Woodshop Life Podcast Woodshop Life Podcast

This Episode's Questions:
Brians Questions:
Hey guys, I am building an arts and crafts style entryway table that is roughly modeled after a Stickley magazine stand. It will have an upper “shelf” that is surrounded on three side by the rails or stretchers on the side and back and is open on the front. The bottom “shelf” is identical. These two shelves are seated into the four legs. The front legs have a full depth groove cut into them that the shelf seats into and the rear legs have a cutout on the inside corner for the rear shelf support. I will include a link at the bottom showing the piece that I modeled my table after. The original is smaller and has three shelves, mine will only have two and will have spindles between the rear top and bottom stretchers as well. However, the way the shelves are attached will be the same.
My question is this: How can I attach the shelves to the front and rear legs without causing issues with wood movement? The shelves will be somewhere in the 13-14” deep range. Gluing the shelf to the rear legs and letting the shelf slide in the groove in the front legs would work but there is no front rail or stretcher connecting the two front legs so I don’t think that works. Can I glue the shelf to all four legs? Alternatively I suppose I could put a small low profile stretcher under the shelf connecting the two front legs, but I don’t think it exists on the original and I’d prefer not to if I don’t have to. Please feel free to contact me to clarify anything if I didn’t explain well enough. Kellen
I think the thing I struggle with the most in building furniture is laying out where each part is going to come from on the rough boards. All the wood I've bought so far was air dryed from Facebook marketplace, so maybe that has made it harder since the boards are never perfectly straight. I always use straight grain sections for the legs and I try to also use straight grain for any aprons, rails and stiles. This leaves alot of waste. If I have a 8" board and I use say 2.5" from each edge of straight grain, what do you do with the leftover center section that is just cathedrals? When do you not use straight grain on these types of parts? Any other advise on laying out parts on the rough boards? Thanks again for answering my questions and the best podcast. Jeff
Guys Questions:
Hey Guys,I love your show! I usually listen on my commute or while I'm working in the shop.I'm building a hayrake table out of walnut and haven't decided on the finish. I'm looking for something durable, easy to wipe clean (I have kids), and not super glossy.  Any suggestions on what to use and how to apply it?Thank you for all the great tips! Ezra
Thank you for your fantastic podcast! I really appreciate how accessible and practical you make woodworking for both beginners and experts alike.I’ve been woodworking for about two years now, mostly building cutting boards, boxes, gifts and simple furniture out of basic hardwoods. I’ve also dabbled in making furniture with plywood, such as a bedside table for my 11-year-old. I’m fortunate to be a member of a shared woodworking shop at a local arts and crafts society, which is well-equipped with power tools including a SawStop cabinet saw.Our shop uses a shared set of well-worn Freud blades which get pretty beat up, but I’ve had the privilege of using nicer table saw blades loaned to me by the shop keeper, who has been incredibly supportive as I develop my skills. This brings me to my question: I am ready to purchase my own table saw blades and have zoomed in on CMT as a brand for their value.I’m considering three blades: an 80-tooth Hi-ATB crosscut, a 24-tooth flat top grind ripping blade, and a 50-tooth combination blade with ATB and one TCG tooth, all in full kerf. My research suggests that the main arguments for thin kerf blades are that they are easier on low power table saws and produce less waste. Since I have access to a SawStop cabinet saw, I don’t need

This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
I have a question for you about glueing up table aprons. And I’m mostly referring to large dining tables. The aprons I’m making are generally w 8/4 stock roughly 4” width. I can manage to get the legs and the aprons milled and cut square. All my joinery is w dominoes. Whenever I do the glue up everything is slightly out out square despite everything being square prior to glue up . I have pipe clamps and parallel clamps and have tried both. For some reason I can’t get the clamping pressure or positioning right. Any tips would be appreciated. Timber Tables
Hi guys!Love your podcast and listen for over a year during my early walks in the morning.  I’m always picking up a tip or two. Keep up the great work!My question has to do with designing a bowling ball rack shelf system for my granddaughter. She is an outstanding bowler with well over 20 balls so my little ball rack is only going scratch the surface.My plan is for a 12 ball bowling rack with three shelves with four 15# balls on each shelf. Each shelf will be made of 3/4 poplar (to be painted with college colors) and is 46” wide, 10” deep and will have 3” chamfered holes for each ball to sit in. So the shelf has to support 60# in bowling balls!I’ll be fastening the shelves to the upright side with through tenons.Do you guys think 3/4 poplar shelves with through tenons and chamfered holes to be enough to hold 60#? This is the first time I’ve created anything requiring that much weight to support.   Any suggestions welcome. Thanks! Pappy
Guys Questions:
Hi all. Looking for recommendations for entry level laser engraver to be used for making router templates / engraving logos and simple designs on my woodworking projects such as cutting boards, wall decorations, etc. Are there any alternatives to a laser engraver that would do the same in a similar lower price point? thank you for a great show! Max
Hello gents, as always, the podcast is one of the best out there. My question for you is about pivoting. What I mean by that is, what do you do when something happens during a project that causes you to take a different direction? Recently I completed a humidor for a friend. He gave me the rough dimensions that he wanted, and his only specification was that it had some contrast and some nice looking grain. I made myself a plan and began working on making the box sides with alternating maple and cherry. My original intent was a 4 corner grain match. Unfortunately, my miters did not come out well, so I changed to a corner post design using mahogany. Since the client did not know the original plan, this was an easy change to do in my shop. Have you guys had to change your plan mid way through a project? How did you handle it and how well did it work out? As a side note, sometimes I appreciate the original plan going sideways because it forces me to think of viable alternatives.Keep making sawdust and sharing what you love.Joshua from The Blackdog Woodworks.
Huys Questions:
Hi guys, I have a question for the best woodworking podcast around. I bought some beautiful air dried white oak from someone who had it sitting in a barn for 20 years.  I have two 4/4 boards that are 8 foot long, 10.5" wide and almost dead straight.  I would like to use them for the top of a dresser but there are several lighter shaded bands going across the boards (on both sides).  I believe these stains or marks are from stickering.  I did a light pass through my planer and it doesn't appear that it made a difference.  Are these boards totally ruined? I am not confident that if I keep planing them this will go away, plus they are just north of 4/4 in thickness and I was hoping to keep them as thick as possible.  Jeff
Thank you for your informative podcast, enjoy the experience and diversity you bring to woodworking enthusiasts.   I was recently installing drawer faces on a nightstand. The drawer boxes were just slightly inset so soft close slid

This Episodes Questions:
Brians Questions:
Hey guys thanks for the best podcast You knowledge and wisdomThanks for answering my last question about what project would help build my skillsMy question now is I’m looking for a set of chisels and I don’t know what brand to get i’d save up to buy the brand that to get recommended cause I want a set that lastsThanks for your help and guidance wise ones Ashtin
I hope you can help me:I made a 58 inch round table top out of 3/4 inch, good quality plywood. It's meant to sit on top of smaller round table (48 inches) to add additional seating for occasional use when extra guests are coming to dinner. I've done it before with good results. To make it manageable, and because it's quite heavy, I cut it in half. I use a rug pad between the smaller table and the 'topper' table to keep the 2 halves from slipping.  I fitted it and made sure it worked in the space and was stable before doing the finishing.  All good so far.My problem is: I finished one side with stain, lacquer and wax and it looks great.  Then I turned both halves over and repeated the same process on the other side.  When both sides were all finished, I noted that one of the halves had developed a slight bow, thus making the fitting together of the 2 halves a little wonky.  But, when I turned only the bowed half over, the 2 halves fit together perfectly.  YAY!   BUT - here's my problem.  With both sides lining up perfectly, and laying flat on the rug pad on top of the smaller table, the stain color is slightly different on the 2 halves.Thinking about how this happened I realized I had to open a new can of stain part way through staining the 2nd side. I must have mixed one of the cans poorly. Or maybe different batches can be slightly different?What are my options? I don't think any of these will work.Do I:1. Try to clamp the bowed half of the table topper (plywood) for awhile hoping to eliminate the bow?2. Try to refinish the halves that fit so they match?3. Come up with a latch of some sort to eliminate the bow when using the table topper?Since the lacquer is on and wax is rubbed in on both sides, I don't even think I could paint, or add a veneer.Am I stuck with a harlequin table topper? Trish O'Neill
Guy's Questions:
In contrast to some podcasters who seem to think we are interested in listening to them talk for the sake of talking,   you guys have the best podcast as far as communicating tips and techniques for woodworking so thank you for all your hard work.I have been been working and building things wood for many years but within the last year have dove into making more fine woodworking type of projects, with nice woods like Walnut and Cherry for example.I have been using shellac as well as 1:1:1 mixtures of BLO:Polyurethane:Turpentine and Beeswax:BLO:Turpentine for finishing so far.  Wipe on, wipe off technique... What finishes are considered best to really highlight the chatoyance/beauty nice figured woods?  It seems like the finishes I have used so far are not doing it justice that or maybe I am just too critical. Quinn
Hey guys! Thank you so much for your hard work on the podcast. I love listening to how much fun you guys have and getting answers to questions on various woodworking topics. Great content! We are running a woodworking company, mainly doing cabinets, out of our 500 square foot garage. We have a Hammer 12" planer but would like a sander to assist with uniform door sizes. When it comes to sanders, what would you recommend? Would it be worth getting an open-ended wide belt sander (Grizzly 15" or something) for the extra horsepower and belt size, or would a drum sander be sufficient? Within the realm of drum sanders, would an open model (such as Supermax 2550) running on 110v be sufficient, or would you recommend a closed model with greater horsepower? More capacity, less power, or vice versa? Just want to hear your thoughts on width capacity, motor power, belt size, machine footprint, a

This Episode's Quesions:
Brians Questions:
I plan to build a handtool workbench in the future, maybe in a year or so, but as of right now, I do not have any workholding devices.  I have a large assembly table that does have an overhang and the top is 1.25" thick.  I have been using clamps to the top as a stop for planing and it does not work very well.  I also need a way to hold the wood for using chisels, and I haven't bought any dovetailing tools yet because of the lack of workholding devices.  Are there any good vises that don't require cutting a hole in my assembly table or makeshift ways to hold the wood until I can build a proper bench? Thanks Jeff
When sanding end grain, say when you’ve got a panel where you’ve chamfered or rounded over the edge, which direction should you sand? I’d imagine you continue to follow the grain direction from the adjacent face grain but I’m not sure. Can you sand across the grain? Thanks for the great podcast, you guys really do have the best wood working show out there! Eric
Guys Quesions:
Hey GuysI am looking to set up a shop in my  unheated garage. I live in Canada so the weather is inconsistent. Very cold in the winter and very hot and humid in the summer. I am thinking of setting up a small workbench in my basement to cut joinery and do glue ups/assembly. I would keep all of my big power tools( table saw, planer etc.) in the garage. This setup would allow me to work comfortably through the year. My question is with wood movement.If I stored wood in my air conditioned basement and just took it out to the garage for a few hours at a time to plane and cut to size and then brought it back inside to cut joinery with hand tools, would the few hours spent in the humid or cold garage be enough time to warp the boards after I brought them back in?Heating the garage isn’t  a realistic option right now as I have two young children and would probably only be able to get a few hours in the shop a week. (Not worth the cost)Thanks for all of the help. This podcast has been a huge influence in helping me to get started with woodworking. Derek
I have a small benchtop jointer that a friend gave me for free and a Dewalt 735 planer. For anything but pretty small parts, I use a sled to joint lumber in my planer. I'd like to upgrade both of these eventually. I have a big shop with plenty of power, so neither of those are an issue. My budget is generally the limiting factor. I do plan to keep using standalone machines for the convenience of maintaining settings and flexibility of workflow.  I'd like to get a big jointer first and keep using the 735 while I save up for a big, heavy 220v planer. My question is about 12 inch combo machines. I keep seeing decent 12" combo machines come up used for way less than I can find a standalone 12" jointer. I've seen a few of the Jet machines for $2k-$2500 and a friend recently got a Hammer A3 31 for $3500. Even new, combo machines seem to run way cheaper than a 12" jointer. Why? I understand the beds are shorter, but other than that, what is the disadvantage. Is it ridiculous to buy one if I have no long term need of the planer function and don't plan to use it? Parker
Huys Quesions:
Hey guys,Thank you for your many thoughtful responses to the questions you receive from your listeners.I  tend to get bored after I've made the same type of project several times (ie pencil boxes, pens, etc..).If I am not in a time crunch,  I like figuring out how to do something to make a project a little more challenging and interesting.I like looking at projects to give me some inspiration on how I might make a new project.  Early on in my woodworking journey I gained a lot of positive inspiration from watchin 'New Yankee Workshop'.The way Norm broke down processes in his projects was very helpful to me.However, there are some projects I've seen which are incredibly intimidating.(ie  highboys, Maloof rockers, etc...).  While I admire these types of projects,  I do

This Episodes Questions:
Guy's Questions:
With mothers day around the corner, I plan on knocking out a couple of small jewelry boxes. Mitered corners and book matched grain for a seamless look. 2 questions leading into this project. The first is more likely for Guy.
In the past my boxes have been cut to 45.1 degrees to ensure a closed outside corner. My table saw is a jobsite saw and setting a precise angle is extremely difficult. I recently set up a router table and have seen guy use a 45 degree chamfer bit to cut miters this way. How close to 45 degree do these bits actually get? Is there a brand you recommend for better accuracy? How bad is the tear out?
2nd question. In the past I used a wiping poly to finish the boxes. However VOC's are a concern for these boxes. I'd like to finish the boxes with a base coat of shellac and finish with beeswax top coat. I purchased a block of beeswax but didn't really think about how to dissolve it for quick finish. Seems like mineral spirits are the leading candidate but I'm curious if anyone has used natural oil citrus solvent for the same task (I'd likely by the version from milk paint company). Jose
Gentlemen, thank you for all you do to support and educate the woodworking community through this podcast and other platforms.  I'm planning out a full kitchen remodel for our home and will be building the cabinets myself.  The style of cabinets will be frameless/euro style which means all the plywood will need to be edge banded.  The plywood will be pre-finished, but the doors and drawer fronts will be painted.  How would you recommend finishing the edge banding to match the door and drawer front color?  Would you do hardwood edge banding and paint it?  That seems like it would take a lot of taping which leaves room for lots of error.  Is there such a thing as custom colored edge banding for cabinets that is either iron-on or peel-and-stick?  I don't have an edge banding machine so that probably limits my options.  Thanks in advance for your help! Joel
Hi guys,Thanks for providing some great knowledge for fellow woodworkers.My question is around drum sanders and the usefulness of them in a hobby shop. When do you use a drum sander and what type of projects are you using a drum sander on?I just purchased a 20” bandsaw and would like to start resawing veneers for projects. In the past I would buy 1/16” thick veneers from a commercial veneer shop which worked well. But I question if a drum sander is actually required/desired  for this operation. I’ve read a bunch about troubles with drum sander’s and really question if it speeds up the work.Could I just joint a fresh face, resaw. Then joint another fresh face and so on. Then glue up the panel. And either clean up the panel on the planner or ROS?In my  future I probably have a set of kitchen cabinets and various built in cabinets(which I would either buy plywood or use commercial veneer and glue my own). I normally make freestanding furniture as well. This isn’t a production shop, and I have all the normal tools for dimensioning lumber, TS, Jointer, and planer.Feel free to summarize my question, just wanted to give you guys enough context.Thanks,Jesse Beechland Furniture
Huys Questions:
Hi GuysHave known of & liked Guy’s YT channel for a number of years and recently came across this podcast which I’m really enjoying as I go through the back catalogue.I must be on similar wavelength to you Guy as I love (& own a lot / most of) the Incra stuff, saw your MFT style outfeed which I’m about to build a copycat of (just awaiting delivery of the aluminium extrusion) and am in the midst of milling the timber to start building your mini workbench, the plans for which I recently bought.I then happened on your YT channel the other day Huy and whilst watching the 6yo shop tour video was interested to see your boom arm. Could you tell me a bit more about it. Is it bought as is, or built up from tubing etc?Keep up the good work.T

This Episodes Questions:
Brian's Questions:
I'm so curious about the Laguna bandsaws that Guy used at work. Long time listeners of this podcast could easily believe that Laguna bandsaw tables are at knee height and unusable. But I have a Laguna 14/12 and the table is at 35", which seems really normal, and I'm pretty tall. All the other Laguna saws I've used or been around seem about in the same range. Is this not normal? Is Guy freakishly tall? Or an advocate of chest height bandsaw tables? Parker
I haven't felt like my woodworking really justifies a jointer yet.  I don't generally mind using a planer sled to get flat faces and a jointer sled on the table saw to edge joint boards, but I've never tried to use those workarounds on long stock (over 4'.)  With that being said, this dinner table project that is looming ahead of me seems like it might be the moment to finally take the plunge and buy a jointer. Do you think its possible to get the table top glue-ready without a jointer? I trust my planer sled to get flat faces, but I'm wondering if you think edge jointing such long boards is possible with an extra long table saw jointer sled jig.  Any tips on milling and glue up for this table top would be very appreciated. 
Part 2: Or maybe you guys can give me the nudge to consider this dinner table project as the moment to finally buy a jointer.  I suspect that a bench top jointer wouldn't give me much (other than efficiency) over the work arounds that I already use for milling.  Do you have any recommendations for a first jointer? I don't have major space limitations but I do like to save money, so I'm curious if you guys would send a case like mine to scour craigslist or facebook marketplace for an old delta 6".
Thanks as always for your contributions to the woodworking community!  It can't be said too often: you guys really do make the best woodworking podcast there is!! Evan
Guys Questions:
Hey guys, I’m new to woodworking, really enjoying listening to the podcast!! I have a question, would you guys be able to go over what you use your 3/4, 4/4 etc lumber!? I often think that you need thick lumber for projects. I don’t have a project in mind but I bought some rough saw lumber that I plan on using for trim in the house but I bought enough to have plenty left over. Ivan
I want to build a cherry coffee table for my house. We've got a couple of cherry pieces that I've made. I really love watching them darken and get more beautiful with age. The other pieces I've made don't really see much direct blasting sunlight so the process is subtle. The coffee table however, would get some direct morning sunlight every day (or at least for the three months of the year that we get direct sunlight in the pacific northwest). I'm worried about uneven color change and sun shadows on the top where there would be decorative objects or books or things left in one spot for a period. If I pre-darken it by leaving it in the sun for some hours or a day or two will that slow the process enough to alleviate this? If so, should I do it before or after finishing? Is there anything else I can do to help, besides not putting stuff on top of course? Parker
Huys Questions:
Hi Fellas, I recently purchased a horizontal crown bit ( ref: Yonico 16172 ) to apply a soft dimple to the drawer faces on my tool cabinet. I will be recessing the drawer pulls within them.The challenge that I'm facing is that the drawer faces are a little small, 5 1/2" x 3 1/4", and without being overly creative on work holding, I'm not seeing a safe way to plunge the face onto the bit in my router table, or plunge the bit into the face with a hand held router.My plan is to chuck the bit into my drill press and use that to apply the cut.  What experience, tips, or words of advice might you have in using a drill press with router bits? I have a Grizzly G7943 which only spins up to 3050 rpm.Thanks in advance, and for all that you guys do for our craft of woodworking!Justin
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