Episode 21- Pare Essentials

32 Responses to “Episode 21- Pare Essentials”

1. Jonny Rocket on July 15th, 2007 8:19 pm

   Good show, enjoy Vegas.

2. wilbur on July 15th, 2007 8:57 pm

   Hi Marc,

   Hand tools??!?!?? You’re using hand tools?!?!!!?!?!

   Just kidding. My real questions:

   1. Other than just wanting to cover chisel techniques for the podcast, why not use a low angle block plane for cleaning up the edge of your step-stool step?

   2. You mention using Norton 3x, which I love using, but then you mention 600 grit sandpaper for the last sanding before the final finish. Would this be wet/dry sandpaper, or some other brand? Norton doesn’t make a 600 grit sandpaper, to my knowledge — I think that Norton 3x goes up to 400.

3. thewoodwhisperer on July 15th, 2007 9:07 pm

   Hey Wilbur. I know can you believe it?? Hand tools! lol

   I definately could have use a block plane. But I really wanted to show everyone the chisel technique. Not to mention, there are times that I feel like I have more control when I use a chisel, as opposed to a block plane. Especially when it comes to end grain and tearout and just a little piece of trim. But in most cases, I imagine most people would have just used the plane.

   The sandpaper I uses was just an automotive (gray or black) paper. Anything above 320 i usually go for the automotive stuff. Honestly I cant even remember the brand off hand. But I pick it up at the big box store.

4. muddler mike on July 15th, 2007 9:14 pm

   great job once again, Marc. Lots of good info. This one was a real treat considering how busy you’ve been. Loved the intro!

5. Schwigs on July 15th, 2007 9:54 pm

   That is one hell of a quality t-shirt. Balls Models…beautiful!

   Good tips on the finishing and paring too… ;-D

6. StevieFeelGood on July 15th, 2007 10:20 pm

   Good show!

   Ravioli hahahaha!

   Keep Rockin;

7. HermanV on July 16th, 2007 12:30 am

   I am always amazed what can be brought into the wood shop when the wife is out of town. Lets hope Nicole wont notice her stainless steel mixing bowls are missing :) Lets hope she doesn’t read these posts as well !
   Thanks Marc for the awsome podcast, I am inspired to try the oil varnish finish on my next project (Plasma TV stand) to get a feel for the process and finish.

8. Kevin on July 16th, 2007 5:00 am

   Yes…Keep the soft, fleshy, bloody bits away from the hard, sharp, pointy bits.
   Take it from me….I know….(don’t’ ask) ;^D

9. Windsorboy on July 16th, 2007 5:08 am

   Thanks, Marc, for the demonstration on paring. You’ve obviously got a very sharp chisel (”sharp enough to cut wood and draw blood”) . . . Do you have a honing guide that you’d recommend? I’ve been pondering the Veritas MK2. Thanks.

10. Ron on July 16th, 2007 6:50 am

    I want more bloopers!!!! Dang man those were great!!! Not to mention another great podcast:)

11. Nicole on July 16th, 2007 9:46 am

    Considering I bought him the bowls Herman, I would say Marc should be fine :)

12. thewoodwhisperer on July 16th, 2007 9:54 am

    thems my bowls!!!

    Windsorboy, I usually sharpen by hand but I picked up the Veritas MK2 and Im really looking forward to putting it to use.

    Marc

13. Frank on July 16th, 2007 10:23 am

    Marc,

    Great show as usual. We especially appreciate your covering the finishing techniques. They are often over looked by other woodworkers. Have a great trip and we hope to see you there.

    Frank and Stephanie

14. Russell Clark on July 17th, 2007 2:38 am

    Like your show, but you need to quit using Nicole’s t-shirts for finishing phase.
    Keep up the good pods, ribbit ! I guess even frogs want to do woodworking.

15. Scott on July 17th, 2007 3:48 am

    I just got my Veritas Mk II and used it last weekend. It’s awesome! I already had their first gen(?) honing jig, and I’ll keep that for honing skews. The Mk II is virtually foolproof and it allows you to set the bevel angle precisely square and at the same angle every time you remove and replace a plane iron (should you need to do so). I haven’t tried it out on my chisels yet, but I expect a similar impression.

16. Kyle Barton on July 17th, 2007 10:20 am

    Another great Show!

    Question(s): Correct me if I am wrong, but you used Seal-a-Cell for the entire finish. Do you ever use Arm-R-Seal; Use Seal-a-Cell and then Arm-R-Seal for the top coats? If you are just using Seal-a-Cell, what are its properties compared to using Arm-R-Seal?

    Have a great time in Vegas, to paraphrase Floyd. “Wish I was There”…

17. Brad Nailor on July 17th, 2007 10:53 am

    Love the outtakes…another cool podcast. Wish I could check you out in Vegas…

18. thewoodwhisperer on July 17th, 2007 12:58 pm

    Hey Kyle. The Arm-R-Seal is basically pure varnish with no oil added. This means you will build up a protective film finish faster. Using several coats of Seal-A-Cell alone gives me a light film for protection, without losing the natural close to the wood look.

19. Badabing on July 17th, 2007 1:28 pm

    Great podcast Marc! Did I hear someone say “ravioli”??? That was hysterical, I literally laughed out loud when I heard that :) Keep up the great work and fantastic sense of humor!

    Enjoy Vegas!

20. thewoodwhisperer on July 17th, 2007 1:37 pm

    lol yes. I just had to confess my love for ravioli. I feel better now that I got that off my chest. :)

21. Rob Hix on July 18th, 2007 12:48 pm

    Hey Mark,

    I love the finish. I am thinking it may be good on my bookshelves. Can I use that stuff over an oil based stain without any problems?

    Thanks,
    Rob

22. thewoodwhisperer on July 18th, 2007 5:58 pm

    Absolutely Rob. Will work perfectly.

23. tom on July 18th, 2007 7:43 pm

    about the mk2 honer

    i suggest buying it…if you’re into really sharp, consistant tools….
    couple hints from my experience

    - keep stones dead flat when using it….since you cant really “use the whole stone” with the knife locked in the roller system, it can lead to subtle concave areas in stones. This can be frustrating when trying to sharpen a plane blade.

    - if you keep a chart of all the angles and microbevels on your tools, its very easy to go back and rehone a micro bevel the next time, to the perfect angle.

    anyone can sharpen by hand…but this jig gives you peace of mind and reliability, and your tools will have that textbook sharpness to them.
    great episode marc…keep it up.

24. Bob Oswin on July 19th, 2007 7:48 am

    Shouldn’t you put your nosing ( now called edging) on first then make your angled cuts?
    Admittedly it does show good use of chisels on end grain but may leave the newbie with the impression that the “sequence” is correct.

    Bob

25. thewoodwhisperer on July 19th, 2007 6:34 pm

    Well Mr. Bob. When you glue that trim piece at a 65 degree angle, it causes the front of the step to have a ridge. This ridge prevents the piece from sitting nice and flat since it props the front up when its upside down. And when you flip it over, the ridge would cause a problem for the Festool MFT guide. The guide needs to sit on a flat workpiece in order to work properly and safely. Now of course that bevel cut could be made on either the tablesaw, or the miter saw, but my mission was to make this project completely with Festool tools. And if I couldn’t do it with Festool stuff, then I needed to find another option. So thats what you saw in the video. I am sure if I had the luxury of time to ponder the situation, I could have come up with a “Festool” solution, but I had to get er done. So with the oversized trim glued on, I figured I would take a few minutes to pare it down. And in addition, I saw it as a great opportunity to display a hand tool technique (something I rarely have the opportunity to do).

26. Northern Wood on July 22nd, 2007 7:52 pm

    Great episode, Marc… You are definitely a pro’s pro, but it is still nice for us novices to hear you say “so you don’t screw it up, like I just did…” I laughed out loud at that!

    And thanks for showing us some cool hand tool techniques. Nice to see that mixed it with the power stuff from time to time.

    The podcasts ROCK — please keep ‘em coming!

27. Mike in St. Paul on July 22nd, 2007 8:20 pm

    PLEASE keep the bloopers coming… I don’t want you to mess up (much), but man, those get me rolling. Love it!

28. Byron on July 23rd, 2007 11:03 am

    If you drive a few roofing nails through your little wood strips (pointy side up) you would minimize damage to the finish on the underside of the peice you are finishing..just something I do when Im in a hurry wich I always am afterall time is money….

29. John on July 27th, 2007 11:58 am

    Hey Marc,

    Thanks for another awesome video. Looking forward to trying this finishing technique on my next project.

    Do you wash and reuse the t-shirt after a project, or is this a “use one and dispose properly” kinda thing? If you wash, how do you do it? And if you dispose, is there anything special or does it just go in the trash?

    -John

30. JohnB on August 4th, 2007 6:07 pm

    Would you wax the Seal-a-cell finish? I routinely put a final top coat of wax on the wipe on poly finishes that I use.

31. thewoodwhisperer on August 4th, 2007 6:40 pm

    Hey John. To tell you the truth, Im not a big fan of wax. It doesn’t offer much in the way of protection and it signs you up for a lifetime of maintenance and wax buildup. In my opinion, the varnish is durable and beautiful enough on its own. I just cant find any good reason to use wax. Again, this is just my opinion and I know many folks who love using wax. To each his own I suppose. :)

32. Shannon in Maryland on January 12th, 2008 11:35 am

    Marc,
    Great podcast! Since you are so busy, how do you continue to work when you have a finishing drying. Your shop is bigger than mine, but still how do you contain the dust from other projects so as not to ruin the drying finish? If you are waiting 12-16 hours I can’t imagine with your schedule that you just shut off the lights and come back later.

Got something to say?