Woodwork 101

[ATG]

hidetheelephants said:

loughran said:

As for me, a final coat of polish on my staircase. We've got people coming to stay next week so all those jobs that never got finished, got finished this weekend.

It felt quite extravagant making a staircase out of burr oak but I'm pleased I did it, it looks good and there can't be too many like it.

I can't be the only one to look at that and wonder how many are going to tumble down it and break their neck? Looks lovely besides that.

Yeah, but what a thing to look at while waiting for the ambulance.

[Custerdome]

torqueofthedevil said:

I’m relatively new to woodworking but I’ve done a few jobs around the house - panelling and making some alcove cupboards etc.

Tools acquired so far are an evolution mitre saw and a Mac Allister track saw, dewalt drills.

Next projects are going to be wardrobes and a humidor. Maybe more cupboards etc.

I’m trying to weigh up what should be the next tool purchase that gives the most flexibility…

DeWalt table saw 7485 - seems like if I’m going to spend quite a lot of money then it’s worth getting one of the better ones as it’s important to have a precise one. Maybe buy second hand though? This tool seems like it will be useful for a large number of jobs.

Table router - seems like it will cover more interesting jobs, making my own mouldings and can be used with a jig to make dovetail joints etc for the humidor box. Not sure what I need though - considering a Trend plunge router set into a router table but on a recent YouTube video I saw one of the smaller hand held routers which had been mounted upside down in a home made timber router table - maybe that would provide a beginner with a cheaper option and still some flexibility?

I probably need box but which is the better option to begin with?

Thanks

I recently made a table for a router, if you spin back a few pages you'll see a few pics. I can link to the plans I used if a google doesn't throw it up. It works ok and was definitely a good move, I can now ruin work pieces at an alarming rate. I bought a cheap router and leave it in there permanently, although I'm now thinking of changing it for a better Makita, - mostly due to the cheap one being very noisy.

ETA router table pics on P49

Edited by Custerdome on Tuesday 5th March 09:51

[wolfracesonic]

Another month, another box. This one made out of tree wood with tree wood splines. The lid is brass sheet, treated with some scary ass chemicals to give the aged, patinated effect. The lid is what I wanted but I missed the mark with the stain on the timber, it was a turquoise one and it did look turquoise on a paper towel or my fingers but once on the timber with some Osmo finish, it looks more green. Anyhow, it just about hangs together, so on to the next one!

[loughran]

I think the best box yet ! This metal top is spectacular and the joints are looking tight and the handle is really nice. I presume you're making the felt lining from sheep's wool found on barbed wire fences.

I finished my stairs with two coats of brushed and one coat of wiped on Osmo. It won't last forever but it's a finish that can be repaired easily with another coat here and there.

And yes, the walnut tabletop went together with biscuits, mainly for keeping all the boards level with each other when clamping up. Trying to keep all those glued edges flat whilst applying pressure becomes a bit of a nightmare without something to locate them all.

akirk said:

This weekend’s playing - making a stack of jigsaws for various requests…

I love these, especially the rabbit.

[akirk]

loughran said:

akirk said:

This weekend’s playing - making a stack of jigsaws for various requests…

I love these, especially the rabbit.

Thank you - rabbit was requested by a three-year old niece...
They are surprisingly popular with all ages - some are relatively easy, others are quite tricky and even those which look easy (e.g. only 10-12 pieces) are hard if done without the frame as there is no reference - and either side of the piece might be correct... so I have had requests from adults as well as children...

[crmcatee]

Those jigsaws are great - scroll saw I presume ?

Love the teal colouring that box has taken on.

[akirk]

crmcatee said:

Those jigsaws are great - scroll saw I presume?

No, laser…
Cuts out pieces and front board, then back board separately… glue two boards together and then oil etc. to finish them…

[DKL]

I have an small, old ercol old colonial sideboard. I like it but am less keen on the very dark finish.
Like this
https://www.vinterior.co/furniture/storage/sideboa...
I've seen lots for sale that have been "lightened" but have yet to see a definitive way of doing it, or rather having it done. I 'd rather not spend hours sanding it!
So how and or who and where? I think its a stain rather than a varnish or similar but I could easily be wrong. There is quite a lot of detail too, beading etc so sanding would be very time consuming.
So can it be stripped, blasted or similar without runing the wood or is a case of just sanding it?
Anyone tried?

[DKL]

This lot seem to do what I want
https://www.kabula.uk/

they're quite cagey about how they do it but I assume some sort of vapour blasting?

[EmBe]

DKL said:

This lot seem to do what I want
https://www.kabula.uk/

they're quite cagey about how they do it but I assume some sort of vapour blasting?

Looks like they do use some kind of blasting (this is from their website):



There's a place near us that sells refurbed (mainly chalk-painted) 1980s pine furniture, I know for a fact they blast because they were our neighbours and started out years ago on their driveway in an awning.

[Custerdome]

Ooh, that blasting, if that's what it is, looks interesting.

It reminds me of something similar I saw years ago (sorry mate, I think I'm going all off-topic...).

I was working with a company that was helping build (now, you might have to help me here, Disney isn't my strongest point) a sunken ghost ship. It was for a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel iirc. The materials and workmanship were top notch, and one guy spent a little while showing me how he turned the lovely looking hardwood timber into something that looked like it had been on the bottom of the ocean for years, - and it was something similar to what the guy is using in the above pic. I suspect it might have been a bit more aggressive, it would take a few mm off at a time.

[DKL]

DKL said:

This lot seem to do what I want
https://www.kabula.uk/

they're quite cagey about how they do it but I assume some sort of vapour blasting?

Sadly it seems they are no longer in business but I'll investigate the process as they can't be the only ones.

[EmBe]

DKL said:

Sadly it seems they are no longer in business but I'll investigate the process as they can't be the only ones.

Just search locally for 'media blasting', lots of places do it.

[EmBe]

Custerdome said:

Ooh, that blasting, if that's what it is, looks interesting.

It reminds me of something similar I saw years ago (sorry mate, I think I'm going all off-topic...).

I was working with a company that was helping build (now, you might have to help me here, Disney isn't my strongest point) a sunken ghost ship. It was for a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel iirc. The materials and workmanship were top notch, and one guy spent a little while showing me how he turned the lovely looking hardwood timber into something that looked like it had been on the bottom of the ocean for years, - and it was something similar to what the guy is using in the above pic. I suspect it might have been a bit more aggressive, it would take a few mm off at a time.

There are different blast media, all propelled by compressed air (occasionally water). Like sandpaper the coarser the media the more aggressive it is, and glass, garnet or even bicarb of soda is used depending on what you're blasting and how aggressive you need to be.

The main problem for hobbyists is the need for a blast cabinet/room and an air supply powerful enough to supply a continous stream of compressed air (I have a small hobby compressor which wouldn't keep up) but if you're buying 1980s pine kitchen chairs for peanuts, stripping the thick varnish then spraying them with chalk paint and selling for £100 a go, it soon becomes worth investing - which is what my neighbours did.

[Error_404_Username_not_found]

Error_404_Username_not_found said:

Continuing the upcycling theme, this is mahogany from a bar top...

A couple of friends are nearing completion of a new kitchen which has a servery hatch to the dining room. This bit of timber is destined to become the shelf/cill in the hatch....

If I remember I'll show you when I'm finished.

Good morning playmates.
I remembered to take a couple of happysnaps of the finished article when I delivered it yesterday.
There was nobody home at the time so I just installed it and left it.
I heard from Don last night that Katharine is "delighted - over the moon, mate" so that's going in the Win column.

[Error_404_Username_not_found]

One interesting bit of fallout from the mahogany job was that I found out why my cabinet scraper was a bit disappointing. I stumbled upon a Paul Sellers video review of a low-cost #80 scraper in which he found the steel was of the wrong grade, far too hard to sharpen without a diamond plate or similar. Also the edge had been ground at an angle more appropriate to a plane iron, but unsuitable for a cabinet scraper.
So I went and looked at my own #80, which is another cheapie (Faithfull brand).
Sure enough the steel was super hard. A sharp file didn't even scratch it. And I measured the ground edge at around 25° instead of the recommended 45° - 55°.
So I set up a little jig by temporarily supergluing a wedge of scrap wood to the tool rest of my bench grinder and reground it as near as dammit to 50°. Sharpening it requires a diamond plate and a bit of body-English, then I could turn a very sharp burr using an old kitchen steel that Mrs 404 discarded some years ago but I couldn't bring myself to throw away.
Now it works beautifully, on hardwood anyway. With almost no effort it cuts shavings like superfine dust and I'm really pleased with it.
It's not the first time that Paul has given me a revelation.

[Custerdome]

That's a good (double) shout. I was a bit disappointed with my new cabinet scrapers, and they've being filed at the back of the drawer, - I'll take another look and check the angles and edges.

We also have a serving hatch, with a 'gloss' white finish, you might have just inspired me to get a crowbar out. I've a piece of ash somewhere which would be a good fit.

[DKL]

EmBe said:

DKL said:

Sadly it seems they are no longer in business but I'll investigate the process as they can't be the only ones.

Just search locally for 'media blasting', lots of places do it.

Lots seem to do various types of blasting but soda blasting for wood seems a bit harder to find. Plenty do metal blasting but not the finer stuff. The nearest place to me is in Martock but they do sem to have experience with exaxctly what I want.

[Error_404_Username_not_found]

Custerdome said:

That's a good (double) shout. I was a bit disappointed with my new cabinet scrapers, and they've being filed at the back of the drawer, - I'll take another look and check the angles and edges.

We also have a serving hatch, with a 'gloss' white finish, you might have just inspired me to get a crowbar out. I've a piece of ash somewhere which would be a good fit.

Good luck. It's a great tool if you set it up properly. If you can't regrind the edge angle a new Veritas blade is only about ten or twelve quid and the steel grade is soft enough to sharpen by draw-filing with a decent file.
Paul Sellers has a good video on the technique.
Personally I've decided to live with the hard steel. It's a little more work to sharpen but it keeps its edge well.

[Austin_Metro]

Paul sellers’ videos are great, but they remind me that I’m not yet at the standard of the first fix carpenter’s mate’s tea boy.

With that in mind, how would you replicate this (the insert)



And what wood would you use? I don’t have a router. Advice welcomed.