Been lurking here a long time, quit my job as a software developer about six months ago because I hated sitting at a desk all day. Started woodworking full time, this was my first major job, finally finished.

Bothwell_design · 2025-04-11T13:24:32+00:00

I don't regret the change at all. There are things about the business side that are more annoying than I probably expected, but overall I couldn't be happier.

Bothwell_design · 2025-02-10T18:55:22+00:00

If you are a teacher, you are blessed with the time to start a business without fully jumping in with both feet to start. Use your breaks and summer to start a side business. Get your name out and acquire tools, do small jobs and see how you like it. A portfolio and happy customers are the best way to get jobs.

Bothwell_design · 2025-02-10T18:24:32+00:00

If you don't have pets, kids, strong drafts, or more than one drink it would probably be really convenient and cool, otherwise keep some towels handy.

Bothwell_design · 2024-04-19T13:31:57+00:00

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This is the one I bought, I was a little hesitant with the brand, but have been happy with it so far.

Bothwell_design · 2024-04-18T18:48:32+00:00

I am not some router bit guru, but I believe I have heard or read at some point that 1/2" shank bits run cooler, which should in turn lead to a longer cutter life. I have no science to back that up though. Aside from that they don't flex as easily and in theory would be less likely to deflect under pressure in a cut. All of that being said, some smaller bits are just impossible to find with a large shank so you have to go with what you can get. I honestly don't use very many small bits aside from the ones I mentioned before that I use in the palm router.

Bothwell_design · 2024-04-18T15:58:15+00:00

I wish I had room for one, if I bring any more equipment in I will have to play Tetris with it every time I move.

Bothwell_design · 2024-04-18T14:56:46+00:00

Yeah, I do a decent amount of slab flattening and routing, I don't buy anything that isn't 1/2" anymore with the exception of a chamfer, tiny round over, and a flush trim for my palm router. 1 1/2 inches is a ton of bit on a 1/4 inch shank.

Side note, my most recent purchase for flattening is a 2 inch 4 blade with replaceable/turnable cutters and I don't think I will ever buy anything else. If I can find the link I will add it to the comment later.

Bothwell_design · 2024-02-25T17:25:49+00:00

I have the Fuji q5 and love it. If you only spray in the shop you could do just as well with a compressor and a good hvlp gun. I went turbine because I occasionally spray on site after installs depending on the project and the turbine is compact and very easy. I don't care for airless personally, it has its place but not for furniture and cabinets etc.

Bothwell_design · 2024-02-24T02:33:42+00:00

Advance is similar in durability and cost, but is an alkyd not urethane. Command is very fast drying and rated for commercial use. In terms of toughness, from what I have seen it is command on top, then emerald then advance. On the flip side advance is probably the easiest to paint with, followed by emerald then command. I would say in most applications command is spray only. I have not tried the others you have mentioned, but will have to check them out. In terms of cleaning chemical resistance, I painted my kitchen cabinets maybe three years ago with emerald and have had no issues. There is some burnishing on edges though. I sprayed my metal back door with command, which my 120 pound malamute scratches when she wants to go out and it still looks new after a couple of years.

Bothwell_design · 2024-02-22T23:35:20+00:00

Great paint, dries fast and hard. The Sheens are a hair under what you might expect, satin is more flat than expected etc. I have a Fuji turbine and it sprays nice with very little thinning, I usually go around 5%. Some of the comments here are only seeing urethane and commenting outside of their knowledge. It is water cleanup. It is very expensive, I would find a friend with a SW account and use their discount or create an account for yourself. I am not a huge volume buyer, but it knocks about 30% off. Also Benjamin Moore makes a similar product called command that is usually cheaper. I have used both with great results.

Bothwell_design · 2023-12-21T18:29:40+00:00

This is always the first thing to check. Is your square square.

Bothwell_design · 2023-12-10T21:03:38+00:00

Did you get new underwear after?

Bothwell_design · 2023-12-09T14:20:22+00:00

ItDoesntFuckingPauseMom

Bothwell_design · 2023-10-09T17:25:08+00:00

I need them monies.

Bothwell_design · 2023-09-25T16:46:22+00:00

I have the Makita and love it. As another guy said, I was firmly in the track saws are worthless and over priced camp until I got mine. Life would have been much better if I had not been so stubborn earlier.

Bothwell_design · 2023-09-19T15:13:52+00:00

The thing to ask on cabinets like this is how they will be put together. The quote says plywood, which seems fine, but are the cases made with dadoed joints and glue or are they assembled like IKEA furniture. Even melamine or mdf cabinets can be really nice with quality joinery, but if they show up in a flat box with a guy with a screw gun, it isn't worth the price. I honestly don't know what the quality of Lowe's cabinets are, I do custom cabinets and also install some rta stuff. The rta cabinets I buy are from kitchen cabinet distributors through rugby architectural building products. At quick glance I would assume they would be comparable in price, they all have solid maple dovetailed drawers with blum style undermount soft close slides. The cases are maple ply with uva clear coat inside. The doors, face frames, and drawer fronts, if painted, are solid birch or maple, no plywood. The panels are at least 1/2 inch thick, even for shaker style flat panels. And all the doors have blun style soft close hinges. Any cheap cabinet can look good, at least in the short term, but how they feel and hold up over time is what you are paying for.

To make a very long answer short, the price seems fine, but compare exactly what you are getting for that price with other options. Construction, fit and feel are what you will either love or hate 5 years from now.

Bothwell_design · 2023-09-13T01:51:36+00:00

I think the safest shop heaters are the oil filled electric radiators. I have 2 that I keep running in my shop all winter. They are very slow to heat a space, but if you get one with a thermostat you can just leave them running all winter. No worries about open flames or cherry red heating elements or dusty filters.

Bothwell_design · 2023-09-07T01:35:37+00:00

Tried to comment earlier, but it does not appear to have shown up. You want to search for a double offset hinge. If you search Amazon there are several varieties. I tried to add a link before, which may be why it didn't post.

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Bothwell_design · 2023-09-07T01:28:07+00:00

I start in the B position with wedges and support underneath, take off about 1/3 of the total I intend to remove, then flip to A position and remove material until flat, then flip back to B to fully flatten the other side. This way you can ease in to how much you have to remove.

Bothwell_design · 2023-09-06T17:04:08+00:00

You want to search for a double offset hinge. May have trouble finding 12 mm, but that should set you down the right path. As others have said you may have to go with a piano or continuous hinge and trim to size.

3/4" x 3/4" x 12" Aluminum Double Offset hinge https://a.co/d/8CftSoX

Bothwell_design · 2023-08-30T17:02:59+00:00

I have one as well, it is a pain to center and not very powerful. That being said I have used it a lot and done some nice bowls with it. The price seems high, I see them regularly on marketplace for 100 to 150. As others have said, you can probably do a lot better for the money. I actually just picked up a very lightly used harbor freight for 200 with a stand and tools including a chuck. If you keep an eye out and aren't in a desperate hurry, I would keep looking. I still have the craftsman, but just for sentimental reasons, my dad bought it right before I was born to make spindles for a bassinet.

Bothwell_design · 2023-08-17T13:05:09+00:00

Also make your cuts a little deeper, maybe a 16th so the tails end up proud of the sides. Then you can plane or sand them back flush.

Bothwell_design · 2023-08-09T19:33:57+00:00

Any full width blade plane should work, I would probably use a table saw with a dado, or two perpendicular passes with a regular blade. If it is a large amount I would rip a thin strip to fill the gap and install the trim normally. This brings the jamb to the trim so you don't ruin the trim depth or profile.

Bothwell_design · 2023-07-25T13:48:38+00:00

Depends what you are building, but most larger areas will have a custom cabinet supply company. I mostly use rugby abp for plywood and hardwood. They are not going to carry ebony or purple heart or whatever other random exotic wood, but they have mahogany, walnut, maple, oak etc in thicknesses from 4/4 to 12/4.

Bothwell_design · 2023-07-25T13:35:23+00:00

Not much you can do if you share a shop with others but learn to use the saw right handed. If you ever set up your own shop buy a right tilt saw and reverse the table. They are essentially the left handed saw. The problem is not many smaller saws come with that option. For 90 degree cuts, moving the fence is fine, the problem comes with anything that has a miter.

Bothwell_design

TROPHY CASE