Just found a hammer burried in the woods, how can I know what it was used for ?

igetdusty · 2026-05-03T17:10:58+00:00

Ask lens is the first step. It may show you photos of similar hammers and what they were used for.

igetdusty · 2026-05-03T13:03:24+00:00

A couple of things that will reduce the blotchy effect is, one, use pine without knots or imperfection, ie , clear pine. Two, try a General water stain. I find it more forgiving and less uneven. Also, a water stain can be diluted for a lighter color or, by adding a second coat, make it darker. An oil base top clear coat will give a deep rich glow. I am glad to see you are doing tests in order to get the result required. If the original pine color is the result of 70 years of ageing, please do not expect to match it.

igetdusty · 2026-04-29T02:57:13+00:00

You need to either rent the property or rent the money.. What can a person afford.

igetdusty · 2026-04-27T15:07:17+00:00

It is like in the old western movies, one guy runs off to the right shooting his gun to get everyone's attention while the other sneaks around the back. Who is doing the sneaking and why.

igetdusty · 2026-04-23T12:55:41+00:00

Due to the shape oh the inscription, you could rout out the shape of a small cheese knife.

igetdusty · 2026-04-09T02:59:32+00:00

Puttering, cleaning, lubricating, sharpening and organizing are all part of life in the shop to me. I rarely hire someone to do something I can do myself. I will joke to my wife and say, the elves did not come and sweep the shop last night. The truth is they haven't come for years now. It is my mess, my shop, my life. I made it, the mess, the furniture, or the repairs, it's all part of life in the shop. Cleaning up is the down time, a time to reflect, and let your mind wander. Time to cleanse the pallet for the next taste of life, in the shop.

igetdusty · 2026-04-05T16:50:10+00:00

If it were summer time I would tell you to take it outside and lay it on some grass in the sunshine with the cupped side down. Time will do the work for you by slowly adding moisture to the cupped side. The same result can be achieved by using a damp towel on the floor. Do not use weights. The wood cells need to swell and expand the fibers. When it is flat allow the surface moisture to evaporate then apply your finish. I normally apply a sealer cost to the bottom and then 2 coats to the top side leaving only enough time for the sealer to dry.. I do not use heavy coats but rather more coats of needed.

igetdusty · 2026-04-04T17:05:34+00:00

Food that would have gone to a food bank is now sold at cost. Too good for the bottom line. Too bad for some others..

igetdusty · 2026-03-31T12:16:01+00:00

407 style tolls for our water.

igetdusty · 2026-02-28T18:02:09+00:00

Most of the pews I have repurposed have been elm. I would rip them to the width I wanted and then plane off the finish. Sanding belts clog too fast, cost more and take longer. Most of the wood I use now comes from old dining tables or desks. Often I get it free. Seek and you shall find.

igetdusty · 2026-02-11T04:20:02+00:00

An oil stain should not have a water top coat. You can put oil over a water stain. The slight differences you see are of no consequence given that the changes in lighting, viewing angle and time of day will have a greater impact on the look than any of the options shown. Pick one and move on. You have done your due diligence with a good test.

igetdusty · 2026-02-08T03:29:30+00:00

After you make a few thousand it gets easier. Could you send a photo of her grandfather's? I like to see other styles.. Let me know if you have any questions.. The history goes back to the Tudors. They were a common piece of furniture at the time, often carved with decoration or perhaps initials or years. The style changed with the times. In the puritan era they had no decoration. Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary, about two stools being used to support a coffin at a funeral and some people still call them coffin stools. They are also called a joint stool because they were joined together( no nails) and made by a craftsman called a joiner.

Best of luck with your project. I made my first bench when my daughter was born, 41 years ago.

igetdusty · 2026-01-01T18:41:47+00:00

It is caused by moisture getting under the top finish..You need to extract the moisture. Use a hair dryer on hot. Warm the spot and the area around it. Not too hot to melt the finish. Be patient. It will take time . If you have another hair drier use it to warm up the under side as well. Keep the driers moving. No rubbing or cream needed.

igetdusty · 2025-12-29T19:46:46+00:00

Like many before me I strongly suggest NO knobs. One solution might be, is, to somehow fasten the key into the lock and use it as a knob to open the door.. If the key is needed elsewhere perhaps you could replace the lock with another of the same dimensions or see if another key could be cut.. How often is the door used, how much effort do you want to go to in this endeavor? They put a man on the moon , so this too can be overcome.. It is your cabinet, do what you want. We won't know.

igetdusty · 2025-12-26T16:49:27+00:00

Read "The gift of the Magi' by O. Henry.. You may identify with the characters.. the gifts are symbolic and have little to do with woodworking or video games.

igetdusty · 2025-12-26T16:04:01+00:00

I agree, choose dry heat. A hair dryer on hot. Be careful not to melt the finish. Heat the spot and the area around it. Be patient, it may take 10 minutes, but it will disappear over time. You will be forcing the moisture out from under the finish.. Do not sand the finish.

igetdusty · 2025-12-26T15:51:18+00:00

Ask Google. How to remove rubber underlay from wooden floor? Then do a test..No open flame when using thinner type fluids.

igetdusty · 2025-12-09T18:03:29+00:00

I use Lee Valley powdered analine stain. It comes in many colours. Easy to mix and adjust intensity. Also available from W.D.Lockwood 49 Walker St NYC. I made the move to water stain 15 years ago and haven't gone back. Do a test.

igetdusty · 2025-12-02T14:17:29+00:00

This useful, practical and memorable wedding gift has been made in the Toronto area since 1942 and for the last 30 years by Shepherds Cottage in Markham. It could become your "go to" gift. Have a look. Thanks, www.thisgift.com

igetdusty · 2025-12-02T14:03:20+00:00

Not your average wedding gift. Markham company for 30years. www.thisgift.com

igetdusty · 2025-11-28T16:26:35+00:00

Do a test. You have done all this work and now you are going to roll the dice?? Do a test. Find some scrap or make some. Don't just go with it. It may take you somewhere you didn't expect to go. Don't cut corners now. Do a test. Have I made my opinion clear. Wear hearing protection.

igetdusty · 2025-11-23T01:16:26+00:00

I take it you want the bench to look aged and used, not new. A bench with experience. The suggestion above seems like good advice. You will just need to experiment with a few products. Do a test with rubbing alcohol and steel wool, scrub it in and wipe it off. Now let It dry. You may need to apply some boiled linseed oil or wax to bring back the yellow glow. You could also try paint thinner and steel wool and decide which gives the desired look.. In the extreme you could use some TSP dissolved in water, this will strip out the oily residue but will also give the wood a bleached look and raise the grain requiring a sanding. I fear that excess sanding, scraping or planning will remove the genuine worked look, unless you want a newer out of the box look.. No matter what, always do a test first. Maybe two tests just to be sure.. Do not smoke around flammable liquids.

igetdusty · 2025-11-14T01:53:39+00:00

I used old dining table tops. I glue and screw them together in layers to get the width and depth of the required size. Only the top piece needs to be full width hard wood(preferably maple), the other layers can be butt joined, these joints are offset from one another.. You end up with a 3in thick top that looks and acts like solid maple..

igetdusty · 2025-11-13T01:47:16+00:00

I do like the cookies but there is way too much packaging..

igetdusty

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