Episode 13- Bandsaw Set-up/Tune-up

March 31, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Video | 30 Comments 

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In this episode, I cover the basic setup and tuneup of one of the coolest tools in the shop, the bandsaw. Whether you plan on cutting veneer, re-sawing lumber, or cutting curves, the quality of the cut will improve if your bandsaw is properly tuned. Learn how to properly tension the blade, set the guides, adjust for drift, as well an many other tips can tricks.



Zero Tools and $1000

March 29, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 47 Comments 

Garrett over at the Tool Crib Blog recently posed a very cool hypothetical question. If you have zero tools and $1,000 to spend on tools, which would they be and why? And you can’t buy any more tools for a year. Well, one thing this exercise taught me is how little $1000 is in the world of power tools. One thing I have learned through experience is to buy the right tool the first time. So with a $1000 budget, I started adding items to my cart on Amazon.com and found myself at $750 before I even looked at a table saw. YIKES!

Now obviously selecting different brands would be the key to getting the prices down. Most of the tools I selected were from Bosch. But with $1000, I might need to think a bit differently. Craftsman and Black and Decker come to mind. But the real question is, will this $1000 budget be the only tool purchase we ever make, or is it just our budget for this year. If I can shop for more tools next year, I would rather buy the better tools and just get fewer of them. Then I would just suffer until I can make another tool purchase next year. There is nothing worse than buying a cheap tool to save money, it breaks, and then you wind up buying the tool you should have bought the first time. Ironically this usually makes your grand total expenditure much more than if you just bought the right tool in the first place. So I would start by searching for used/reconditioned equipment. You can save a lot of money that way. But these prices were all I could find on Amazon:

Dewalt DW618PK Plunge and Fixed Base VS Router Kit- A versatile router that will do just about everything. Fixed base and plunge base as well as 1/4″ and 1/2″ collets ($225)

Bosch 1590EVSK Jigsaw- This would essentially be my bandsaw substitute. ($160)

Bosch 33614-RT 14.4 Volt Cordless Drill/Driver Kit- You always need a good drill ($180)

Bosch 1295DVSK 5-Inch Random Orbit Sander- Essential for good finish preparation ($70)

Basic Set of Chisels and Block Plane- Probably Marples Chisels and a simple Stanley Block Plane ($45)

So that’s $680 total so far. I would use the rest of the money to buy the best tablesaw I could afford. But with only $320 left, I would need to back down on several of these tools to less expensive brands in order to get the quality I am looking for in the table saw. Man this is a hard exercise. But you get the idea. I would be curious to hear what tools you guys consider to be “essential”.

New Podcast Announcement

March 28, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 8 Comments 

I’ve been communicating with Matt over at Matt’s Basement Workshop recently about the possibility of starting a new audio show. After some planning and experimentation, we are officially announcing a new show called Wood Talk Online. It’s basically just two guys talking wood. We plan on discussing our own projects, general shop talk, and even product-related talk. One major focus will be answering listener questions on the show. And the great thing is you will get two perspectives from two woodworkers. So if you have a question or anything you think might be interesting for Matt and I to discuss, you can email us at WoodTalkOnline@Gmail.com.

We plan on co-releasing each episode on both of our sites as a special feature every time a show is completed. This seems like the simplest way to go for now. So if you are already a subscriber to The Wood Whisperer or Matt’s Basement Workshop, you won’t have to do anything at all to get the new show. The first show should debut within the next week or two. In the mean time, send in those questions and ideas! Thanks!

Twitter and The Webcam

March 27, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 7 Comments 

Hey peeps. One of my primary goals with The Wood Whisperer is to bring together two of my favorite topics: woodworking and technology. So I will occasionally try new things on the site that could make your user experience even more fun and helpful. There is a lot of buzz going around these days about a new web application called Twitter. Its basically a social networking site that allows you to keep track of your friends. The idea is to answer the question, “What are you doing?”. And every time you update, your friends can see what you are up to. Well, I thought this would make a nice companion to our webcam. A picture is great, but wouldn’t it be cool if you could actually see a few words describing what I’m working on? And since I have the keyboard right there, I can update the text very easily. So when you check out The Webcam Page, you should see the Twitter Box below the picture.

Now if you want to take it a step further, you can go to Twitter and sign up for an account. Then you can simply follow me directly. Let me know what you all think. It may just be a fad, but its kinda fun.

Caring for “Oiled” Furniture- Question of the Week

March 27, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 3 Comments 

This week’ question comes from Hope. She writes:

Around 5 years ago or so a friend of mine built me an incredible bed out of mahogany. It is such a beautiful piece and I feel it will become an heirloom. My problem is that I have lost touch with my friend and she did not put a finish or stain on the wood she only oiled it. I went to a lumber place to ask for some oil and the guy told me that I need to know what she used on it initially before I reapply more oil. Is this true and if so how can I ever know? Or what are my other options? I really want to take good care of this bed and I don’t want to mess it up. HELP

And here was my reply:

“Have no fear Hope. Fortunately, your lumber guy is wrong. Never send a wood seller in to do a wood finisher’s job. :) Actually, his concern is valid, since finish compatibility is sometimes an issue with certain finishes. But oil finishes are usually not a problem. Since 5 years have gone by, the oil is fully absorbed and cured. This means you can pretty much topcoat it or re-coat it with anything you want. So lets talk about what you want out of the finish. If you like the way it has looked over the last 5 years, and you just want to “refresh” the finish, then you can simply apply another coat or two of oil. If you want to add a bit of extra protection that a straight oil will not provide, you can go with a simple oil/varnish mixture. This mixture will give you the best of both worlds, with a very natural looking finish and some added protection from the varnish. Either way, the process is the same. Even if you don’t have any wood finishing experience, this process is a breeze.”

“First we have to prep the surface. Start by sanding the entire surface with 320 grit sandpaper. I am only talking a very light sanding here. Just a few light strokes in each section. This will help “clean” the surface and smooth everything out. For a bed, if you spend more than 35-30 minutes sanding, you are sanding too much. So once everything is nice and smooth, wipe the whole surface down with a rag soaked in mineral spirits. This will remove the dust as well as any surface oils from the last 5 years. Give it a few minutes to dry. Now you are ready for your new oil finish.”

“If you just want a straight oil, I would recommend a classic boiled linseed oil finish. Home Depot and Lowes sell this stuff in small cans. Make yourself a 50% solution of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. This will make it easier to spread the oil. Use a rag or a brush to coat the whole bed liberally. This might get messy since you are really trying to flood the surface. By the time you finish coating the whole bed, you will be ready to start wiping off the excess from the starting point. Just use some clean rags and wipe until there is nothing left standing on the surface. Wipe down the whole bed this way. Over the next 8-12 hours, check on the bed every hour or so. If you see oil bleeding out on the surface, wipe it off. After about 16-24 hours, you can add another coat if you want.”

“For an oil/varnish mixture, you do pretty much the same process, only you use an oil/varnish mixture instead of oil alone. I recommend a pre-made product called Waterlox. Its one of the best out there. I would dilute that mixture about 10% with mineral spirits and apply in the same fashion as the oil finish. The more coats you do, the more sheen you will get. But if you like the natural look, you may only need one or two coats. Good luck!”

And just a quick safety note. Oil cures by means of an exothermic reacttion. This means the reaction produces heat. So a folded up oily rag can very easily burst into flames as the oil cures. Its best to lay your used rags out in a single layer on concrete and let them dry thoroughly. Once dry and stiff, the rag is safe to dispose of in the regular trash.

The Wood Whisperer on DVD

March 22, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 3 Comments 

In preparation for our future DVD production adventure, Nicole and I decided to start making the regular podcasts available on DVD. This way we can iron out the DVD production process with existing content. So far we have two DVD’s available and you can check out the details by clicking the link at the top of the page, or just click here. The DVD’s will run $15 plus shipping and will feature full quality versions of the podcasts.

The transactions are handled through PayPal and we are working out all the details. We are hoping to make the process as simple as possible. Thanks everyone!!

Advice for Rust Prevention- Question of the Week

March 20, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 9 Comments 

This week’s question comes from Dave. He writes:

I live in South Carolina where the humidity is way up there. I recently purchased my first cast-iron tool (finally), but I’m noticing surface rust at random. Now, I’ve tried wiping with WD-40 and waxing with a silicone free wax, but neither seem to be helping too much. I don’t do an extraordinary amount of work on my tablesaw, but I want to keep the top looking as good and staying as flat as possible over the years.

And here was my reply:

“Here is what I do for my cast iron tops. Now keep in mind, I am privileged when it comes to rust since I live in the desert. But I used this same system when I lived in S. California and the results were very good. If I see some rust developing, I usually spray the top down with WD-40 and start sanding the surface by hand with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper ( I use a sanding block). This removes the rust from the surface and makes a nasty smeary paste on the surface. I wipe off the excess. Now I have heard that for some reason, WD-40 can attract moisture to the surface so it doesnt really protect from rust as much as we think. Not sure how much truth there is in that, but I would rather not take chances. So I clean the top off with either mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, or ethanol. Now the surface is raw and will rust quickly. So now we have a few options for protection. The best protection from rust, hands down, is T9 Boeshield”

“This stuff works great and I can just about guarantee you will not get rust when using this product. The one drawback? Its not really slippery. In fact, it makes the surface downright sticky. I suggest applying a decent coat, rubbing it in, and letting it sit overnight. The next day, buff the surface with a clean cloth. Once it no longer feels real sticky, get your favorite wax out. Apply several coats. Any silicone-free wax is good. One of my favorites is a spray wax called Top Cote.”

“Then about once a month (you might need to do it more), I spray the surface and reapply the wax. I also like to use Renaissance Wax when I am out of Top Cote. Hopefully this will prove to be an effective treatment for you.”

Congratulations To The Winners!

March 18, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 15 Comments 

Well, the winners of the Powermatic Prize Pack have been randomly selected. Lets congratulate them on their ability to accurately answer a stupid question!! Hooray!

Joel Fancey and Joe Anderson, you guys are the lucky recipients of the Powermatic Prize Packs!! We also decided to sweeten the deal by throwing in a Wood Whisperer T-shirt for both winners. And we also had a random bonus drawing. Gary Norton is the lucky recipient of a Wood Whisperer t-shirt.

We would like to thank all of those who entered the contest. There were some hilarious replies!

Now don’t fret if you didn’t win. We will have many more contests in the future for various woodworking-related prizes. Thanks again everyone. And a big thank you to Powermatic for supplying the gear.

Episode 12- The Big Squeeze

March 16, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Video | 24 Comments 

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Today’s show is all about clamps. There are so many varieties out there and unless you’ve been woodworking for a number of years, its difficult to know which ones to buy. Furthermore, how do you know which ones to buy multiples of? I review all the clamps I own and show you some of the newer clamps to hit the market, namely the Jet Parallel Clamps and the Irwin Quick Grip XP’s. At the very least, I hope I can help you avoid doing what I did in the beginning: buying clamps you don’t need.

Most of the items featured in this episode are available in The Wood Whisperer Store. So if you need to pick up a few clamps, thats a great way to do it.

Trouble Staining Maple- Email Question of the Week

March 14, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 4 Comments 

This week’s question comes from Darin. He writes:

I am trying to finish maple to a brown appearance. I am using a dewaxed shelac as a sanding sealer and this imparts a slightly amber tone to the wood and when I apply the col. maple gel stain I get an orange tone wood instead of the brown I would like. Is there a method that you use to obtain a brown tone finish instead of the orange one I am getting.

And here was my reply:

“Hey Darin. What cut of shellac are you using? You just might be sealing the surface a bit too much, so you aren’t getting the color change you should be. Also, be sure to use a blonde shellac since that emparts little to no color at all. Do a few tests on scrap to find what works for you. I would probably recommend a 1/2lb cut to a 1 lb cut. Now if that stain still isnt dark enough, then you might want to move to a darker gel stain. The gel stain will sit on the surface more and will allow you to more effectively change the color without depending on stain absorption. Rockler has a great selection of gel stains that I use frequently. Also, if you have a spray setup, you could always use a dye mixture to get a nice even brown color. Let me know if you need more info on that method. ”

For those of you who don’t know, maple is a tricky wood to stain. It tend to absorb stain unevenly which leads to a blotchy look. By pre-sealing the wood with shellac, you can even out the color absorption. This is exactly what Darin was trying to do.

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