Category: Podcast Episodes

This Episodes Listener Questions:

Guys Questions:

Hello Guy, Huy, and Brian,
Loving the content you guys are dishing out. Keep up the good work!

I have my sights set on a jointer in the near future as I would like to save time and energy squaring lumber. My preference up until now has generally been to buy new tools and the thought of refurbishing/repairing anything used has not appealed to me. However, the cost difference between a new/used jointer has me thinking differently. Also, the jointer seems to be one of, if not the easiest, of the big woodworking machines to refurbish given its simplicity. Correct me if I am wrong in this thinking. Curious to hear your thoughts if you think it is worth my time and effort to buy a used jointer or should I go new? What should I look for if I were to go used? I realize that moving a big machine like an 8″ jointer will be challenging, but I can easily get some friends together and rent a trailer to get the job done if the cost savings are great enough. Plus some beers and pizza for the helpers will help. Thanks! -John

Hey Folks,
Thank you for for the podcast. I love how quickly you jump right into the questions! Here’s mine: I’m building a set of screen doors for a cottage. The doors will be exposed directly to the weather in Quebec.
The doors will get a lot of abuse. They will close with a spring and slam frequently. The screen will run the full length of the door. I’m hoping to use a domino for the joinery.
3 questions: 1) what glue should I use? 2) what wood should I use? 3) How should I finish the doors?
Thanks ! Larry

Gentlemen,
First let me thank you for the podcast. I recently stumbled upon it and you three are now my regular company on my daily commute. Thank you! I consider myself a beginner hobbyist woodworker. My shop is the third bay of a 3 bay garage. My question is about when it is appropriate to use 3/4 inch vs 1/2 inch plywood. 3/4 inch plywood is so common, I wonder if it is needed as often as it is used? What kinds of applications need 3/4 inch plywood and what are some examples of when 1/2 inch plywood would be sufficient? I know that I am often guilty of over building projects and I suspect many woodworkers are. 🙂 Thanks for any information you can provide.
James Aydelotte

Huy’s Questions:

One more quick question, I’m working on getting into proper jointery. Is a nice hand saw worth investing in or is there an affordable option I can go with. I do mostly custom trim work but getting into more furniture grade work so it’s not something I will be using all day every day. Arntz Construction

Huy,

I am considering a clearvue and Oneida cyclone dust collector. I know you have the clearvue. What is your opinion of its performance? I have heard that it is very loud, what do you think? Thanks! Don

I’ve been doing more and more hand tool woodworking, so less and less dust-producing activities, but I still have occasion to use regular power tools for certain things. I’ve been striving to get better performance from my roll-around single stage D/C (with add-on cyclone pre-separator) and upgrading my hand-held power tools to ones with better built-in dust extraction… but there are still operations (edge cuts on the TS or with the router) that just spew crap everywhere. One area I need to probably do better on is wearing some sort of dust mask and/or respirator. I’ve avoided wearing them in the past, due to having a beard and knowing that masks get a very poor if any seal as a result. I’m considering getting something like a Trend AirShield (powered respirator / face shield), and was wondering if you have any other suggestions? Monte

Guy’s Questions:

Guys,
Recently I’ve been trying to expand my meager wood shop with budget friends older tools. (Most recently a delta x5 6” jointer to fix up and repaint for example).
What would you look for when shopping for a used band saw you’re hoping to re-saw with? Where do you look for parts for older/discontinued tools? Any advice on tools that are best to just buy new?
Many thanks, Dave

Can you share about your design process? My biggest challenge is coming up with designs or finding plans (or redesigning plans) that are going to come out terrific without being too far above my skills, the tools I have, or my available time. Do you ever make prototypes or miniatures first? Do you do your planning in Illustrator, Sketchup, Rhino or ? Or do you just make notes and sketches on paper? And where do you keep your notes so you can recreate the same results?
For context: I discovered woodworking during the pandemic and fell in love with it. I’m a senior woman and it’s a wonderful hobby for me (not a career or a side hustle). I’ll never make lots of the same item for selling, but making only one doesn’t work because I don’t get good at it until I make at least 3. Trish

Thank you so much for covering my question about building a Butcher Block. I was shocked that Guy could speak French!!! I should not be surprised as Guy is a French name (pronounced Gkee). However, I am not familiar with the expression he used, but he is excused since he prefaced it with “Pardon my French”. Guy, you are forgiven, but if you want to use some really good French salty words to punctuate a thought, I am here for you buddy. We frogs need to stick together. On a side note, I have another question. I would eventually like to purchase a drill press. I really like the Nova Voyager and its direct programmable drive. My question is, what is the advantage of a free standing vs a bench mount drill press. I can see the advantage of a bench mount as it can provide storage space below. But why would any wood worker prefer a free standing unit? I believe I saw in huy’s video he does have the Nova drill press. From Thailand, Bert Plourde

Huy’s Questions:

Hi guys! Thank you for the great podcast. I look forward to listening to half of your show on the coincidentally timed drive to our local Woodcraft, and the other half on the way home. You put out great information, and humbly have the best show out there.
I have a question about sanding mops, and don’t know if any of you have experience with them. I’m currently making a large batch of ‘Contemporary Door & Drawer Pulls’ based on Larissa Huff & Robert Spieces’s article in FWW issue #289. Using Walnut.
One of the last steps in the article says, “To further refine the shape, and give the pull a nice soft quality, we finish up those hard to reach edges with a flap sander in the drill press. This sanding tool gives the pull a wonderfully tactile feel…”
After looking at the sanding mops in the Klingspor catalog, I’m a bit overwhelmed by the many options.
I’m curious as to which grit (grits) you might suggest to get that oh so important ‘wonderfully tactile feel’. I also wondered if there is a particular manufacturer you’ve had success with.
Thank you for your help!
Kevin Long

Hey guys,
As a hobbyist I like projects where I have to figure out something new (but not too extreme).
Sometimes I will modify a plan to make it more functional, more interesting, or just so I don’t get bored. Most of the time I don’t regret it, but occasionally I do kick myself.
As professional woodworkers how do you balance the need to be efficient and the desire to be creative?
Thanks, Chuck

Hello gentlemen,
I am in the middle of a remodel that will finish with painting the outside. I am going to make shutters for the windows and would like suggestions on what wood to buy. They will be painted.
I live in California and won’t have woods like alder or ash or southern pine available. The most common outdoor wood around here is redwood but that is normally stained and not painted. Can you use softwood in that application? Would even pine work?
I would love your thoughts.
Thanks, Rick

This Weeks Questions

Brian:
Hey guys, I just discovered this podcast and have been thoroughly enjoying the episodes so far! I am a guitar technician by trade and recently started to build my own solid body electric guitar. I have been studying up on tool safety and learning proper technique, as a beginner I don’t want to develop any bad habits or unsafe practices. I used a router table when creating the guitar neck from a template, but if i’m being honest I am a bit intimidated by it and would prefer to start routing with a hand held router instead. As a guitar player and thumb wrestling aficionado, I would like to keep all of my digits where they belong! With that being said, I have a few questions I’d like to ask specific to hand routers:
      1.    When edge routing hardwood, is there anything I need to be aware of that would cause the router to suddenly jump or kickback? Can I do this with a trim router, or do I need a 2+HP router? I am using figured curly maple for the neck and alder for the body. Does that make a difference?
      2.    How much wood can I safety remove per pass? (The neck thickness is around 1” and the body thickness is around 1.75”)
      3.    Any techniques or advice on how to minimize chipping, tear out and router burn? i.e. speed of push, router bit speed
Jordan

What is all the fuss about french cleats? Have you guys used them in your shop? Are they the organizational panacea they are made out to be or is there a better way to use wall space to keep your shop neat and your tools accessible?
Evan

Guys Questions:

Hey guys, I have a question about finishing.
I am about to purchase a solid Mahogany entry door and I’d like to finish it myself. (Not so much “like” inasmuch save a grand) But I’m not quite sure what to use. I’ve asked professional painters and looked online but get a ton of different responses. I don’t really want to stain it but rather get a color from an oil finish like you’d get from waterlox or Odie’s. From all my research I’m leaning towards Total boat marine wood finish.
I live in the south suburbs of chicago and my door faces directly west. It is covered by about a 4’ over hang and I have a 30 year old oak in front so it wouldn’t see much direct Sun, rain or snow.
Hopefully you get to this in the next couple episodes as I think it’s about a 4 week lead time and we’re ordering it this week.
Thanks!
Kurt

Hi gentlemen,

I love your podcast! It really gets me through tough hump days at work and gets me excited to get back into the shop each weekend.
I typically create midcentury modern furniture or pieces that are unique and allow some creativity, but I’ve developed a side-side gig of cutting boards and such by request for business to business type orders. Recently, my day job (I’m in biomedical research) requested Missouri shaped plaques with logos and script for visiting keynote speakers. I’ve avoided the CNC and laser world as I prefer hand tool woodworking, but one or the other would be necessary for this project and presumably a great feature in the shop. I’ve done my research and still can’t decide.
This will be an ongoing order so I don’t want to be too cheap, but clearly not industrial due to space. What would you suggest? Diode seems limiting, but it would quickly pay off. CO2 sounds ideal, but pricey. CNC (Shark?) sounds more useful to my main hobby and I could cut out the state shape too. I usually believe in “pay once, cry once”, but this is a significant decision.
Deana from Pomegranate Studios

Huys Questions:

Hi. You have a great show. I’m ready to buy my first track saw and am looking at the Festool TS55. I’m looking for opinions on whether the cordless model is worth an extra $170 over the corded. In the shop with a dust extractor it seems like the cord is not much additional encumbrance. Outside the cordless with just the dust bag would be advantageous. Thanks, John

Hey guys, as always, I love the show and how you guys are able to provide excellent information from various perspectives. Today I would like to pick your brains about food safe finishes for a couple different situations. My wife bought me an outdoor pizza oven for my birthday, and because I’m a woodworker, I promptly threw out the wooden pizza peel that I’ve been using for years so that I could make one. My first attempt was with cherry and spalted maple. The maple ended up being much more punky than I had expected so I made a second one with cherry, hickory, and bubinga. What would you guys suggest for finishes? The peel will be going into a 700 degree oven, and I plan on repurposing the one with spalted maple to a charcuterie or serving platter, so it might have hot pizza on it, but I would like it to be sealed. Keep up the awesome podcast!
Josh from the Blackdog Woodworks

Brian’s Questions:

I’ve recently walled off the third bay of my three car garage to give me a smaller space to heat and a wall to work with. I have started thinking about my ~270 sqft shop in three dimensions trimming all the fat and maximizing my functionality.What would you guys do with a nice healthy 11ft ceiling height considering I want pretty much my entire shop to exist is this space. What type of ideas would you have for multi functioning furniture? What would you put on the walls? Everything that can be is already on wheels. I’ve got most every major tool you guys do. Just curious on your take. How would you cram yourselves into this little space or do you already?
Thanks for continuing the podcast. -Jim G.

I am building an outdoor bench using steel legs and a currently rough cedar top. I plan on sanding the cedar smooth and finishing it. What would be the best grit to sand to, and what finish should I apply? It will get all-day full sunlight.
Jason H.

Guy’s Questions:

Hi: As I have said before, this is the best woodworker podcast on the planet! I enjoy so much the focus on woodworkers questions. Your personalities shines through as well as your intellect and your skills as a woodworker. Thanks so much.
My question stems from a recent project I started. I tried to be more exacting. I designed the project on gridded paper, figured out each exact dimension and then started to calculate the wood requirements. I figured out the sheet goods by figuring out the rough layout of the parts on a scale grid diagram. Then I calculated the board feet of each of the solid wood parts using a board feet calculator app a selecting 10% for waste option. I then added them up and got ready to buy the necessary wood.
In the past I just winged it. I’d have a rough drawing on scrap paper and a guess at the wood requirements which often meant follow-up trips to the store. Projects often had a few rework, redesign elements on the fly and some issues that hopefully I could only see, hence the change to more exacting.
I have a few questions. How exact are you with your designs? Is this the process you go through before purchasing wood? Is there another way? Do you use any apps like:”BoardFeetEasy” or “SmartCut”? Do you use any other woodworking apps? If so which ones? Is 10% a good waste figure? Do you adjust the waste figure based on any criteria? What are the criteria?
Thanks again for you’re time, focus and insite into the craft of woodworking.
Regards,Joe James

Hi, thanks for all the great work on this podcast. Yours is the only one that actually I even have a dedicated podcast app set up for, so that you guys are only a couple taps away for my sausage fingers whenever I have a free moment and want to learn something. Anyway, my question is about using a dryer plug for 220V machines. I’m planning a couple new tools for my basement shop, and whilst my first choice is to add a dedicated 220 line, I’d rather space things out financially if I can. One option seems potentially to use the dryer electrical socket until I have the cash flow to run dedicated electrics. I’m seeing mixed things in my research and wondering if you have any real world experience on using dryer plugs for tools with an adapter/extension, specifically if it’s a hazard and the pros/cons? In my case the tools would be a Hammer A326 and Sawstop PCS 3HP. Thanks for any advice you can offer and keep up the great work. Phil Evans

Huy’s Questions:

Hi guys, love the podcast! Thanks for all you do! I’m designing my first piece of larger furniture, an entry way table. I am planning 3 drawers across the top, and below that a cabinet in the center and open shelves to either side. I’m wondering how you guys decide on proportions for a build like this. Supposedly the 1.618 is some kind of magic formula that makes everything perfect, but how do you use it, or do you even bother? What if the piece has to fit a certain space, do you take that into account? Help me woodshop life, you’re my only hope! Matt

Hello all, how about another shop storage question? I’ve been primarily a power tool user for many years, but have started building a hand tool collection over the last 2 or 3 years. Im finding the “hybrid” approach more to my liking and feel it’s certainly improved the quality of my projects with the ability to fine tune fit and finish. Now being the proud owner of quality chisels, a few hand planes, scrapers and so on, most of the tools are in a tool box drawer.
I want to get these commonly used items out of the drawer and in reach, but I find myself starting to plan and build tool holders or storage solutions only to scrap it and move onto something else because I get lost in how simple or complex to make it.
I need to just shut up and do it, I know this. In your opinions, when you need a storage solution, do you just make whats basic and functional and after some use fine tune or remake it when needed? Or, do you spend time laying everything out and aiming for a one and done build?
-Mike