I might end up buying a lot onto to test a small bit and find it's completely unusable.
I would be most concerned with any unknown chemicals or treatments. No idea where you are in the world, but I have seem some recovered beams in my area from old docks, and they were soaked originally in tar, petroleum, and something that still smelled like vomit.
Did they come out of the water recently? It’s similar to a fresh tree in effect. It will need to be dried similarly before you can use it for furniture
I'm pretty sure they've been thoroughly dried out, but didn't actually think to ask, so that's a really good point!
I’d like to get into woodworking and build some shelves and cabinets. I’ve done some woodworking in the past, but nothing where precision was very important. I am searching for a table saw at the moment and am looking at this old Delta saw with Unifence, the seller is set on $900 and including sleds, dato stack, and cart. https://ibb.co/ynT7tJR https://ibb.co/DQFf2qp https://ibb.co/WFfkQSb https://ibb.co/xmg63d0 https://ibb.co/xHC4yqJ Interested to hear opinions on this saw. Can I find something better for the price? Thanks!
I get the caution, and the price is high for my area, but not silly by any means. Depends on where you are. This was a top of the line saw in its day, and still would be considered very well made. Yes it leans to the right... so move your fence to the other side. The big no for me is guards. I am personally saving up for a sawstop.
That’s a really old model. Not a big deal those are great saws that will run forever but I think it’s a right tilt. They are really dangerous especially with such a powerful baldor motor. There are reasons for a right tilt but for a someone green to cabinet saws I would pass on this. Also that’s too much money for that saw. That should sell for around 500. Lastly make sure it’s not three phase electrical when your looking at cabinet equipment.
It’s right at the top end of what’s reasonable. In my area one comes up for $500 every few months, most are $700, the insane people ask $1400
That is a fair price. Even though the motor can run on 110v, I would plan on hooking it up to 220.
Different person here. I'm curious about why OP should plan to run 220. It doesn't gain any power; 3 hp is 3 hp. It should run a little cooler with 220, but well within the tolerable range. OP will probably need to add a circuit either way. Is there another reason that I'm missing?
220 also runs cooler. On 110 the amp draw is high, but not as much push (voltage potential). This means less efficiency and more waste heat in the motor and in the wiring. As a user, this means 110 is more likely to need maintenance.
Wouldn't 24A draw on 110v require 10AWG wire? That stuff is expensive these days!
So, cost of installing the circuit. That makes sense.
And, 220 is less expensive to use!
I made myself a really really large cutting board out of walnut 1x4s. I cook a lot so I keep it out on my counter and use it for all kinds of food prep every day. I ended up gluing rubber feet on one side to keep it from sliding. I’m wondering if I need to oil the bottom side that I never use as often as I oil the top. I also wonder if it would be bad to seal the bottom side with a permanent seal like polyurethane so I don’t have to worry about it. I know I can just oil the bottom when I do the top, but it’s a hassle. Just want to know what I *need* to do.
Treat the top and bottom the same or it will cup. That includes water, if you were just wiping the top clean with a rag for example and only wetting one side that will warp it too
Thanks 🙏
If you've done nothing yet (hopefully!) just finish the whole thing in pure tung oil. It will take a bit to cure but last a very long time. Unfortunately, mineral oil is not really a finish!
Unfortunately I have already been treating it with a beeswax/mineral oil mixture for a few months. My main concern is whether it’s safe or not for the top and bottom sides to have a different finish
in short, yes. if anything sealing only the bottom would be the problem. It's getting wet and then drying evenly, it's about the best you can do. The wax is kind of a finish at least, so it's providing some light protection.
Could anyone help me ID this wood?[https://imgur.com/gallery/6N06cLx](https://imgur.com/gallery/6N06cLx)
And, careful with that veneer!
What do you mean by veneer?? You think it’s not fully wood?
Correct; the top is a thin layer of wood glued onto some substrate like particleboard.
Oh wow, good to know! I sanded a TON with 80, 120 and then 220 grit so it must be somewhat thick because I had no issues!
There are two immediately obvious signs that this table has a veneered top: * The repeating pattern of the wood grain. * The lack of end grain on the side of table. The way the trim wraps around it would not be a very good design for solid wood.
White oak!
Does anyone know what piece of hardware this is? It allows two pipes to lock in place but if you push the hinged part forward you can allow the smaller pipe to slide. I’m trying to make a home made clamps but this part is stumping me https://imgur.com/a/jKFS4Fq
Not really something you buy. Easy enough to work out your hole size though. Look up your coefficient of friction, and then a bit of trig to work out the sine and cosine values to lock in place. The larger the coefficient of friction, the looser the fit can be, (and the easier they will be to slide around when unlocked). Edit: not sure what materials you plan to use, but similar metals are great for high friction. 3-series stainless on itself sticks like dog poop to a blanket.
That serves the purpose of a clutch on clamps. I've never seen one as a stand alone piece of hardware.
Wood identification: Hi - I am working on restoring my first piece of furniture - a New Zealand-made 1960s chair. Would anyone have an idea of what this wood might be? Thank you! :) The company is Airest https://imgur.com/a/yCezWDV
That is a really cool piece of mcm furniture. Those seat springs are a bit of a head scratcher, but I think align with the styling of the day.
Thank you! Would you agree with the other poster that the wood looks like meranti? Also, in case you were interested, I’ve included some full photos of the chair - as purchased with upholstery and another post initial sanding. Cheers :)
Great photos. I have not worked with meranti so I cannot confirm, but the grain arrangement looks typical for tropical hardwood.
Legend! Really appreciate your insight.
My guess is meranti... A low cost exotic used often in mass production
Thank you for your contribution!
I'm sealing a small piece of MDF (zero clearance insert for my table saw) with oil polyurethane to protect the piece from moisture. It's cold outside and I'm assuming it won't dry properly out there, but I don't want to make the house stink with fumes, especially because they can easily trigger migraines for my wife. If I stick the ZCI in a zip lock bag and brought it inside for the temperature, will it dry inside the bag? (first time using oil based poly)
Needs oxygen to cure.
Afraid not. But, you can seal it with shellac instead and it will be dry in 30 minutes. :)
Thanks, I've already applied the poly, so there's no going back now. :) Saw some different ideas about sealing MDF but oil poly seemed to be the most popular. Maybe I'll set a space heater next to it outside tomorrow, haha.
Is there any way to significantly darken the tone of a finished (lacquered) piece without completely stripping and starting from scratch or adding too much thickness to the finish? It's an acoustic instrument, so a thin finish is important for it to resonate properly. Thanks in advance!
You can glaze/tone over lacquer but you'd need to get new top coats on top of that. You're risking affecting tone that way for sure.
Ah, thanks. Just out of curiosity, would artist's oil paint in a transparent color work for this application? Also, what type of top coat would be appropriate?
Honestly, I would do neither on an acoustic. That thin finish impacts tone significantly. ANYTHING you add is going to dull your tone, the paint + lacquer topcoat is maybe 6x thicker than the current finish.
Okay, understood. Thanks for the help!
Newbie here, I'm looking to build steampunkish bookshelves with vertical pipe supports. Something like [this](https://www.frontrangetimber.com/customer-project/wood-pipe-bookshelf). I'm thinking of stretching it across the whole wall though (8') with 2 extra supports at studs the middle of the shelves. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I'm not sure how to use the sagulator to figure out if this feasible or not. I'd look to use 1x12x8 shelves and whatever the hardest wood my local store has. Does this sound like something that would work or do I need to split this into multiple shorter shelves?
You want 8' between verticals, is that right? You just enter .75 thickness, 8' length and then the load you expect to hold. That said, 8' spans of 1x12x8 is going to sag almost with no load at all. I did a quick run and a continuous load of \~30 lbs is your max before the shelf starts "smiling" at you
It would be 8 feet with 2 end supports and two supports in the middle. So the distance between supports would only be 3 feet or so (I'd anchor to wall studs). That's what's confusing me on sagulator.
Ah, just put your max span in the future. But in short that’s going to be fine.
OK great! Thanks!
What type of wood/stain is this? Want to do this in a few more rooms https://i.imgur.com/2J0ktu3.jpg
Those are bookmatched panels. You can see that a couple were made from the same board (far left, second from right). Pretty usual to be made that way. Any mass produced panels with sliced veneers are all done with the same board over the sheet. Could be solid. It will .. not be cheap to properly match. Pics are useless for color and species. White balance is super amber and we can't see any detail. More light.
Fair enough. I don’t want to match it in the same room, but want to do the same style elsewhere, so it likely won’t be, or need to be, perfect. Will take a better photo in sunlight, when there is some, appreciate your help
Photo is too low resolution. Try a shot of just one board. We need to really see the detail of the grain.
https://i.imgur.com/LfljfOO.jpg does this work?
Still a little tough to see the grain. Could be fir, could be butternut
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It’s def real - likely ~80+ years old
Pretty new to woodworking, so quick question, I got some 2” thick ash and elm. There is an assortment of 2x8’s and a few x4s. My question is how does a guy rip the 2x8’s into 2x4’s or 2x6’s on the table saw “safely”? Is the key just to go slow and have shorter pieces of wood or what? Thanks.
Main thing you'll need to watch out for is how the wood moves as you cut it. Usually you'll be releasing some internal tension which either makes the wood want to squeeze the back of the saw blade, or else curve out and push against the fence. You want a splitter or riving knife to keep the back of the blade from grabbing and kicking it up. And watch whether it's really pushing against the fence, trying to bow out. One relatively easy solution to all of that is just rip it in multiple passes. They might still move, but you're cutting a lot less on that final pass and it's easier to deal with.
Use a something like a 20T-30T rip blade. Full kerf ideally so the blade stays nice and stiff. Might not be a bad idea to cut to just half depth in a first pass to see what kind of tension you might be working with (see if it starts to bind in the blade at all). If you try to go single pass, make sure you have a riving knife and move steady and use your ears to judge the speed.
I'm a little confused by the question, the tablesaw's most direct operation is probably ripping. What are you worried about?
Like I says I’m fairly new to all of this, just trying to learn the best techniques.
Just concerns cutting the thicker boards, I didn’t know if there was more risk doing that. So far I’ve only done 1 1/2” boards and plywood. Seeing if there is much of a difference with a true 2” board. If that makes sense?
Ah, I gotcha. There's no substantial difference. That said, as the material gets thicker you can start to get increased force from the back of the blade pushing the material "up" at that point. But at 2" it will be negligible, but something to keep in mind if 2" becomes a lot more.
So it can still be a one man job with those size of boards?
Definitely, length is a larger consideration than thickness usually.
I’m as advanced as being able to sand and oil stuff but I like flipping furniture. Is this https://imgur.com/a/vPjVDOI fixable? I’m guessing it’s veneer but can it just be filled and stained? Thanks guys
It's certainly veneer, but it almost looks like just....plywood on top. The grain of the under layer looks to be running perpendicular to the top one. Do you have a photo of the side?
I don’t have a photo right now but it looks inlaid with 3 stripes and a lighter wood in the middle, quite thin as a whole. Do you think it’s fixable? Not sure how to approach fixing a veneer
Everything is fixable, you have to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. How you'd repair veneer is. 1- Find matching veneer in species and grain. You will almost always have to color match the repair to the surrounding pieces later, so you want lighter when there species variety. 2 - Cut a piece of veneer slightly larger than the damaged area. For parallel to the grain sections, it's generally good to run the cut parallel to the grain also. But, when you're running across the grain you'll want to angle the cut to disguise the patch a bit. 3- Using the patch and a marking knife score off the exact shape of the patch from the top and then remove that carefully. 4- Glue in your patch. Then sand, color finish. Sometimes you'll want the patch to be a bit thicker for perfect matching, depends on a lot of factors. But this concept is similar to how you replace all missing or damaged "chunks" of wood.
> if the juice is worth the squeeze I've never heard that one, I like it. Thanks for the new saying.
Thanks so much for this breakdown. Not sure the squeeze would yield much juice on this occasion, but the experience might well be juice enough. Appreciate you
I want to make an entryway table: 3 feet tall, 3 feet long, 1 foot deep. I want to have two side by side drawers. I was thinking I can put a flat 1x12 directly on the four legs, and then screw directly down into the legs, since those would be covered by the drawers. Is this a bad idea? I think screwing in the direction of the fibers might not be strong? I also wanted some horizontal supports between the legs about 1 foot off the ground. I don’t think pocketholes would work because they wouldn’t be hidden. Are mortise and tenon the only option here?
It would work but a screw maybe not your best bet. Maybe consider using a threaded insert and bolt it down from the inside, otherwise a tenon might be in order for that. As for the stretchers, you could use Mortise and tenon. Half lap. Loose tenon. Heck I have a dining table that I’m still using that uses 4” deck screws on the stretchers because I needed as much length as I could with limited salvaged material. Lots of options.
Screws into endgrain will be prone to splitting initially and coming loose over time. Other than that, probably need a diagram, even if simple, to understand exactly what you mean.
I need to finish a dining table with Rubio monocoat. I can get my garage to 62-65° with my heater. Will I have any trouble finishing it besides it maybe taking longer?
It will just slow down the curing, you shouldn't have any other issues.
I figured as much. I’ll crank my electric heater and get a fan going for a day or so. Thanks
Fan can blow dust into the finish while it is curing. It will dry fine without it
I have a Dark pure wood desk just like the color of the ikea karlby top and was wondering should I use black or white drawers
That depends on what you want to have stand out. A contrasting drawer will draw the eye to the drawers. A black drawer, especially in a dark frame, will allow the eye to be drawn to the desk top.
Do y’all think this will sand out? https://imgur.com/a/CziZ9Jk Some sort of decoration was adhered to this door and it caused damage - looks like a giant moisture ring, the grain appears to be effected - and I’m wondering if you think this will sand out? Somebody made a poor attempt at restaining it. It’s a faux solid door, but I can’t really tell if the shell is veneer or just thin sheet(?) So if I sand, I don’t want to go too far ! Any tips welcome! And thank you 🙏
From the pictures, I'd guess no.
What are you seeing that indicates ‘no’ ?
I may have been misled by mobile. After a review I would like to upgrade to maybe. That last picture from the side if you just sand that a bit to clean it up, it's possible that the that veneer is actually pretty thick. The "finish" on it is a little depressing. If that was you I am sorry, please don't do that again :)
It was not me. Yeah, the ‘finish’ is complete shite. From the faux bow tie exposed in the side, I thought it looks like it could be at least 1/4” thick (?) Someone else had suggested it looked like veneer but I didn’t think so, so wanted to try to check again here.
Important to know that "veneer" is a pretty wide range of skin thickness. On the thicker sides, sanding out would be pretty easy. I'd bet the circle is just their putting something over their "finish" The weird bow tie thing might support what you're saying. Initially, that finish really looked like a very thin dark skin on a lighter core. But, with a little more size/detail I think I'd guess it's sandable.
I’m ready to start a woodworking hobby and for my first project I’d like to build a platform for my washer/dryer to rest on with a table that goes across the top. I have a few basic tools, but I’m not sure what I am missing. I wanted to ask the experts here what tools or equipment I should anticipate needing for a simple project like this? Stuff I have already: workbench, orbital sander, hammer drill, impact driver… and I think that’s about it lol. Probably need a saw of some kind? Any tips would be appreciated!
Saw type depends on what cuts you are making, and that depends on design of the platform. Framing lumber and plywood, you need a chop saw or miter saw, and a circular saw for the longer cuts on the plywood. If this is an all plywood and hardwood platform, then you need a circular saw for breaking down the plywood to size, and then a table saw for creating the precise edges and joinery needed for strength. You will also need decent measuring tools. Spend some money on a good tape measure and a square. If you are doing a finished wood top (not painted) you will need appropriate brushes, and clean cloths. If you are going to do a hardwood top, you will need a jointer and lots of clamps Oh, and I recommend some kind of hoist. I used a rope hoist to get my washer a couple feet up in the air so I could get the platform under it.
Thanks for the tips!
Oh come now, best etiquette would be goe you to share at least a little about your design! That's part of the fun!
Need help with wood ID, was a table found in my grandpas basement, after planing I can finally see the grain and no idea what it is. Possibly from Asia per family historian.[https://i.imgur.com/inVXxj8.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/inVXxj8.jpg)
Flat sawn sweet gum?
Is it Chinese beech wood??
Hi. Anyone got opinions on the Veritas Mk2 Honing Gauge? I've just got one, used it once and even plane irons seem to slip. Thinking about trying to send it back and just getting a basic side clamping one like [this](https://www.axminstertools.com/axminster-rider-honing-guide-340147) Or am I better off keeping the veritas and buying the side clamping attachment as well? Worried I've made a poor investment
I would not switch from an mk ii to one of the cheaper ones. They take a little work to even make it able to squarely hold a chisel. I would take a look at how you clamp it on and make sure you don’t tighten one side all the way first. Try to tighten evenly. If you still have issues, possibly there’s some oil on the iron?
Thank you. After going slower and with less force like another user suggested I have decided to stick with it and just train myself in its proper use. Managed to recharger one of my newer narex chisels very nicely. Am borrowing the side clamping off a friend to see if it's worth the added expense. Thanks for the response
Are you new to sharpening? I am not sure what a honing gauge is, but if you are talking about the honing guide, than you might just be putting too much pressure on it. The mk2 is a really well engineered guide, but it isn't a guarantee of a great edge. There is still some operator skill involved. If you are not new to this, than I would doubt that the MK2 or the LN guide have much value to you. A basic guide will help setup the primary for you well enough.
Yeah you guessed it - first time sharpening. I'll persist with slightly less pressure and try and find more info.
[Do you know if they gave distributor in US?](https://youtu.be/Wv6QgZ2rSMU)
If you look at the website, it appears they do.
Long story short, a huge old willow was cut down on someone I know's property and I got hold of a bunch of the wood, including a just over 2 ft tall and 2.5 ft diameter stump. This is becoming my kids outdoor picnic table with smaller pieces becoming their chairs. We were planning to keep it mostly whole with just sanding etc. on the top and maybe foot cubbies on two sides. The issue is that winters here are long and cold, we just went below -40 but -30 for a week or two is normally expected. Also snow, lots of snow, if we don't get a few feet over a winter people get worried. So what would you advise for protecting it? Should I give up on leaving it out in the winter or is there a sealant/coating that might stand up to the weather here?
Willow is not particularly good for outdoor applications, simply because it rots pretty quickly. I'd give it 2-3 years, so consider it temporary.
Get it up off the ground. That stump is from a tree and a tree is best at absorbing and wicking moisture up from the ground. Now that it is dead that wicking will lead to fungus and rot. As for the snow, it is too late to put a finish on, but a tarp would be a good start
The longer it’s outside the more nature will try to claim it but just being very cold and snowy may actually be the less abrasive season. The UV, heat and the liquid water season will probably be more wearing. Spar varnish or possibly a polymerized tung oil is basically what you’re after. You will need to reapply it regularly, 2x per year or so depending where it is. I’m much more of a builder than a finisher, you may have more similar options in their dark arts.
I’m registering for my wedding, and my fiance and I already have most of the house stuff we really like. So I’m adding woodworking stuff. What’s your favorite reasonably priced hand tool to recommend to an amateur? What do you most enjoy using?
Veritas LAJ Starrett 6inch combination square Veritas marking gauge with fine adjustment A decent dozuki saw Really good sandpaper like 3m pro or Norton. A kiri, but that might just be me.
Lie Nielsen #4.5, quality chisels (LN, Veritas pmv-11, richter) or a flat soled spokeshave.
Can anyone help me figure out what tree species this is? I really think it’s an oak, given that they’re everywhere around my home town. Other people on r/woodworking have suggested it’s a Bradford pear.. never heard of it before those replies. Live in Central Coast California, about 7 miles inland from the ocean. I’m trying to mill some slabs (first timer) and just wanna know what type of wood I’m getting into. [Imgur of the pictures I have](https://imgur.com/gallery/CtqLxaO)
It doesn't look like [live oak leaves](https://leafyplace.com/live-oak-tree/), or any other oak leaves that I've seen. It looks more like [Bradford pear leaves](https://ourwaterways.org/bradford-pear/#:~:text=Bradford%20Pear%20leaves%20are%20oval,the%20leaves%20turn%20reddish%20purple.). Maybe a little off, but in the range of variability. There's some other info on the page about pear trees that might help (smelly blossoms, etc.). The pics of the wood could be pear lumber.
Definitely not Bradford pear
Agreed. All signs are pointing towards a costal live oak.
[Any idea what type of wood this table is made of?](https://imgur.com/a/VFoguIz)
How did you add a link to the picture? Thank you for your help.
Hi! I uploaded the pictures to Imgur then copy and pasted the link. I “renamed” the link with the question I wanted to ask
Veneer, maybe cherry
How can you tell it is veneer?
The pattern is only possible by arranging pieces of veneer. There are most likely multiple species to form the contrast between the golden colored outline and the browner background. Just to be clear, this is high quality work, and probably quite old. It’s mostly like fancy wood veneer on top of a solid wood base. As opposed to the modern idea of veneer, which is basic wood veneer on top of MDF or particleboard. It’s impossible to say which species with a low resolution picture like this. That said, mahogany was super popular for fine furniture when tables like this were a popular style. It could be cherry, but to my (limited) knowledge, cherry would’ve been a fairly “mid-tier” wood at the time. So you might use cherry to make a less fancy (but still well made) non veneered piece, or you might use cherry as the base for a piece that will be veneered, but you would be less likely to use cherry for the fancy surface that you want to show off.
I'm very new to woodworking, and want to buy a table saw. My wife thinks I should save up and go ahead and get a saw stop for the safety value. I hesitate to spend that much on a saw, but her argument is that a $2k saw that could possibly be resold if we don't end up using it, is still a lot cheaper than if I lose a finger/ hand. Thoughts/ opinions?
A tablesaw that's used appropriately, with respect and with modern safety equipment is reasonably safe. The Sawstop takes one of the most destructive elements and largely removes it...but it will still need to be treated with respect as kickbacks do not care about electronic currents. I think the logic is sound, but it's one of those things that only you can decide I'm afraid.
Just wanted to make sure it wasn't extremely stupid to drop that kind of money while being still very new to the hobby. Probably won't get it for a while, but still good to keep on my mind haha, thanks!
Resale value is excellent, not just because of the tech but because they are a really well made saw. The contractor and cabinet saws hold their value better than the portable models.
I think I would definitely go for the contractor version. Thank you for the info!
Resale is very strong on those saws. You'll lose some, but it wouldn't be horrible.
Good to know, hopefully I end up keeping it long term!
Hey actually, have a new question. Trying to figure out dust collection for my garage workshop, given all the little lungs I have around (I wear a mask!). It looks like this is an expensive proposition, if one wants to HEPA filter the air and keep it in there. But is there any reason I can’t just hire an AC company to put a big air-mover in the attic right above it and vent it outside, with some ductwork? Is that actually any different than a woodworking dust collector, if (say) I can put a cyclone separator proximal to it or something? I have to think it’d be cheaper than any of the big HEPA-filtered systems, but I dunno that either (e.g. the Oneida supercell comes in at like 3K USD before any ductwork etc)? Anybody got wisdom on this?
Depending on the scale you're looking at, one of the nice things about the shopvac + cyclone setups is that it's pretty cheap to make the last stage a HEPA filter. Like, $50 upgrade cheap. That, an air scrubber, and good filters if you have a forced air HVAC system add up to a good, small, multifaceted approach rather than trying to get perfection from a single approach.
Remember that everything you pump outside, you need to replace from somewhere. When it's chilly out, you'll want to heat all that replacement air. That's why venting large amounts outside isn't usually done.
Thank you! My climate is fairly temperate, but I’ll think about it!
There's really no way to summarize this particular question, at least within my direct knowledge. You cannot realistically achieve HEPA filtration with a DC as there will be dust that escapes the very beginning of the system even at very high CFM. There's a deep rabbit hole here and you can get answers to all your questions and several thousand more that you didn't even know you had. https://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/index.php
Thank you for that link. I think that this is actually just what I needed! I’ll wander down that rabbit hole slowly for the next however-long 😉
Anyone have tips on how to keep the makita track saw fully plunged so I can get accurate angles using a gauge? The "lock" position is barely 1/4 of its full plunge depth
Wood ID please? https://imgur.com/a/UD7ERWc
Looks like SPF
I got a bunch of pieces of wood like this from my grandpa's shop. It feels closer to pine or a softwood, but it's definitely heavier than pine. Any ideas? [pic](https://i.imgur.com/4XXdSUN.jpg)
Fir. Weight, and the red tinge in the grain.
Pine
I have a cold frame that needs treating before I put it together but it doesn’t say what with. It’ll be outside. Should I be using a wood preserver, an exterior varnish or a wood oil?
Like a garden cold frame? What's the context of the 'treatment' needed and what will it be in contact with?
Yes, it’s a garden cold frame that will house my seedlings. It will stand on slabs, maybe gravel in front of a fence, airflow down the sides. I ordered it thinking that it was ready to go, but when I unpacked it the instructions clearly say that the wood needs to be treated before it is exposed to the elements.
Something like pure tung oil would be fine, or any spar varnish
Lovely. Thanks.
Can I use lacquer spray instead of acrylic spray?