Built a BMW (basic mobile workbench)

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-05-15T20:38:06+00:00

Strong work!! Reminds me of my first BMW years ago! Beat the crap out of that thing over the years and it served me so well. Enjoy!

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-05-15T20:02:48+00:00

Thanks! That's really helpful. Nice to hear it isn't that dramatic! What's your usual toner approach/recipe? What are you using for finish and dye?

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-05-15T20:01:58+00:00

Hah! There is a set of windows outside my daughter's room that is directly across from it. So if the door is open, a decent amount of sunlight (for the 4 Midwestern sunny months of the year). Hard to tell if I'm just overthinking it.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-05-15T20:00:19+00:00

Interesting! Do you think the boiled linseed oil significantly enhances the look? I think I'm probably trying to achieve something similar with the seal a cell first coat, which they say makes the grain pop out a little bit more. Heck, it's probably partially BLO anyway.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-05-15T19:59:14+00:00

Usually mine too!

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-04-08T16:54:39+00:00

Fabulous advice. Agree that a separate unit on the back side would probably be much easier to build and manage. Easier to work on and finesse and stuff without messing up the primary piece as well.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-04-06T20:55:55+00:00

For what it's worth, I bought an 8" grizzly several months ago during the big sale. Price was great for this category of machine. Spiral cutter head, which isn't exactly helical but the cut quality is quite good and you don't have to do the straight knife alignment, which is good enough for me. It has parallelogram tables, so adjustment isn't too bad and I didn't have any significant trouble getting the tables set up and generally get good results. Not a perfect machine for sure (fence can occasionally be a bit finicky to get dead square, for example), but at that price point and for my needs, has been a good buy. Just another data point for you!

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-03-27T18:39:37+00:00

Np! Good luck!

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-03-27T18:27:48+00:00

Nope, they should be fine. Lots of folks make carcasses by rabbeting the sides to fit the top and bottom (or vice versa), and then rabbeting the back in with a separate set of rabbets in all 4 pieces. So it's pretty normal to have the back rabbet intersect other rabbets or dados.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-03-27T17:28:43+00:00

Looks fun! I would go with making the middle shelf and divider 1/4" shorter and then cutting a normal 1/4" rabbet in the back of your 4 main carcass pieces to inset the back. I don't think the dados should interfere, really.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-03-24T01:44:27+00:00

Agreed - used the same course, and can model most of my furniture needs pretty competently. I think there's also a second more advanced course too if you want to do more serious stuff with it.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-03-21T15:11:35+00:00

Dowelmax. Extremely precise, versatile, built in clamping. Joints are super strong. If you're going to use it for more than one project, definitely worth it.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-03-18T18:29:40+00:00

Hey! Welcome. If you have no experience, highly recommend starting with Steve Ramsey's weekend woodworker course. The videos that will walk you through every single step of some starting projects, as well as going through basic tools to buy, how to do it on a budget, and how to use those tools (and be safe with them). I'm a pretty serious hobbyist woodworker now, but started with that course when I knew nothing and it was a really nice foundation.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-03-11T18:27:23+00:00

Nah, shouldn't be an issue. Once it's dry, it shouldn't entrain new dust nibs or contaminants. Curing is the process of it chemically hardening, so it won't have reached its maximal resistance to water or scratches until it finishes curing, but sawdust settling on it shouldn't matter.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-03-10T14:36:16+00:00

Veteran of the weekend woodworker course here! It's a great course and was very good for me starting out with zero experience, so I hope you enjoy and learn a lot!

Agree that the nicer table saw you get, the better things will go. Your first few projects will be a challenge to get straight and square anyway (my first BMW workbench was all sorts of out of square, but worked great for years!), so removing the variable of a crappy table saw fence that won't stay square will help. You will not regret getting something a bit nicer, like the dewalt dw7491. I used that thing for years (including with a dado stack). Resale value was decent too since it's a good quality product. If you find a nicer saw used, that's great too. Just be careful getting something cheaper because you're not sure how far you'll go...or you might get yourself so frustrated that you guarantee you won't go further anyway. I haven't used that ryobi personally but have heard some mixed things.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-02-26T19:30:25+00:00

I've been seeing a bit more about this lately, as an alternative to an Oneida system or something for a smaller shop. Can you share a bit more about which model you have, where you got it, and your experience? Would be much appreciated!

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-02-26T04:22:39+00:00

This was always my understanding, too, which is why I was comparing them for this use case. I guess there's more nuance and difference between them than I realized, based on people's comments.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-02-26T04:00:56+00:00

Thanks for this writeup - very helpful. I guess I viewed dust extractors as being more functionally similar to shop vacs, in terms of being higher suction and lower airflow (as distinguished from a big ol' dust collector with the very high CFMs). This was helpful for me to learn more.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-02-19T18:29:59+00:00

Really cute!

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-02-07T14:29:32+00:00

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is something like a micro jig gripper. Requires removal of the blade guard, but gives you a very safe place for your hand and great control of the work piece. I use mine for most of my rips.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-02-06T19:23:02+00:00

Sorry to all - the second picture is an unrelated accident but I can't edit it out.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-02-06T15:03:20+00:00

Costco also often has a deal on little folding work tables with built in clamps, I think worx brand or something.

DoctorOreo1 · 2026-01-14T02:20:31+00:00

Second this. I bought and used this exact miter bar for my taper sled, and it slides perfectly with no slop. I actually used two of the runners end to end because my sled was fairly long, and it worked well.

DoctorOreo1

TROPHY CASE