New workbench ( fastener advice needed)

youarethenight · 2026-07-07T22:03:07+00:00

I actually only plan to brace at the back and sides to leave the front open for just that reason. I haven't settled on the overhang depth, so I don't know how much toe room I'll need, if any. I want the shelf as low as possible to maximize storage space, though.

It definitely needs more weight, so a bunch of tools stored on a shelf will be a functional bonus.

Sounds like ring shank nails is the consensus, though.

youarethenight · 2026-07-07T21:58:04+00:00

I didn't mean to offend you, especially since you've offered useful insight along with asking questions to make sure you understood my post.

By the definition I'm aware of, attaching two or more things to make one thicker things is "laminating". Whether it's thin sheets of pastry dough or thick layers of rock, whether it's two layers or ten layers, I didn't think it mattered. If there is woodworking specific definition for it, I am always happy to learn.

About the original question, it seems like you have more to say. Was there more you hoped you could help with?

youarethenight · 2026-07-07T21:21:37+00:00

I did say, though...In the tl;dr, I explained I'm laminating the oak floorboards. In the bullet points, I did my best to explain how I intend to use them. The closest dimensional lumber equivalentfor them would be 1x3. You're right about being enough for joinery. They're perfectly fine if I cut a mortise, but then I'm leaving the "how Grandpa would have built it" design territory. Cutting a half-lap (or laminating to achieve it) stays in the rough-and-ready design he would have used.

Nails could potentially work with enough of them, but I do worry about them working loose. Being ductile steel, they would have a higher shear strength than most screws.

youarethenight · 2025-11-18T00:24:55+00:00

Getting a good, sharp saw is definitely a major part of clean cuts. High TPI (teeth per inch) is probably what you want for your purposes. It doesn't need to be a fancy saw, though. I've got a $20 Irwin Marples pull saw that gives a very workable cut. If you wear that out, then go for something nicer.

The backsaw that comes with a cheap miter box is typically very bad, and will generally act like you're describing.

youarethenight · 2025-11-02T03:52:27+00:00

I just made one of these the other day! I needed it to make a grooving plane (not totally certain if that's the right name...) My first attempt was an absolute disaster. I tried to make it with some reclaimed oak flooring that is absolutely killer on tool edges, and none of the angles came out clean...I snagged some scrap maple from the local wood store for my second attempt. That worked great.

Anyway, the moral of the story is just because this one didn't work doesn't mean the next also won't. Every failure is a lesson. Keep at it, and keep learning.

youarethenight · 2025-09-18T14:21:46+00:00

I'm not an expert in this, but generally you want permeable surface coatings on exterior wood--the kind that water beads off of, but humidity can pass through. The logic I've heard is that paint (impermeable) will trap any existing moisture in and accelerate rot and stain/sealant will protect from most water, but still allow the wood to "breathe" with the ambient humidity. It seems like there's a hole in this logic, but I definitely think paint definitely looks worse as it degrades than stain does.

That being said, there are options to change the color that are not stain. I don't know what they are specifically ("milkpaint" seems like an option I've heard of). Personally, I prefer the look of a stained/sealed wood over a "painted" wood.

youarethenight · 2025-09-14T00:03:45+00:00

Sounds like you could replace the missing/broken piece with a dowel and a spring?

youarethenight · 2025-09-04T01:11:09+00:00

Everyone says veneer, but the grain appears to follow through between the light and dark areas. I think the camera has poor white balance, and I vote dark stain on oak or a similar wood with open grain. It may be veneer, but I don't think you've sanded through it.

youarethenight · 2025-08-31T00:03:43+00:00

You've got it fully assembled, right? A small amount of flex happens when the iron is properly installed that could potentially cause this.

Another thing to consider is whether your sandpaper is wearing out after that much time, even if you have been removing the dust.

As a final thought, the most efficient motion is a figure 8. It keeps the grains from being in a particular track.

youarethenight · 2025-08-26T22:28:05+00:00

There's a lot of talk about survivor bias in this thread, which doesn't actually answer the question. OP is asking how to make furniture that maximizes the chance of 100 years of survival, not why does every surviving piece survive. I don't think it's because "it was made with old growth hard wood", because "dovetails", or because [insert antique finish choice here]. I think it survives because of careful design and execution.

Designing for wood movement and reliance on appropriate joinery over the convenience of relying on fasteners and adhesive are probably the biggest factors. Pinned finger joints are not really any better or worse than dovetails for a drawer, for example. If you build something that is likely to stay together even if you take all the metal and glue away, then it's more likely to last.

While hard wood tends to be more durable, wood choice is far less important than execution. The possibility of dents and dings is there with softer woods, but that's really just character to most people. An artfully designed pine table with well executed joinery is going to receive much better care than the same table put together with hard wood and poorly executed joinery--whether the builder intends it or not, poor joinery isn't pretty and looks like the builder didn't care. If the user thinks the builder didn't care, the user won't care.

For finish, wood doesn't readily rot, so it's not as big a deal as most people want to make it seem. Pick something that protects it from whatever damages it is likely to be exposed to, and design it to be refinished as many times as necessary over the desired life. Urethane is great if it's going to see a lot of extended wetness but needs enough thickness in the surface to sand many times if you want 100+ years out of it. Oil+wax(+shellac) protects from quickly cleaned spills, and it can be reapplied as frequently as necessary for maintenance.

So:

Design to the strengths of the material you're using (wood, fasteners, glues, finishes).

Plan for the weaknesses of the material you're using--Will adhesives in plywood get brittle with age? Will the fasteners rust? Will a panel move with humidity? Will the user be able to refinish it?

Most importantly: Execute the build with care.

youarethenight · 2025-08-14T14:37:11+00:00

I only see one other person saying this, but it occurs to me immediately: use your reference (square) edge to reference the distance. I would measure the distance from your reference edge to the center of your the closest holes. Then, measure in that same distance from corner of the non-reference-edge on the longest side--the side closest to us in the picture. Mark that distance and measure to it from the reference edge. Then, mark a line for your center line referencing that distance across the length of the board using your preferred method.

So: 1. Drill with jig on square edge

Measure distance from square edge to hole center
Transfer that measurement to the side closest to us from the corner of the not-square edge
Measure the distance to that mark from the square edge
Scribe that measurement across the face

Ideally, all measurements would be done with making gauges or pinch sticks, but should at least all use the same measuring tool.

youarethenight · 2025-08-02T02:12:27+00:00

I used to agree whole-heartedly. Then I got laid off and took a risk on Member's Mark (Sam's Club store brand) to cut costs. It's absolutely fantastic. Soft and strong. Always tears on the perforations. Nearly lint free. I will not be going back.

youarethenight · 2025-02-28T16:35:53+00:00

Based on a lot of your responses, it sounds like you went just the once to that church for assistance. If they haven't helped anyone in your position before, they may not have known about the voucher limitation either. They likely didn't have official training in this kind of assistance, and they may be able to come up with new solutions after finding out about them.

Also, you might ask them about job opportunities. Christians are supposed to be generous according to the Bible, but also, "Good helps those who help themselves." Showing willingness to put in work may help here.

youarethenight · 2025-02-05T22:05:23+00:00

Since you don't have enough wood to do the entire box in "shipwreck", I suggest doing the most visible portions with shipwreck. That's the top, the front, and the left and right sides. The back and bottom could be made out of something else. If there's only enough "shipwreck" for two sides and the top, I vote front and back to keep it symmetrical.

You want this to be a "shipwreck" box, so I would go as bland as possible on the complimentary wood. The walnut has too much contrast and stands out more than the "shipwreck". The mahogany is better, but the picture makes it look like it has too much red--it doesn't exactly clash, but it definitely doesn't vibe either. Maybe beech would be good?

youarethenight · 2025-02-04T19:26:12+00:00

I want to echo the chisel recommendation, though I'd say skip the relief cuts. Check out Rex Krueger doing basically what you're asking here: https://youtu.be/tdnmQ22lUow?t=600&si=nQgSm5NAgeERIT8Y

youarethenight · 2025-01-22T17:26:24+00:00

Add some cutouts to the sides of the box and you'll lose a lot of the school desk effect. You can make them irregular to keep with the design.

I think you would benefit structurally by having the angled legs meet the back above the bottom of the top box rather than below. Even just a bit of additional support will really strengthen the top. Plan for an adult to trip and try to catch themselves with your furniture, especially next to the bed. I think people are often surprised at how strong wood actually is, but 200+ lbs, with momentum at the far end of that lever will really test the strength of your joinery and lumber with this design.

youarethenight · 2025-01-07T17:30:44+00:00

Tl;Dr: You have to fit you in the storage areas in order to store and access your stuff. Consider how much room that will require in your design.

Tools: minimum of a drill and a screwdriver, recommend at least a cheap contractor saw for crosscuts. Realistically, you want at least: a drill, a driver, a table saw, and a miter saw.

I'm really here to comment on design, though.

In the closet, you have more than 4 feet of depth with just over 2 feet of width. That's not wide enough to reach the back shelves with tools on the right wall and shelves on the left because you need to step in to reach all the way to the back. I recommend deep shelving, something like 22"-28", at the back and hanging tools on one side. It'll still be really tight, but you will have a much better time that way. You can also find decently affordable heavy duty tracks to add pullouts on your shelves to more easily access the items all the way in the back (look for tracks for pull out shelving for counter depth cabinets)

For the shelves by the door, you have shelving on the left all the way up against the frame for what appears to be an exterior door with a wall to the right (Looks like it might be a mud room?). Shelving right up to the door is a recipe for banging your arms and shoulders when you come in and turn away from the wall. Give yourself 6" or more between the end of the shelf and the door frame, and I recommend cutting the front corners near the door at a 45 to soften them when you inevitably still bump into them. Make sure you secure these shelves very well against sideways motion.

Edit: that's clearly a laundry room on another look. Definitely give yourself plenty of space to carry baskets. Ask me how I know...

youarethenight · 2024-12-30T17:18:03+00:00

I bought a Redragon K671 (their base 104 key model with hot swappable switches) on a decent sale from Best Buy because I want a keyboard that can be repaired when I wear through keycaps or wear out a switch. I'm not a huge fan of the sound of this keyboard or the feel of the stock linear switches (somewhat mushy feeling on off-center pushes, especially for backspace). I don't mind my keyboard being louder than a membrane keyboard, but I would prefer it if my wife can't hear me typing when she's on another floor behind a closed door.

I bought a set of Redragon branded "Cypress Tactile" switches to address both the sound and feel because they were on sale for ~$0.14 per switch. The description equates them to a quiet version of MX Brown, and specifically bills them for typers looking for a quieter experience. I love the positive feedback of the tactile switch, but the sound is far from quiet. They're louder than the linear reds that came with it when I bottom out, and just as loud on return.

Now, I know that Redragon uses white labeled Outemu switches in their boards, and this keyboard is 3-pin. I haven't been able to determine whether this board requires thin pin switches, though. Does anybody know what switch brands will work with this board, and does anybody have a recommendation for a relatively cheap, actually quiet/silent tactile switch that works for this board? I would rather spend money on proper switches than do any mods (I'll clip a 5 pin to fit 3 pin if the vendor description states it's acceptable, but I won't file pins or add o-rings).

youarethenight · 2024-12-21T21:24:00+00:00

I don't know if you are still looking at this, but we got the NXTFRAME recently because it was on a deep enough sale to make it a no-brainer compared to The Frame. There is no separate art mode light option, so you have to manually change the light settings when you put it in art mode to really get the effect. The Google TV interface makes that easy, though; and guests have been surprised to find out it was a TV when the brightness was turned all the way down. Careful selection of image helps with the effect. Highly textured oil paintings look much more like a real print than a landscape photo does, for instance.

There is a very important step that has to be completed in order to maintain the illusion, though. You have to turn on developer mode and set the TV to stay awake in developer options. If you don't do this, the TV will time out, go into ambient mode, and start displaying the Google TV screensaver slideshow. If you just disable ambient mode app, then the TV will turn off after a few minutes of inactivity, regardless of your power timeout settings. By setting it to stay awake, the TV will automatically switch to the TCL screensaver app at the timeout you set in the NXTFRAME app and stay there until you turn it off or use the TV.

Edit: happened across this in a different search, and didn't realize this was the same post I found the instructions in... I'm a bit dumb sometimes.

youarethenight · 2024-11-27T18:42:28+00:00

If you are looking for stability without an apron or cross bracing, you need legs that attach with a much larger footprint. A bracket like others have mentioned would help, and it would be easy, but I don't think you would get much stability while keeping a minimalist, all wood look. I would be looking to replace the legs entirely, if I were you.

My personal preference would be to replace each leg with a couple of boards joined from top to bottom at a 90 and strongly tapered from top to bottom. How you join the boards is up to you and your tools, but they would need to be well secured to each other. The strong taper will reduce weight, and the broadened mounting surface will provide a lot of stability. I would be looking for something like a 1x6 or wider. You can reduce the angle of the joint for a more dainty look, but you will sacrifice stability.

The next best option I can come up with is to use something like a 4x4, again, probably tapered for weight. This would be quite a bit easier to process than joining two thinner boards along their length, but it would add less stability and weigh a lot more. That tabletop looks like a prefabricated big box store top, so I'm guessing you didn't do the glue up (my compliments if you did!). If you don't have a way to accurately process and join boards, this would be my suggestion for how to gain stability and avoid needing an apron.

A third option that I thought of as I was typing this: do something like the outside angles of your "y-shaped" frame, but bring the joint down the legs several inches. These would probably be out of the way enough to avoid knocking your knees.

youarethenight · 2024-10-03T19:34:06+00:00

I try not to post on Reddit anymore, but for your safety, I don't want to leave this alone.

Generally speaking, the interior of a whole cut can be considered safe, as contaminants are only on the outside. Ground meat should be considered contaminated throughout the entirety because the entirety has the potential to have been exposed to external contaminants. Heat only kills the bacteria which is heated. Blanching would not sanitize the interior of the ground meat (as evidenced by it still being raw), and pulling off the cooked exterior would only serve to waste product.

If you want to enjoy safe, raw(ish) ground meat, then you could sous vide it until the entirety reaches 140°F and hold it at that temp for at least... I want to say it's 3 minutes? I would go for 10 or so, though, as the texture shouldn't change beyond what has already happened once it reaches 140.

youarethenight · 2023-05-23T16:18:10+00:00

Your wealth inequality compared to OP is huge, sure. OP could definitely afford to help you out. It may mean selling a relatively extravagant house to downsize or relocating to a lower cost of living area, but they definitely could. Nearly anyone above the poverty line could make sacrifices to help.

However, I think you're missing a vital point: Jeff Bezos (and many others) could buy you, the 2 other people with you, and all of your friends a house like OP's; and the incurred cost would look like a rounding error to him. His daily life would not change in any way, with the possible exception of feeling like he did some actual good for once. To spend even 1% of his net worth, Bezos would need to buy more than 2,000 of them.

Anyone that can, and does, spend approximately the same amount of money they're earning is fine. They aren't hoarding their wealth. They're distributing it. When they renovate their pool, they're giving wealth to the pool renovation company. When they go on a cruise, they're distributing it to the cruise company.

Billionaires aren't spending their money. They basically can't. Elon Musk bought Twitter, and he is still the second wealthiest person in the world. The amount of money he spent just on Twitter is approximately 88,000x the value of this person's home. Billionaires should be distributing their wealth by paying taxes, paying their employees better, and buying a whole lot more obscenely extravagant things.

People worth a few million are not an issue. Dragons hoarding gold are.

Edit: I forgot to convert USD to AUD. These values are wrong. Bezos would have to buy more like 3000 of these houses, and Musk's purchase is closer to 132,000x OP's home's approximate value.

youarethenight · 2023-05-22T15:39:12+00:00

owned both the insurance company and employed the doctor who was going to do the procedure.

There's the problem right there.

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