What's new

Any Other Woodworkers on BOTL?

Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Joined
Jan 11, 2020
Messages
64
I actually just started getting back into wood working since I've been off work for the past month or so. I'm finding it very therapeutic to work with my hands and create things that people and my family all enjoy. I've also found it as a way to bond with my teenage daughter. Throughout the years we have grown more and more distant but one day a few weeks ago while I was in the garage working she came put and just watched. Eventually she asked if I could teach her to build stuff. I said sure why not. We ended up making some end tables and a sofa table together. Now shes hooked and wants to try and build a coffee table with me! I'm so excited

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

PetersCreek

Brother Borealis
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Joined
Jul 19, 2005
Messages
998
Location
Peters Creek, Alaska
The day will soon be upon us and that day is Thursday: the contractor will be here to replace our boiler, water heater, and garage heater. Fortunately, it's not an emergency job. Everything is just old and tired, being original to the house built in 1984, and we've been talking about upgrading for years. The platform they sit on is old and tired, too and it's my job to build a new one. The new platform is shorter, left-to-right, since the new boiler is narrower than the old unit and we're replacing two 40-gallon gas-fired water heaters with a single indirect model. It's deeper, front-to-back, because the new boiler requires more clearance from the wall in order to meet code.

145575

I finished buying materials Saturday, got it all cut to size, and counterbored/pre-drilled the fastener holes. On Sunday, I assembled the substructure upside-down on a pair of saw horses using lag screws and construction adhesive, then gave it a quick wipedown with boiled linseed oil. I flipped it onto its legs, glued and screwed the decking in place, and laid some vinyl composite tile on top of that. All that remains is to flush trim the tile, install some trim to conceal and protect the plywood/tile edges, and apply a coat of water-repellant finish. Being of 2x6 and 4x4 construction with 10 crossmembers, this thing is an over-engineered, six-legged beast. I know because my aching back tells me it's so.

145576
 
Rating - 100%
11   0   0
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
1,660
I'm curious about how you all handle staining wood and keeping it elevated to allow even drying. I've fashioned some scraps to hold pieces on edge, minimizing the contact area while allowing a piece to be supported.
20200305_132831.jpg
Simply cut a notch in some scrap plywood to hold the scrap strip such that a corner is up.
I actually have 3 notches, some close some spread out, depending on what will be supported.
20200305_181417.jpg

What do you all do?
 
Rating - 100%
27   0   0
Joined
Apr 26, 2008
Messages
1,581
Location
Tacoma
I'm curious about how you all handle staining wood and keeping it elevated to allow even drying. I've fashioned some scraps to hold pieces on edge, minimizing the contact area while allowing a piece to be supported.
View attachment 146500
Simply cut a notch in some scrap plywood to hold the scrap strip such that a corner is up.
I actually have 3 notches, some close some spread out, depending on what will be supported.
View attachment 146501

What do you all do?
This is smart. Much smarter than what I end up doing.
It usually ends up like this:
1. Tidy up the garage and clear my workbenches of all my wife's things.
2. Try to find the paintbrush that *I* always put back into the same spot but the wife can't find after she uses them.
3. Root around the garage trying desperately to find things to prop up my project.
4. Start the project but realize that I need probably double drying area than I thought.
5. Root around again and find different options.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 as necessary.

Toss in a couple cigars, some beverages, and a German shepherd that sets her frisbee either on my feet or near enough to trip me up occasionally and that 20 min project easily stretches into a 5 or 6 hour project.
 

PetersCreek

Brother Borealis
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Joined
Jul 19, 2005
Messages
998
Location
Peters Creek, Alaska
The convenient thing about our loveseat, is that it has a couple of drink holders built in. The inconvenient thing about our loveseat is the built-in drink holders don't fit coffee mugs with handles, large wine glasses, and they don't have room for cheese plates, chip bowls, or the cat. Sofa tables are pretty common but we wanted something different and more useable. This is what I came up with:

147538

This will coordinate with the magazine caddies I made a while back so this will be made of quarter-sawn white oak as well. The tabletop will consist of bookmatch, shop-made veneer over an MDF blank and will be edge-banded with a bent lamination that also acts as a lip. Two tapered plugs under the top will snugly sit in the drink holders while two curved, tapered leg provide support up front.

The first order of business was to make a pattern and forms. I glued up a 1½-inch thick blank from two pieces of ¾-inch plywood and made a pattern for the tabletop from a scrap of ½-inch plywood. After cleaning up and rough cutting the plywood blank into appropriately sized pieces, I used the pattern to make a clamping form for the laminated edge banding. In turn, I used the form as a pattern to make a clamping caul. I notched the caul for clamping and lined it it with PSA cork, then drilled some holes in the form for clamping.


147539147540
147541147542

The oak I selected for the table top had a pretty gnarly looking stub of a branch in it, so I hoped there was something interesting going on inside. But I rough cut the workpiece extra long in case I need to work around it. When I split it to reveal the bookmatch, I was rewarded with some nice crotch figure and a few cracks and voids. I glued the pieces into a panel and filled the open spaces with used coffee grounds and CA (super) glue.

147543147544

Over the past couple of evenings, I split the panel again, planed them, and rough cut them for the top and bottom veneers. It's in the clamps as I type this.
 

PetersCreek

Brother Borealis
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Joined
Jul 19, 2005
Messages
998
Location
Peters Creek, Alaska
What with errands and shop chores this weekend, I didn't make a lot of progress on the project. The veneered tabletop blank came out of the clamps, of course and I got it squared up, then planed the veneers down to about 1/32". I wasn't happy the symmetry in the cracks...one side was much more pronounced than the other...so I used a couple of carving gouges to add some cracks of my own and filled them as before.

I also broke down some more stock for making lamination strips and while I was at it, I roughed out the legs. I printed a full size pattern of the leg profile, affixed it to the stock, and cut it out at the bandsaw. I still had the big resaw blade on, so I couldn't cut the tightest curve. I'll get to that later. This piece is 2 inches thick and will get split down the middle to make two legs, once the profile is finished.

147793 147794
 
Rating - 100%
29   0   0
Joined
Nov 11, 2012
Messages
298
Location
518, NY
I'm super excited. I finally got my hands on a 14" Delta Band Saw. According to the serial number, this one was manufactured in 1948. She runs like a champ. Needs a little cleaning, and I plan on adding a riser block and making a few upgrades, but I am very happy. I've been wanting to get a vintage 14" Delta for a while now.

148908
 
Rating - 100%
11   0   0
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
1,660
I hope we get through this COVID struggle soon. I'm replacing my dust mask as the one I've been using is about done. Wish I could buy another box of them but the store shelves still don't have these...
20200618_113152.jpg20200618_113115.jpg
 
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Joined
Jan 29, 2020
Messages
59
Location
SoCal
Don't want to start a new thread, so I'll just slide these in here....


Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
These are really cool. Can you add some pics of other angles? What's the function? I was guessing coasters.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Joined
Jan 29, 2020
Messages
59
Location
SoCal
A while ago I turned this little bowl and it turned out to have some amazing grain. I've haven't turned a piece of cocobolo that has been as unique. The grain and coloring make it look like granite. It was absolutely stunning. When I was done with the polish coat and the lathe stopped, my jaw dropped. And now after years of oxidation it has some awesome shades of brown and gold. Cocobolo is my favorite hardwood...well one of them haaha.


Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 

bwhite220

Brandon | BotM Jan 2038
Rating - 100%
91   0   0
Joined
Jul 28, 2016
Messages
5,089
Location
Northwest Arkansas
I’ve made a few things over the last 30-days...

I’m in love with Hammocking but I do not have any trees to attach to at my house yet. So I built this hammock stand that I can clip into whenever I want.
D134765D-F2C3-48FF-B3FE-F115556626C5.jpeg


Built 2 of these end tables for a client. Each table top has 2 wireless chargers built into it so you just set your phone down on it and boom, your phone is charging.
64467F62-BDA8-406F-BB72-EC972A2903E8.jpeg

3ADD133D-C70A-4E6F-92DC-A73DFBD5E340.jpeg


My wife wanted a planter box with a modern looking trellis on it for the front of our house. This thing is massive and turned out really cool.
DFF22D16-64C6-457C-8CDC-10E45F0F5506.jpeg


A close friend of ours asked me to build a graduation board for their daughter who graduated high school this year. I’ve built a few graduation boards in the past and typically they are just really skinny cutting boards that you stick photos to. For this one, they wanted to hang photos from it. So, we came up with this design and it was a fun little project.
FEB4D327-7EEA-4CC1-862F-B7A218F00D79.jpeg
 
Rating - 100%
11   0   0
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
1,660
I learned a little about kick back while cutting in a dado slot tonight...
20210124_202630.jpg20210124_202635.jpg20210124_202642.jpg

Luckily the wood was the only thing to get hurt.
I wanted the slot to end an inch before the end of the board and as I released the tension to turn off the saw, it kicked right back into me...dummy (dumb me).

After sitting and rethinking my approach, I clamped a fence to the opposite side instead and used the miter to push the other board through.
20210124_210550.jpg

Then I chiseled out the last part to make a square shoulder. Much better.

Went to the bench to test fit and found my head was still not screwed on straight as I had cut in from the bottom instead of the top! Now I have two pieces of fire wood!
 
Rating - 100%
11   0   0
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
1,660
A little closer to complete on my closet step stool, which is what I learned about the kick back on above.
20210228_210842.jpg20210228_210849.jpg20210228_214944.jpg20210228_220147.jpg

I've also learned that baltic birch can be blotchy, even though the piece i tested first wasn't... No problem as its going in my closet but I'll have to precondition anything I make for my fairer half.
My goal for this was to support my fat ass without any nails or screws, just the wood with slots and grooves to interlock and glue.
 
Rating - 100%
11   0   0
Joined
Jun 11, 2015
Messages
1,660
Time to revive this old thread.
My wood work is like my homerolling, effective but not beautiful...
Built a floating shelf for the basement bathroom, now I'm making another as the wife liked the first one, must've done something right!

20220812_160519.jpg


My interior decorator hasn't decided on the colors yet...but since the finished part can slide off for now, we can stain or paint the shelves when she knows what she wants. 20220813_203914.jpg

;)
 
Last edited:
Top