Woodshop Life Podcast

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Hey all, great podcast, thank you for doing what you do.What are some favorite Christmas gifts to make with scrap wood?Specific context for me: been woodworking for a while, hobbyist, been giving gifts to people for years and now I've lost track of who has gotten what. Just trying to get some ideas for this year. Time is easier to give to a project than money. I also like the lathe for scrap projects. Have found a good glue up can make a good looking bowl.Follow up/more specific questions:What are some favorite scrap wood projects that are not kits from Rockler (or similar companies)?Other than a bowl, what are some other gifts that can come off the lathe?What are some non kitchen items to make from scrap wood? (I believe I've given too many cutting boards, charcuterie boards, cooking utensils over the years). Jim Hello friends, I haven't submitted a question in a hot minute, as the kids say, but I finally have a good one for you and it's regarding something I'm truly stumped about. After hitting you guys with question after question about, "How do I do _______ without a jointer or planer?" I finally got myself a thickness planer. It's louder than all hell, and it's nothing fancy, but I'm glad I have it. There's only one issue that I'm having with it, and I can't figure out what's causing it. When I'm getting ready to Mill down some stock, I first set the height of the planer blades so they aren't taking off any material at the start. The depth of cut indicator is at "0". I'll even send the board through with the blades at this height sometimes just to make sure the gauge is accurate. I then lower the blades by 1/64", aka a quarter turn of the handle. I send the piece of stock through, it takes off some material, whatever. So far, so good.Here's what's throwing me off: after I've fed that board through the planer, I can feed that same board right back through, with the blades still set at the same height, and the planer will take off about the same amount of material, from the sound of it. This doesn't only happen on a second pass, either. I can feed the same board through the planer six, seven, or eight times, without adjusting the cutting depth, and the planer continues to remove material at each pass. Unless I'm missing something about how planers work, I would think that the material should have been planed down to thickness on the first pass. I can't figure out why it continues to remove material after multiple passes when I haven't changed the settings. This happens to me every time I use my planer.Not sure if this is relevant but I have a Ridgid #R4331 planer. I also attached a link to a very loud video demonstrating this phenomenon. Thank you in advance for your help and expertise, and thank you for continuing to take the time to put out this phenomenal woodworking podcast. I hope your projects are doing well, and I hope you're doing even better.Sincerely, Zachary T Owens Guys Questions: Hello,Thank you for the great podcast and for answering my questions. I have a question on using Transtint dye. I heard Guy and Huy mention they use it. Not sure about Brian. Anyway, I screwed up 2 projects when trying to apply it. In both cases I mixed it into Zinser Sealcoat shellac. Firs time applied with foam brush on elm. The second time wiped on on maple plywood. In both cases, the color was very inconsistent. I ended up throwing away the plywood and sanding the elm back to bare wood. My question is, is it ok to add Transtint dye to shellac? If so, what could be my problem?More importantly, can you tell me the process you follow to apply Transtint dye?The dye I was using is Transtint Dark Walnut. Max I have owned my Sawstop cabinet saw for nearly a year now and I have consistently been impressed with the quality of the machine. One thing that has bugged me since I got the saw is the occasional binding I get when I do a rip cut especially. I have meticulously aligned t

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Love the podcast fellas! I have a simple question: When I use my table saw, I usually just check if the blade is "high enough" i.e. any height higher than the wood piece. Is there an ideal blade height for a given wood thickness? Thanks!Matt What is the most difficult project you've ever done?Brian Guys Questions: I’m wondering how thick is too thick to veneer onto a plywood box. I’ll be making a treasure chest for my daughter’s wedding (for cards and such) and lining it in leather. I have some wood I’d like to use for the outside as “veneer”, but it is a 3/8” thick. The species is morado, and they were a “special buy” thing at a Woodcraft I got a while ago. Basically, I have them and I’d like to use them if possible rather than buying something else.My bandsaw isn’t always the most reliable, so while I would feel comfortable splitting them and then planing them flat again, that might be as thin as I’m able to do. I’m guessing 1/8” thick once all the processing is done. Is that too thick to use as veneer? Is there a glue that’s better for a thicker veneer than a thin one?Thanks, Peter I recently bought a small bandsaw mill (Woodmizer LX30) and am becoming an amateur sawyer, exclusively to supply lumber for my own projects. 2 questions, here's the first: 1. In what use cases, if any, would you use air-dried lumber for your projects, assuming it is stickered properly, outside, with a rain cover on the top, for a year per inch of thickness? I was told by a friend who operates a kiln that air-drying in southern Indiana will never get the moisture content much below 13-15%, it will dry unevenly throughout the board, and it won't kill powder post beetles and other insects. His conclusion is that for any indoor woodwork projects, I should only use kiln-dried lumber. Do you agree? Why or why not? Fortunately, he's well-respected, trustworthy, and at $.35/bd-ft dried, affordable. But I can air-dry for free, so I'd be curious to know when, if ever, that may be workable.Kyle Huy's Questions: I have another good fundamentals of woodworking type question for you. Could you explain the differences between grain density and porosity? For a while I thought I knew what at least one of these meant. That was until I heard Guy describe oak as a tight-grained, open pore species. That whole description goes more or less right over my head. I'd really appreciate it if you guys could explain what grain density and wood porosity look like visually, as well as what effects these attributes have on working with a particular species, finishing it, etc. Thanks for all of your time and for sharing your expertise with all of us. The Fridays when you guys have new episodes are my favorite days of the week.Zach Hello Friends,I have a woodshop at my house in the PNW. I’m somewhere between a beginner and not a beginner.If you want to answer this question on your fantastic podcast, you can of course skip the preamble. I offer it here so you can understand the context and environment in which my question lives. Because we are friends, I care what you think, so I hope you don’t arrive at the conclusion that I’m impractical. I’ve tried to create a shop environment that incorporates a whimsical and creative aesthetic because that is how I aspire to be in this space.I built an entry door and carriage doors for my 500sq foot detached woodshop. Doors guts are constructed from poplar frames, 1.5” ridged insulation in the voids, MDO skin on the exterior side trimmed in the craftsman style with ¾ cedar. The interior side of the doors are skinned in plywood and laminated with orange counter top material. The orange is the same color as those orange shirts people who work hard wear. I like to wear these shirts to give my wife the impression that I too am working and not just fudging around. I wanted my workshop to feel likewise. Door window sills and trim are walnut. On the entry door, I’ve installed

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: I’ve been making music boxes and trying to replicate the traditional style (see attached photos). I’m struggling to get the curved edge just right. I’ve tried using a planer, but I keep messing up and have ended up wasting a lot of boards.Router round-overs almost work, but still need planed or sanded after routing to get the shape just right, and also they’re pretty dangerous given the small and awkward size of the pieces—I’m working with ¾-inch thick wood that’s 2.5 inches high for the box sides. I'd like a repeatable process that provides consistent shapes, but can't seem to find a way to achieve it. Advice? Trish I’ve heard a few of your podcasts where you speak about making boxes and using a router to make the miter. I’m assuming you’re using a bit with a 45° angle. What I don’t understand is, how do you get the sides to be the exact same length while using your router table. It would seem to me that having the top of the angle (the point of the angle) against the fence would be almost impossible to get perfectly sized sides. Can you please describe what I am missing here, since a perfect 45° angle using a route a bit seems incredibly simple. Mike G. Guys Questions: I have always tried to select straight grain for legs, aprons, stretchers and the frame of a frame and panel. I am now thinking this may be too much straight grain in a piece of furniture. When are the times that you would not do this and would instead use a more interesting grain pattern in these pieces. Does the wood species affect your choice? For example, it seems like the current trend with walnut is not worrying about getting any straight grain in the pieces at all. Thanks for all your help. Jeff Hi from Melbourne Australia. I’ve been listening for years, and I like how y’all do things! Thanks for making the best woodworking pod.Like everyone, I have a small shop, that I fit a lot into. Without listing every item… I’ve got stationary machines covered with a euro style slider (Hammer K3), a 14” bandsaw (N4400) and a combo planer/thicknesser (A3-31). Those 3 cover my needs really well, and I’ve learned to work within the capacity of my tools and space.It’s the secondary/benchtop machines that are causing trouble. Mitre saw was first to go. Don’t miss it, don’t need it. I’m looking at sanders next. The disc sander stays, couldn’t live without it. But the 1632 drum sander and the oscillating bobbin sander are both rarely used and take up space I want back.Could you life without them? If not, what’s the essential job they do for you?I’m usually making furniture sized objects. With the finish I get off the helical thicknesser, I find that hand planes/scrapers, ROS, and hand sanding is usually all I need. For bigger flat things, I’m gonna pay a pro shop to put it thru a wide belt sander anyway. Johnny Huys Questions: I was trained on a belt sander, and as Guy has mentioned, there is a learning curve. I’m now very proficient with one and it is a central part of my stock prep: from the planer, I belt sand a rough-sized board with 80 grit, wet it down and let it dry to raise any remaining compression marks from the planer, and then belt sand with 120. I then cut the board to final dimension, random orbital sand with 120, cut the joinery, and then random orbital sand the fitted piece to 180 before final assembly. The process leaves flawless surfaces every time. For panel glue-ups and tabletops, I glue up from the planer using cauls and then make sure the 80 grit belt sanding that follows evens out any discrepancies in height along the joints (hopefully they are minimal). I have zero experience with a drum sander, but I would consider getting one if it could replace some of the above belt sanding, as the belt sander is no light weight hand tool, and it’s a killer on my back when I have to sand a full width dining table. I would likely get the PM2244, as I have heard it is the easiest to adjust. You all have

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Hello gentleman, thank you again for one of the best woodworking podcasts available. I recently had the opportunity to travel to Lebanon IN for a few days of training at a tool manufacturer. I won't mention the company, but I got to use a Domino and a Rotex sander for the first time..., but I digress. While I was in the airport waiting for my flight home and enjoying a breakfast sandwich, I looked down at the table and noticed the "purposeful-design" logo branded on the top. This experience gave me two questions. One, what finish did Guy and Brian use on these tables to survive the abuse of so many travelers per day through an airport? Two, during the training we sanded a piece of cherry to 1500 grit, giving a very high sheen to the bare wood. What type of technique or finish would you use on something like that?Thank you for the great podcast, and I'm sorry I didn't have time to say hi while I was in Indianapolis. I waved from the plane, but you probably didn't notice. Josh Hello fellow wood-nerds. I would like some advice on finishing. I’ve been doing a bathroom remodel. Which means I’ve spent a very long time doing non-woodworking work and learning new skills and desperately missing my shop time. I’m near the end finally and actually get to do some woodwork to wrap it up. My new floor doesn’t quite line up with the floor in the next room and the transition pieces available don’t quite suit. So I’m making one custom out of walnut. My question is: what would be a good finish? I don’t want it glossy or “plasticy” looking. But of course it will be stepped on and exposed to humidity from the shower so it does need to be durable. Thanks in advance Jason Guys Questions: This one may for Guy specifically but I'm interested in getting a 3D printer and would like your opinion on what I might want to look at. I have a total budget of around $1000 and want something that is very turnkey; I don't have a ton of time to learn how to use the machine and would like that will work for me out of the box. I'm looking at the Bambu Labs p1S; would this be a good starter machine? Thanks again for the great Podcast! Ron Brewer Hi Guys, I am hoping to eventually upgrade my table saw from a jobsite saw. I have heard a little bit of discussion about the advantages of an induction motor over a universal motor but I was wondering if you could provide some insight about voltage for a table saw. Obviously higher power is available with table saws that operate on higher voltages but as a hobbyist I am wondering how much power I actually need. I do make some cabinets and furniture as well as smaller projects. So here is an assortment of questions that are perhaps intertwined:Is the increase in power with a 240V saw worth it? I would also have to get new electrical added to my garage. Is the type of motor related to the voltage? In your opinion are table saws that can be rewired from 120 to 240V a viable option? Would the power actually change with the rewiring? Are there any other considerations that I am not thinking of?Thank you all for your insight. Brad Huys Questions: If you're installing a herringbone floor, do you need to think about chatoyance, in addition to colour and grain pattern, when you're laying out the pieces? Do you want all of the pieces to be oriented to have similar chatoyance? Lauris Hello Guys, I listen to your podcast while driving to and from work. I really appreciate that you stay on track and offer several opinions regarding woodworking without the cackling and inside jokes, poor microphone control etc that other woodworking podcasts seem to have.I build a lot of Shaker style furniture with tapered legs and built my own taper jig, a sled which clamps the leg at the desired angle with the widest part of the cutoff leading into the blade. This has worked very well except that occasionally, the wedge that is cutoff tips into the crack between the saw blade and the inser

This Episodes Questions: Brians Questions: Howdy fellas,Love the podcast! I'm in the process of building a bench and misjudged how much wood I could get out of a board. The plans call for two stretchers of 3/4 maple about 65" long and 4.5" wide. After squaring and thicknessing, I'm down to 0.75-by-65-by-4.25 which is 1/4" too narrow. I initially thought I'd start over with a new board, but have decided to forge ahead with the slightly narrower stretchers since it won't impact the joiner, should still be plenty strong and will probably be imperceptible. In this example or others from your experience, how big of a boo-boo do you allow in your projects? Sorry if you've covered this before, I'm still catching up.Thanks, Bryan In a previous podcast, Brian mentioned he had used raking light after sanding and was impressed by how clearly sanding marks were visible. I have tried to deliberately use raking light to identify sanding issues. You can lift a small item at a angle towards an overhead light and sight along the surface which works but if it is larger surface this isn't practical. I have taken an led trouble light and held it at an angle close to surface but rarely see the sanding marks stand out. At some point in the afternoon sunlight hits the top of a project and marks are clearly visible . Any suggestions on using raking lighting on larger surfaces? Thanks for the great program, look forward to each new podcast. Dave at Xcuse4tools Custom Woodwork Guys Questions: Appreciate you all and look forward to your podcast. I was making raised panel doors for the cabinets in my shop. The panels are cut on the tablesaw with a tall fence jig and the blade tilted. This works well but leaves a few saw marks on the beveled portion of the panel which need to be cleaned up. The best way i know to sand this area is to wrap sandpaper around a small flat piece of plywood and manually sand it. This is time consuming and you are sanding across grain on two of the four bevels. I was wondering if there are any powered options available. I still have a quarter sheet sander but you hit the outer edge of panel if you use this on the bevel. Have you used a mop or star sanding wheel? This appears to be good for contours. Hoping you might have some insights possibly with Huy's recent furniture restoration efforts. Thanks, Dave@Xcuse4tools Custom Woodwork Hi there, As always, love the podcast and all of the insights and expertise you share. I’m preparing to do a built-in cabinetry project for our entertainment center. The full set of cabinets will be be about 11 1/2 feet wide. I’m planning to do shaker style doors, but with a beaded pdf panel with vertical beads going across the full width of the panel. I know Guy is probably going to say, “I’d just buy the panels and be done with it”, but let’s say that I really wanted to make them myself. How would you recommend cutting all of those beads. I have a Powermatic PM2000 and a nice cast iron router table and handheld routers, but no CNC. I recently saw a video where someone made these kinds of panels with a “Magic Molder” on the table saw. Would love to hear if you have any other methods. Pete Huys Questions: I have been woodworking for 6 years and have learned allot from your podcast. I recently took a finishing class and learned about the different finishes. Mineral spirits is the recommended thinner for oil based finishes. Why does Guy recommend Naphtha. What is the difference between Naphtha and Mineral Spirits. What advantage is there in using Naphtha. Thank you for all the great information you bring to the community. John Gents - Apologies for the long story, but you asked for questions.At the peak of the COVID pandemic I found myself watching far too many YouTube channels and came upon makers using European combination machines. Call it boredom or simply a need for a good excuse to travel during a traffic density period we hope to never see again, I researched a variet

Brians Questions: Thanks for sharing your knowledge and opinions - and answering my previous questions. It's been a great help.My shop is in my single car garage, which I share with household storage. It has a very high ceiling. I recently got a good deal on a new Jet AFS-1000B Air Filtration System. (note: I do not have a dust collection system, as I try to do mostly hand tool work, but I do use power tools as needed. So there is plenty of dust).The question is: where to locate the device?The options are: 1. I have a shelf that is suspended from the ceiling and could test to see if it will support the Jet unit. 2. There is a metal storage cabinet that I can set it on, and attach to the wall (per Jet instructions).3. Place it on the lower shelf of my Moravian style workbench. Attaching it directly to the ceiling is out, as it is too high, and I don't have ladders or scaffolding to get up there.The easiest is option 3 - on the lower shelf of the workbench. Will it be effective down there - about a foot off the ground? Or should I go for options 1 or 2?Thanks for any insight. David V. - Baltimore, MD Gentlemen,Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to share your knowledge through the podcast. I’ve recently caught up on all the previous episodes and really look forward to the bi-weekly insights you provide. It’s been a tremendous help as I navigate the early stages of woodworking and material sourcing.I have a question regarding quality expectations when purchasing from regional hardwood suppliers. I’ve recently started buying from a distributor in the Texas/Oklahoma area that operates multiple warehouses. While I’m still relatively new to this type of procurement, I’ve noticed a gap between what I expected from a “select & better” grade product and what I actually received.My recent order was for cherry lumber—select & better, RW&L, averaging 6 inches wide, 9 feet long, and 15/16" thickness, graded 90/70+. The issue I encountered was significant end-checking and splitting—some boards had cracks extending 10 to 18 inches. Since the lumber (along with some maple and walnut) was bundled and strapped to a pallet, it wasn’t until I got home—over an hour away—that I realized the extent of the damage.I understand that some waste is always part of the equation, but I’m trying to get a sense of what’s considered “normal” for a premium grade. Should I have contacted the supplier once I noticed the issue? Or is it standard practice to inspect the order before it leaves the yard? I’d appreciate any guidance or rules of thumb you might recommend for handling situations like this.Thanks again for your time and for all the valuable information you share. It’s been a huge help.Best regards, Mark Guys Questions: I’m preparing to build a set of kitchen cupboards from white oak. The style will be Mission, with some Frank Lloyd Wright Prairies Style touches. I have several questions. I’m going to build some assembly tables. I don’t want hundreds of dog/hold-down holes in each, but I will probably drill a few. I’m wondering about 3/4” (the traditional North American standard) vs. 20 mm (a standard popularized by Festool, etc.). I know this isn’t a black and white choice, but could you share some thoughts on what one might consider before committing to one size vs. another. Darrin I frequently seem to struggle with keeping the countersink concentric concentric with the screw clearance hole.I have both the multi-flue countersink and the countersink with one diagonal hole but they both want to wander. I also have a tapered drill bit with set-screwed countersink. Maybe I should be trying harder to use that type.So my question is - do you have any suggestions for keeping the countersink centered on the clearance hole, and what is your preferred type of countersink.Steve Huys Questions: Hello guys, my name is Jim Rose. I live in north central Kansas and have a couple of completely different topics for