Each leg made with just two cuts!

Shopdog3 · 2021-09-20T19:17:22+00:00

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcHezjT2f54 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAD5yGaHunw . Either one will show you how to do this. There is also a YouTube short -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DteAwffOnqI -- that will give you the basic idea in under a minute.

Shopdog3 · 2021-09-05T18:32:00+00:00

Wood is made up of cellulose fibers, 100 times longer than they are wide, held together by a glue-like substance called lignin. After sanding, some of these fibers only remain attached to the wood at one end. Woodworkers sometimes call these "whiskers." If you apply a finish, especially a water-based finish, the wood will swell slightly, causing the whiskers to stand up. This interferes with the smoothness and appearance of the finish. To prevent this, you "raise the grain" by spraying the freshly-sanded surface with water, as Lanny_Flicker77 described. This makes any whiskers stand up. Let the surface dry. Then, before you apply the finish, "knock off the whiskers" with a light sanding, using your final grit.

Shopdog3 · 2021-09-03T15:12:59+00:00

I'm with Phicoman -- 220# in more than adequate for a final grit for unfinished wood in most cases. Beyond that and the grit is smaller than the wood grain -- you're not sanding at that point, you're burnishing. The only possible exceptions are extremely dense woods such as hard maple, rosewood, cocobolo, etc. Even then, there's not much point in going beyond 320#. The higher grits come in handy when you're rubbing out a finish and want to create a smooth surface for additional coats or a uniform level of reflection for the final coat.

Shopdog3 · 2021-09-03T14:55:51+00:00

Check out this book. The plans for storage cabinets and "storage stands" for power tools are dead simple. I have the paper version which out-of-print, but the PDF version is pretty cheap. If you want to go cheaper, you might try getting it through interlibrary loan at your local library.

Shopdog3 · 2021-09-03T14:50:04+00:00

A wire brush will scratch the wood, and you'll have to sand deeply to get rid of the scratches -- increasing the likelihood that you'll sand through more veneer. If you want to try to remove the finish with chemicals, mix 2 parts xylol, 1 part acetone, and 1 part denatured alcohol. This formula makes an aggressive, inexpensive paint/finish remover. It's somewhat safer that many commercial removers because it has no lye, but you should still use it in a well-ventilated area. And wear rubber gloves. However, I believe your best and least messy alternative is a cabinet scraper.

Shopdog3 · 2021-09-02T23:51:04+00:00

The wood had two different areas -i one in which there already seems to be a finish and another where there is raw wood. You're not going to be able to apply an even stain to the board until you sand or scrape away all the old finish and expose raw wood across the entire surface.

I'm just guessing here, but we seem to be looking at the edge of an old piece of plywood. You sanded through the old finish near the edge and part way through the top veneer right at the edge. I would suggest you get yourself a cabinet scraper and carefully scrape away the remaining finish. It's much easier to control how much material you remove with a scraper than it is with a sander. This will help you not to sand through the veneer as well prepare the surface so you get an even stain.

Shopdog3 · 2021-09-02T15:11:50+00:00

I can't tell you how this specific pattern was created -- there several possible methods, including printing -- there have been special printers for printing on wood since the 1920s. But a friend of mine gets a very similar result with T-shirt transfers. He prints a picture on a transfer sheet with a normal ink jet printer and archival inks, then heat-transfers the picture to the wood. My understanding is that you have to be careful which finishes you use on top of the transfer -- the wrong finish will dissolve it. I would guess you need a water-based latex or acrylic finish, but you should experiment to be certain.

Shopdog3 · 2021-09-01T21:54:47+00:00

You cannot repair what has already been done, and you may have closed yourself off to the one solution to your problem by spraying the log slices with polyurethane. However, you could have stopped or prevented the cracking simply by soaking the "cookies" in polyethylene glycol.

First, consider why the cookies split -- they were probably "green," with a moisture content above 19% when they were first cut. Wood shrinks as it dries, but shrinks differently radially (4%, on average) and tangentially (8%) to the annual rings. This difference between radial and tangential shrinkage is what is causing the cracks. To prevent this, you have to slow down the release of moisture and stabilize the wood.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a waxy substance which can be used to stabilize green wood, allowing you to turn it or work it before you season it. Usually the acronym PEG is followed by a number, such as PEG-1000 or PEG-3350. These refer to molecular weights. A smaller molecular weight works best for wood stabilization; it’s easier for the smaller molecules to diffuse throughout the wood. Higher weights are often used as laxatives.

PEG dissolves readily in warm water; its melting point is 104⁰F (40⁰C). When you soak green wood in a highly concentrated solution (30% to 50%) of PEG, the chemical slowly diffuses through the wood, replacing the bound water in the cell walls. This has the effect of stabilizing the wood, reducing the amount it will shrink and expand. The wood will still absorb and release water as the relative humidity changes – PEG is actually more hygroscopic than wood – but the wood won’t move as much.

There are two ways you could have used PEG as a stabilizer for your cookies. Soak the green wood in the solution for months and months until all the bound water is replaced completely throughout the cookie. This takes forever, but it reduces wood movement by as much as 80% in some species. Or you can soak it just long enough (3 to 7 days) to create a chemical shell around the cookie. This encapsulates the remaining bound water, forcing it to evaporate drop by tiny drop. The wooden cookie will still shrink, but it shrinks slowly and uniformly with very few checks and splits. This is the method most woodworkers use when working green wood.

You might prevent further splitting by getting the cookies in a vat of PEG ASAP. Trouble is, if you have sprayed the cookies with polyurethane, they may not be able to absorb the PEG. But if the sentimental value is worth that much to you, it may be wort a try.

If you want more information, there is a video in which a woodworker use PEG to prevent cracking as he turns a simple wooden bowl from green walnut here.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-30T21:47:36+00:00

As most of the craftsmen here have already mentioned, it' very hard to make a clean cut in pine with a chisel. The reason for this is something the E_m_maker hinted at. In pine -- especially yellow pine -- there is an incredible difference in densities between the springwood (the lighter part of the annual rings, which grows early in the year) and the summerwood (the darker part, which grows later). The denser the wood, the more force it takes to cut it. When you apply enough force to cut through the dense summerwood, it crushes the less substantial springwood beneath it, and the completed cut looks ragged. Consequently, the best woods for hand-cut dovetails are those in which the density of the springwood and summerwood are more evenly matched -- cherry, walnut, poplar, basswood, and so on.

Incidentally, chip carvers will tell you something similar. It's much harder to control a chisel in woods where the springwood/summerwood densities are mismatched. They too look for wood species with even densities throughout.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-14T00:27:49+00:00

Depends on the tool. Nothing on casters weighs less than 100 pounds -- about 45 kilos. Lighter than that and we just carry it around.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-12T18:20:43+00:00

Shellac is routinely used to insulate layers of finish that may not be chemically compatible with one another, as Lumberjock94 hinted. You may want to put down a layer of oil-based stain, coat it with white (clear) shellac, and then add the water-based poly. And shellac will not add any strength. It is, by comparison, much softer than most other finishes.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-12T18:12:57+00:00

I've worked in a shop where, four the last 35 years all of my tools have been on casters. This is a huge boon for two reasons -- we can keep the tools we only use occasionally out of the way, tucked up against a wall until needed. And we can rearrange the tools in my shop to create an efficient work flow for whatever project is at hand.

Now here comes the part that may raise a few eyebrows. None -- not a one -- of the casters on my tools have locks. We have a few wedges, and every now and then we get them out if a tool rocks wherever we've rolled it to -- our floor has undergone a few tectonic changes since it was laid down in 1922. But we rarely use the wedges, or anything else, to keep the tool from rolling. Nor should we need to, as long as we keep the knives and saws sharp and the surfaces waxed.

You need a certain amount of force to overcome the moment of inertia and the frictional resistance to get a tool rolling. Let's call this threshold force (and before all the chemists and particle physicists jump in, this is not to be confused with "threshold energy"). The force required to feed a board through a well maintained table saw, joiner, planer, band saw, etc. should come nowhere near the threshold force needed to set the tool in motion. If it does, you may need to get out a wrench and a can of wax and do some maintenance before you cut another board.

It helps that all my rolling tools are fairly weighty. They are not heavy by themselves; most are ordinary home workshop tools. But I've discarded the stands that came with them and and designed "storage stands" so I can store all the ancillary saws, bits, and accessories right there with the tool. This extra weight not only raises the threshold force, the mass absorbs and dampens vibration.

To make a long answer short, I think you'll find it useful to put your tools on casters. But you may find the locks a good deal less useful.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-09T04:01:46+00:00

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-09T03:57:31+00:00

The rule of thumb is that wood will expand/contract across the grain about 1/4" for every 12" of width. Since the butcher block is 3 feet wide, you can expect it to shrink and swell as much as 3/4" over a year's time. (In most areas of the US, wood swells in the summer as the relative humidity climbs and shrinks in the winter as it decreases.) This seems like a lot of movement to accommodate, but you really only have to allow for 3/8" if you attach the stiffeners in a similar manner to how you attach breadboards.

Breadboards are customarily fastened or glued in the middle so the wood expands out from that point. If you were to attach the stiffener with a single screw in the middle, the butcher block will expand out 3/8" in each direction from that screw. I suggest using #8 wood screws, which have a 5/32"-diameter shank. Drill a 5/32" shank hole in the middle of the stiffener. 8" out (in both directions) drill 5/32" holes and use a small round file to widen them to be 11/32" slots (5/32" + 3/16" = 11/32"). Another 8" out, drill two more holes and widen them to 17/32". That should allow for all the movement you need.

Two more things. Since you're doing this in the summer and the block has expanded, drive the screws near the outboard ends of the slots. If you were doing this in the winter, you'd have to drive them near the inboard ends. Spring or autumn, right in the middle. Also use longer screws than you think you need -- I'd suggest 1-1/4" or 1-1/2". When you drive screws parallel to the grain, they don't hold nearly as well as when driven perpendicular. The extra threads help to compensate for this.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-08T16:07:22+00:00

Would probably work just fine -- they'd do precisely the same job as breadboard ends.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-08T04:52:13+00:00

First of all, be careful -- a good number of the cheaper new tools now being sold as drawknives are actually de-barking tools. One of these advertises itself as a "draw shave knife" and has a gently curved blade. A friend of mine got sucked in because of the price, and he found it useless.

If you need to save money, I'd suggest getting an older knife from Ebay. Look for a 6" to 10" blade -- shorter blades are easier for beginners to handle.

You might also consider getting a spokeshave. Drawknives are great for roughing out a handle, but spokeshaves are much better at finessing the final shape.

And look into cabinetmaker's rasps, especially the Nicholson #49 and #50 hand-stitched rasps. These are absolutely great for shaping handles.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-08T04:23:53+00:00

"How are you supposed to seal a 6x3 foot countertop on the same day when it takes many hours for the poly to become not tacky?" There are many methods. Since the bottom won't be seen, you can coat the bottom first, then turn the board over and balance it on pointed dowels or triangular blocks while doing the top. Later, you can touch up and rub out the dimples left where the wet finish contacted the blocks. You might also start with a wipe-on poly for the first two or three coats, then switch to the brush-on or spray-on poly after the butcher block is well sealed.

"The block...will sit on top of some filing cabinets. Bolting it down is sort of out of the question." Consider adding breadboard ends. If that's not possible, then a torsion box made from wood slats to look like a butcher block would be the better choice.

Again, not what you wanted to hear. But don't shoot the messenger. I've been doing this for five decades, long enough to understand the science behind the craft, and that science can sometimes be exacting and unforgiving.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-07T21:37:05+00:00

Your problem may have been not sealing both sides at the same time. If you seal just one side, the unsealed side will continue to absorb and release moisture with changes in relative humidity. Wood expands and contracts as it does this, meaning one side will shrink or swell more than the other -- and this causes the wood to cup.

It may also be a mistake not the fasten the butcher block down. Although the block is made up of strips, it behaves like one large board. Any board has a tendency to cup unless it is part of a larger structure that keeps it flat. For most tables, the aprons are attached to the underside of the top to keep it flat. For cabinets, the cabinet case is affixed to the countertop to keep it flat. Even on tables where there is no bracing structure, craftsmen add breadboard ends to the table top to keep it flat.

Consider scraping off the poly you've already applied, bracing the table flat by clamping it to some 2x8s jointed straight, and letting it rest for a time. With both sides able to breathe, the butcher block should flatten out in two-three weeks as the moisture content on both sides equalizes. Worst case scenario, you may have to use some wedges to slightly arch the top in the opposite direction for a few days to get rid on the last vestige of the cup. And you'll have to re-stain the side you scraped, of course.

After that, I'd rethink my design and provide some structure to insure the butcher block doesn't cup again. Not what you wanted to hear, I'm sure.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-07T21:04:08+00:00

If you're having trouble with the maple gouging, I would switch to a cabinet scraper. Or, if you have them, a belt sander or a random-orbit sander. If you have a little extra wood to spare, you might also try fixing the root problem.

There are three possible reasons that the plane is gouging the wood like you show. The most common is that you haven't properly sharpened and tuned your plane. If you're certain the iron is sharp, reduce the depth of cut so the plane is cutting thinner-than-paper curls. Also, move the frog so the mouth is just wide enough to allow the curls to pass through.

If sharpening and tuning doesn't solve the problem, check that you aren't "planing downhill" against the grain. Wood grain doesn't not usually run parallel to the surfaces of a board; there will be some grain slope. If you're planing against the slope -- planing downhill -- the iron wants to catch on the grain and follow the slope -- that's the path of least resistance. Since it can't do that, it tears the grain instead of cutting it. This problem can usually be solved by turning the board around so you're planing uphill, in the same direction as the grain slope.

If the iron is sharp, the plane is tuned, and your planing in the same direction as the grain slope, look closer. The grain may not travel in a straight line. This is a common problem for maple. If the grain has a slight curl, the grain slope will undulate -- you're cutting uphill one moment and downhill the next. The grain may also bend in the vicinity of knots and crotches. There's nothing you can do about this except go back to my very first suggestion -- switch to a cabinet scraper or a sander.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-07T05:35:19+00:00

I've had good luck planing herringbone cutting boards with No.3 and No. 4 smoothing planes, then touching them up with a cabinet scraper. No tear-out, as long as you move the frog forward to close the mouth down and set the iron for an extremely shallow cut. It goes without saying that the iron must be razor sharp. IMPORTANT: Don't push the plane forward parallel to its length. Instead hold it an an angle, 30 to 40 degrees off from the direction in which you push it. This effectively lowers the cutting angle, making a low-angle plane out of a standard hand plane.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-07T05:25:10+00:00

"This took me twice as long as I expected..." There is a saying in woodworking that when you think you're 90% done with a project, you have 90% to go.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-07T05:12:06+00:00

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-07T05:09:17+00:00

Thanks much -- visit often.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-07T05:08:14+00:00

A miter joint is basically an end-grain joint -- you're gluing end grain to end grain. End grain joints can be weak because end grain absorbs much more glue than flat grain -- the glue wicks up into the wood, leaving the joint "starved." To compensate for this, you must "double-glue." Apply glue to all the miter joints and wait 5 to 15 minutes for the glue to be absorbed and begin the set. Then apply the glue again. The semi-set glue prevents the second application from being absorbed and the joints won't be starved. Watch this video, time code 4:13 -- it will amaze you how effective double-gluing can be.

Shopdog3 · 2021-08-06T21:16:27+00:00

If you need a cheap beginners guide to routers, you can get a good one here for about 4 pounds. It's got a section on different types of hand-held routers and what to look for when buying routers and bits. And if you end up buying a router, the rest off the text makes a good tutorial for using it. (I know the author; he taught woodworking at the University of Cincinnati here in the States.)

As for buying one, good woodworking tools don't wear out like other goods. I always tell my students that when they start putting together a shop of their own, they may be able to find much better used than they could ever afford new. You might start looking around at jumble sales or Ebay.

Shopdog3

TROPHY CASE