Welcome to the world of wood working Brian! That's the most interesting blog I've read on this site yet. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your journey and seeing some projects.New Year...New Hobby
I have been known to take up a hobby or 37. At 42, on the cusp of 43, and well into the 'balding' years, I have decided that, in lieu of a midlife crisis, I would take up woodworking. Don't get me wrong, a new car and a 27 year old with huge, firm, hands would be wonderful; But I can't afford the 27 year old, and I am not into cars that much.
In the summer of 2009, I went to an arts festival in Des Moines. The gentleman, who won best of show, did so with some amazing etched clay bowls. I am not sure why those clay pots inspired me to take up wood working, or if they were the only inspiration, but shortly thereafter I found myself living in the thriving metropolis of Martelle Iowa. I had my first ever basement.
Without a lot of money to buy all that one needs to build furniture, I started with magazines. The first one was called, "Start Woodworking", from the editors of Fine WoodWorking. I read tips on tools, ideas for projects, stories about great woodworkers, and I began to formulate a plan. I would start with a workbench, the workbench on page 24. The editors of the magazine did a good job of designing a project with the beginner in mind. They even provided a DVD with instructions that were really helpful.
The bench took several months to complete, though the plans were designed so that one could complete it is a weekend. I would guess that I spent 5 hours of thinking about building the bench, for every hour of actual working on it. I thought about what I needed to complete each step, but I was always only focused on the next step. The first step was to buy the 2×4s, 4×4s, 3/8" threaded rod, and a miter saw. Not an electric miter saw, a cheap manual one. I could afford it, it would cut, and I didn't at all care about how long it would take to make each cut. I also discovered in the garage and old hack saw that I could use for cutting the threaded rod.
With the wood cut, I decided I wanted to sand my lumber. The next purchase was a small Black and Decker 'Mouse' sander, some 80, 120, 180 grit sandpaper, and a cool looking level that I didn't need but it was shiny and I was powerless to NOT buy it. The next few weeks found me sanding each piece a bit each day. Barely into my first project I was already getting addicted to the process. The feeling of the construction grade lumber in my hand, after it had been sanded, gave me the slightest glimpse into the beauty of working with wood. I thought about how it must be to run my fingers across a piece of glass smooth mahogany or birds eye maple.
The plans required that I route a 3/8 inch groove into the stretchers. Before I read this magazine I didn't even know what a router or a stretcher was. Each new term learned, each skill set explored, opened up the possibilities that developing woodworking skills offers. And each discovery brought the reality home that care needs to be taken to master each aspect of woodworking. So before I could move on to routing I needed to do a bit of research. This is how one turns a 2 day project into a 2 month quest.
I read reviews and comments. There are many good routers to choose from and I decided to go with the Bosch 2.25 hp router with both the plunge base and the fixed base. I bought 3 bits. A 2" Spiral Downcut CL 2BB and a straight 3/8" by Amana Tools, and a 3/8" Up Spiral bit by Freud. I have come to the conclusion that Freud and Amana Tools are the two best out there. Admittedly Amana makes 2 levels of router bits, and I can't speak to their low end line, but the high end bits have been a joy.
With the router in hand, I had all the tools required to build my workbench. Each step was approached with a sense of confusion and fear. The first time I used the router I was filled with trepidation and pizza, as it was after dinner when I gave it a try. I spent close to 40 minutes setting up a guide for my router. Pieces of 2×4 clamped with 2 24" and 2 36" Jet clamps on my make shift workbench, allowed me to position the router to route. I had read that it is best to take several small passes for safety. Since I was already a bit scared that the router would spin wildly out of control and drive itself into my spleen, leaving me bleeding and generally disappointed, I decided that small passes were a good idea.
It worked as advertised. My first 2 passes made a wonderful 3/8" grove in my wood. I was filled with pride and sure that I was well on my way to being one of the greatest woodworkers of the last 700 years. My second board didn't go as well. I had tightened the collet on the router, though apparently not enough and it had slid up slightly. This had produced a slight up ramp for the groove. My ego needed this set back and I retightened it and decided that I was the greatest woodworker in my basement at that moment. This was good enough for me.
The rest of the project required gluing 2 pieces of ¾ " ODF together to form the top, drilling some holes in the 4×4 legs, and attaching the 9" Jet vice. The only difficult part was installing the vice as it didn't come with instructions, but my own insecurity about getting it right, made me take it at a glacial pace. When I flipped the bench back over and put a piece of wood in the vice, I almost wept with joy.
At the end of the quest I learned several things. 1) When marking wood to be cut or drilled, avoid doing it while watching college football. My bench still bears the scars of several errant holes. 2) Drilling holes with a hand drill, so that they are straight, requires a bit of practice. 3) High quality drill bits are much easier to use than really old, worn out, dull, bits. This likely applies to all tools, the better the quality, the better the results. 4) Fostner bits are cool. 5) I love my workbench, with its shiny red Jet 9" vice. 6) The journey before me is perhaps the most exciting one I have undertaken in my lifetime.
Extremely Average
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Brian, thanks for the very entertaining blog. It's fascinating to hear about someone making the same mistakes and experiencing the same 'ah ha' moments that most wood workers go through when starting out. I was tempted to recommend you take some classes so that you could save yourself some time by learning some of the 'ah ha's from someone who's been through them but I suspect your having much more fun figuring it out on your own so I think you should keep it up exactly as your doing it. Plus a bunch of us are really enjoying the blog…A Tenuous Grasp
"Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers."
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
As you may know, I have mortised. Can mortise be used as a verb? Obviously it can, though I am sure my 7th grade English teacher is rolling over in her grave. Actually, I don't know if she is dead, probably just wishful thinking on my part. I digress.
What is a mortise without a tenon? It is sad. It is lonely. It is unfulfilled. It is ying without yang, peanut butter without jelly, Simon without Garfield. Ok that last one wasn't a good example, as Paul Simon has done pretty well solo. Apparently I am still digressing.
After my 3 practice mortises and 4 real mortises, I realized it was time to create a verb out of tenon. I have read all sorts of interesting articles giving techniques and jigs one can use to cut tenons on the router table or table saw. I have neither yet. In a fit of impulse buying I had purchased a lovely coping saw a few weeks earlier. A Robert Larson saw made in Germany. I reasoned that with all the Germans have had to cope with in the last 100 years; they probably know a thing or two about this type of saw.
I find my coping saw to be quite wonderful. It cuts nicely, but alas it is not the tool for tenoning. I know this now. I am still very pleased to have it in my tool collection. I decided to try my Marples Japanese hand saw. I had not really used it in earnest before. It has two distinct types of teeth on it. This seemed to me to be significant and I reasoned that I should find out what each set of teeth was designed to do.
I wondered over to finewoodworking.com, where I gladly pay $4.95 per month to be a member. I figured I could find something about Japanese hand saws, and while I was looking I saw an article, "Guide for Cambering a Jack Plane Blade". I don't know what 'Cambering' is. I am equally uniformed as to what a 'Jack Plane' does. I assume it flattens large blocks of cheese. Not wanting to get distracted I passed on this article.
I found a wonderful article which had a diagram, which was vastly superior to the one I have here. Now I just needed to find a definition of 'rip' and 'crosscut', and I would be set.
I meticulously marked the board, took my saw to the basement, and clamped my bit 'o' hard maple into the vice. I decided I would cut off the short blocks on the end of the tenon first. This didn't take long at all. I then sawed the long bits off. I now had a tenon with four shoulders that were grotesquely uneven. Not to worry. I grabbed my trusty Black and Decker mouse sander and went to work. This was an abysmal failure. I now had shoulders that were smooth but not flat. Wisdom gained.
Never being one to get too stressed about failure, I decided I would take my mallet and see about gently inserting the tenon into the mortise. By gently I mean hammering it like Thor. This worked nicely, and though there was only one side of the combination that looked reasonable, it was so solid I couldn't pull it apart.
I have since learned that that first mortise tenon combo was too tight. It seems that when glue is applied the tenon will swell a bit. Though I didn't know that the joint was too tight at the time, I did know that it looked dreadful. So I brutally unjoined my joint and set the two pieces on the table. It was apparent that my grasp of tenon cutting was tenuous at best. I decided to sleep on it.
The next day I thought about it some more. It would be best to approach the cut differently. I would draw a box around the piece of wood, where the shoulders are supposed to be, and cut that first. It worked slightly better than my first method. Then as I was comparing the two, I had an 'ah ha' moment. I bet that the Master Woodworkers, clean up their tenons with their chisels!
With the speed of an Indy car driver, I grabbed my chisel and sheared off a bit of the shoulder. This was fun, and appeared to be helping. I spent a good deal of time chiseling off tiny bits here and there, occasionally setting my chisel on the shoulder and using it to see how close I was to flat, and then I learned a valuable lesson. If you are chiseling across a shoulder and coming up on the end of the board, it is best to stop and chisel back into the board. I learned this when I shaved the slightest bit off the shoulder and took a huge chunk out of the side.
Before I tackled the last two I looked up the best way to start a cut with a Japanese handsaw. I also drew a secondary box 1/32 below the 1st one. This made thing easier. I cut to the 1st box and chiseled to the 2nd one. It was also brought to my attention that one should hold the saw near the end of the handle, not apply too much downward pressure, and to just let the saw cut. Apparently these types of saws like to cut in straight lines. I am not sure that my saw is aware of this, but it does a pretty good job. A good enough job that I am planning on upgrading to a better saw. Any ideas or suggestions from the peanut gallery would be greatly appreciated. In fact, here are three questions I would love to have answered.
1. What is the best Japanese handsaw for cutting tenons or dovetails?
2. How do you get clean and flat shoulders on your tenons? (if you cut them by hand)
3. What is your favorite land mammal?
With my newly acquired knowledge I was able to improve the tenons marginally. I would give my tenons a c+, but only because the class is graded on the curve, and I intentionally signed up for woodworking for toddlers. Those 3 year olds with their barely developed motor skills, they make me laugh. In all seriousness though, I would imagine that just like in all other aspects of woodworking, practice goes a long ways towards perfection. So I am going to keep at it.
"The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions."
-Alfred Lord Tennyson
My answers to your questions:
1. No idea. 15+ years of woodworking (13 doing it for a living) and I have never cut a mortise or tenon by hand. You've probobly already surpassed my skill level with hand tools. I've also cut very few using power tools but I have worn out countless biscuit cutters.
2. see #1
3. Pig. Preferably wrapped in bannana leaves and slow roasted in a pit luau style. (my apologies if your a vegetarian)
Great progress Brian! You might want to put some kind of finish on your stone holder. If you keep getting it wet like that everyday it's going to start to rot and grow mold.To and Fro
It is all back and forth, to and fro, over and over again, until my fingers are sore and angry. Actually my fingers are not only angry, they are bitter and told me in no uncertain terms, "Listen bub, we know you are excited about your new little sharpening station, but either we get a break, or we will wrap ourselves around your neck." I am not brave, so I relented and decided to take a break from sharpening. I checked and my fingers agreed that they would be more than willing to either "Do some walking through the yellow pages, especially if it is the Chinese food section, or be allowed to type up today's blog." It was made clear that the latter option would only be accepted if I let them state their case.
My belief that learning to use hand tool and to take care of them, will serve me well throughout my woodworking life, is not one shared by my fingers. It seems that practicing this skill daily has been met with suspicion by the digits. They don't understand why I would work so hard to sharpen a small cheap chisel that I may never need. I tried to explain that the skill requires that I do it over and over. The case was made that it is better to get good on old chisels than to do a crappy job on new expensive chisels. This argument fell on deaf knuckles.
When I sensed that my fingers were tired of listening and I suspected they were about to turn on me, I gave up. I stand by my position though. Tonight I have spent close to 2 hours on one chisel. The first 70 minutes, minus the time it took to microwave some Tai Pei noodles and wolf them down, were spent on the 1000 grit. I set up my sharpening guide and started. Unlike my two chisels which I bought, the sharpening process started a new angle on the tip of the chisel. The aged worn chisel had likely never been sharpened and the angle was in need of fixing. Having flattened the back side, I figured I was close to done. I was grossly mistaken. The first time I flipped it over I saw that the heal was getting the new edge. It was obvious that I would have to keep sharpening until I had the entire front of the chisel ground down to the correct angle.
The monks, who devote their lives to the sharpening of chisels, would have likely ground the edge down. I have 3 grinders in the garage. They are old, I have never used them, and they look like a heart attack causing shock, just waiting to happen. So I give them a wide berth. Again, the point of sharpening this sad old chisel at all is for the practice. So I should stop complaining. The old adage applies, "be careful what you wish for."
I may have sore angry fingers, but I am starting to get comfortable with the rhythm of the chisel and the wet stone. Is it perfectly sharpened? No, but tomorrow I will work on it some more. And then the day after too, and then perhaps a bit on Sunday, and one day, I will be able to put an edge on a chisel that I can be proud of.
Wonderful Blog as always. I would be very interested in a blog on how you take your photos. I've been having a very difficult time getting good shots of my own work.I have just two questions
"We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment"
-Jim Rohn
I thought I would spend the day continuing to work on my Krenov saw horses, since I didn't have any new DVDs or books on woodworking. For those that stopped by hoping to see a rant about John Lively's company The Taunton Press, you will be disappointed to know that I am too happy today to gripe about their inefficiency. Because Monday is a holiday, I won't get them before Tuesday, but that is ok, and I am not going to let it ruin my weekend. There is just too much woodworking to do, to be cranky. Of course, I may be really full of rancor on Tuesday, so today's question of the day is:
Have you ordered from The Taunton Press and how did they do in shipping the products to you?
You may post your answers in the comments, or if you prefer, you may send them to me directly. [email protected]
The first step today, was to cut the tenons in the stretcher for the second saw horse. I move at a glacial pace with my projects. With each micro step I try my best to do better than the step before. To date, I have cut 3 practice tenons and 8 real tenons, the last 2 were better than any of the ones before. Today's two tenons are better still. The journey is one of exploration and discovery. Today I discovered that in order to cut a straight kerf with my Japanese hand saw, I needed to watch the reflection in the blade. Once I started to focus on the reflection I improved markedly over my previous attempts.
Not only were the tenons better than before, they took less time. With each cut I become more comfortable with my saw. It is clear to me that the $100.00 Dozuki saw is worth every penny. The blade is sharp, cuts easily and if it is started on the right path, once it gets into the cut, it will continue to cut straight. It also cuts very quickly. I am completely sold on Japanese hand saws.
The day did not only yield a triumph in tenons, but an additional measure of success in photography. I never imagined that I would spend so much time photographing the minutia of my progress or that this constant work would make me better at lighting my subjects, but this seems to be the reality of it all. I would estimate I spent close to an hour shooting my tenons today. To be honest, I find joy in nearly everything around me, including, the ability to ask TWO questions of the day. Yes, I have that sort of power. It is intoxicating.
So here is my second question: Would anyone be interested in a blog piece about how I shoot, light, and process my blog shots? Feel free to answer with a Yes or No, or a Oui ou Non, or even a Si o No. I will actually accept any language, as I can always look it up online. I do love Babel Fish. Of course, if you prefer to give a lengthy answer, please limit it to English or French, and include a picture of your incredibly attractive, single, and female cousin with a middle aged balding men fetish.
I would also like to take a moment to thank those of you who have been reading my blog. The support and feedback has been wonderful. Today's piece represents the first day in my second fortnight and I am truly loving the ride. I hope you aren't too disappointed at the lack of a rant today. Enjoy your day practicing the discipline of woodworking.
The green color of the lumber really looks like pressure treated wood.I Suck
On April 24, 1990 the Hubble Space telescope was launched into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The images they sent back were blurry. It was one of the darkest days in the space programs history. After polishing the primary mirror for a year they had screwed it up, worse than Billy Buckner in the sixth game of the 86' World Series. The mirror was off by 1/50th the width of a single human hair.
The holes, which I drilled in the legs for my router table, were off by more than the Hubble mirror. I am sure that the outrage among the scientific community will be less severe, though only slightly. I had the same problem with the workbench, though part of it was due to trying to measure and watch college football simultaneously, but the point is, I still drilled holes that were not true. I was careful in my markings; I was careful in drilling the holes and still just couldn't get it right.
It has been said that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. At the moment of realization that one has 'done it again', the five stages of woodworking begin. The woodworker will look at the pieces which don't fit together, take them apart, then immediately put them back together, hoping that this time it will work. This cycle will continue until a feeling of disgust and rage boil up from deep within our craftsman. Reaching towards the sky and screaming to the wood gods, "Why Me" will provide no comfort and the Anger will not subside until he or she starts to bargain with the wood pieces. "Please fit together. I promise that next time I will be more careful. Come on, just this once…" This reasoning will end in tears and a feeling of overwhelming depression, and finally acceptance. Once acceptance is reached, the woodworker will figure out a solution and ultimately triumph. I am not to acceptance.
I have come to the conclusion that much as I love my Japanese hand saw for cutting, I may need to make an upgrade from a hand drill to a drill press. The worst part is that after letting two woodworking ground balls travel through my legs, I am anxious to try again. So obviously I will need to build another bench of some sort. Of course next time, I will use a drill press to drill the holes.
If I were in acceptance I would write a good transition to this paragraph, but I am still too depressed so I will just carry on without any thought to the rhythm or style of this piece. Also, figure skating pisses me off! But I digress. This has really gotten under my skin, both the figure skating and the drilling debacle. I can tell that it has even affected my writing as this post is neither funny nor entertaining. In fact, I would say it is, sad, and boring. It is difficult to write when one is dealing with stage four of a woodworking funk. I wish I had a
cookie.
Since I don't have a cookie, I will ask for your help in reaching acceptance. To get there I think I need to have a solid plan for buying a drill press. So the question of the day, which I haven't asked in over a month, is this, what would you, the reader, recommend as a good quality drill press?
I have looked at the Delta DP 300L 12 Twin Laser Crosshair Drill Press and it seems good, but there are a lot of ones to choose from. Any help would be greatly appreicated.
Brian, pressure treated wood is wood that has been injected with chemical preservatives under pressure. It's great if you want to build a deck or something else for outside that'll take a long time to rot. Treated lumber is the only lumber I've ever seen that was that green other than some really expensive exotic stuff from South America.I Suck
On April 24, 1990 the Hubble Space telescope was launched into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The images they sent back were blurry. It was one of the darkest days in the space programs history. After polishing the primary mirror for a year they had screwed it up, worse than Billy Buckner in the sixth game of the 86' World Series. The mirror was off by 1/50th the width of a single human hair.
The holes, which I drilled in the legs for my router table, were off by more than the Hubble mirror. I am sure that the outrage among the scientific community will be less severe, though only slightly. I had the same problem with the workbench, though part of it was due to trying to measure and watch college football simultaneously, but the point is, I still drilled holes that were not true. I was careful in my markings; I was careful in drilling the holes and still just couldn't get it right.
It has been said that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. At the moment of realization that one has 'done it again', the five stages of woodworking begin. The woodworker will look at the pieces which don't fit together, take them apart, then immediately put them back together, hoping that this time it will work. This cycle will continue until a feeling of disgust and rage boil up from deep within our craftsman. Reaching towards the sky and screaming to the wood gods, "Why Me" will provide no comfort and the Anger will not subside until he or she starts to bargain with the wood pieces. "Please fit together. I promise that next time I will be more careful. Come on, just this once…" This reasoning will end in tears and a feeling of overwhelming depression, and finally acceptance. Once acceptance is reached, the woodworker will figure out a solution and ultimately triumph. I am not to acceptance.
I have come to the conclusion that much as I love my Japanese hand saw for cutting, I may need to make an upgrade from a hand drill to a drill press. The worst part is that after letting two woodworking ground balls travel through my legs, I am anxious to try again. So obviously I will need to build another bench of some sort. Of course next time, I will use a drill press to drill the holes.
If I were in acceptance I would write a good transition to this paragraph, but I am still too depressed so I will just carry on without any thought to the rhythm or style of this piece. Also, figure skating pisses me off! But I digress. This has really gotten under my skin, both the figure skating and the drilling debacle. I can tell that it has even affected my writing as this post is neither funny nor entertaining. In fact, I would say it is, sad, and boring. It is difficult to write when one is dealing with stage four of a woodworking funk. I wish I had a
cookie.
Since I don't have a cookie, I will ask for your help in reaching acceptance. To get there I think I need to have a solid plan for buying a drill press. So the question of the day, which I haven't asked in over a month, is this, what would you, the reader, recommend as a good quality drill press?
I have looked at the Delta DP 300L 12 Twin Laser Crosshair Drill Press and it seems good, but there are a lot of ones to choose from. Any help would be greatly appreicated.
I can't reccomend a good drill press because I don't have one myself. I do have one of the drill attachments that David mentioned and they actually work pretty good for what they cost. Definately don't buy a cheap desktop model drill press. I've got one from Porter Cable that cost me about $100 and it's high on my list of regrets. My drill attachment works just as well for most stuff. I've had great experience with other Grizzly tools and plan to buy one of their drill presses sometime this year.
Jimmy Johns #5 is my all time favorite sub…Frantic Speed Shopping
The sun was out today and it was the first time this year that I noticed the days seem to be hanging out a bit longer. They are sneaky that way, sort of creeping up on spring. After all the snow this winter, I will welcome spring with a giddiness that I haven't experienced in years. Of course, it was still cold out, when I got into my car, but the sunlight on my face warmed my spirits considerably.
I had errands to run. I needed to get some petrol and oil for my car. I was craving a Jimmy John's sub, so that was also on my list. The top task on my list however, was to try to make it over to ACME tool before they closed, so I could see the Festool rep. I had marked on my calendar that he would be in town on the 24th and 25th and today is the 24th! Since I purchased Mary the Jigsaw, I have been interested in seeing either the 5" RQ 125 FEQ or the 6" RQ 150 FEQ sander in action.
The Festool representative, Matt, had a piece of tiger wood, which had recently admitted to cheating on his wife with several types of exotics, from all over the world. Not only did I get to see it in action, I got to do the sanding! It was fantastic. He explained how to hold it correctly and also told my why it was important. Because of the design, it sort of looks like one might hold the sander too far back. He explained that this would lead to horrible chatter. So I did as he had instructed and there wasn't any chatter, it was smoother than a famous golfer picking up a porn star.
We started with some 120 grit and worked our way up until we were using some weird space age polishing pads. I have read that new woodworkers often over sand. The 6" RQ 150 FEQ sander, which has a random orbital setting and a gear setting, also has an attachment which collects dust. The dust collection was incredible. There simply wasn't any, the tiny little vacuum seemed to get it all. When I had made it through all the grits and polishing pads, the wood was polished like a new driver.
Before I knew it, the store was closing. I wasn't prepared to make my purchase today, as I like to mull tool buying decisions over, but I also was not at all prepared to leave ACME tool empty handed. That would be crazy talk. So in a near panic I scooted over to the section with measuring and marking devices. I swooped down the aisle, deftly grabbing a Crown Tools 10 ½ inch bevel in rosewood, a wheel marking guage by Shop Basics, and then frantically hailed one of the remaining workers, to unlock the Freud router bit cabinet. The ACME guys are always friendly, and they never rush me, but I have developed a terrible habit of making them wait on me to close up, so I am trying to do better. I looked at my iphone and I had my new ¼" double flute straight bit, with one minute to spare. I plopped the stuff on the counter and bought them. Whew that was close.
Worry not, if you thought that the closing of ACME, cut my woodworking shopping short, for I still intended to wonder over to Home Depot. Between ACME tools and Home Depot is a Jimmy John's sub shop, so that played right into my plans. I had the #5. Yummy!
As many of you know, I am working on building a router table. I have some ¾" ODF, which I thought I might take two sheets of and glue them together for the top. I have decided against that option, in favor of a more expensive one. I want each project to teach me a bit more about woodworking. So I have decided to glue up a bunch of 1×2 pieces of hard maple and oak, to create the table. Of course, I will be standing the pieces on their edge, so that the final thickness will be similar to the 2 pieces of ODF, but it will let me do some gluing. Also, I have been dying to try out my cauls, so this should be fun.
There is one additional benefit. I plan to assemble the tops, such that there is an opening, which is about a half inch smaller than my router table plate. This eliminates the need to cut a hole. I will give a more detailed explanation about how I approached my table top, after I have completed it. I bought 70 linear feet of wood, a piano hinge, and some Titebond II Premium wood glue. All in all, a good day, and now I get to go downstairs and cut some wood.
A little tip that can help speed up the gluing process when you have limited clamps: Even though the glue needs to set overnight to fully harden, you can generally take the clamps off after 15 minutes and begin work on the next set.No Surprises
The timer on my iphone was set to 16 minutes. I hit start and it began counting down. My belt sander went to work on the piece of walnut. Slowly it began to remove change the board's face from rough cut to a smooth surface. I focused on even strokes back and forth and let it do the work. When the deep cuts were mostly gone, with seven minutes remaining, I switched to my mouse sander. The mouse sander did a nice job with various grits for the remaining 7 minutes.
The follow three images are, rough, low end sanders, Festool 150.
When I wiped both sides off and compared, I was not surprised that the side which had been worked on by the Festool 150, was much nicer. The side that was completed with my low end sanders was still rather good looking. I would say that I have several hundred board feet of very handsome walnut.
So what did I learn? I learned that the expensive tool is quieter, somewhat faster, and performs a level that is superior to what I have now. This is not at all surprising. The real value is getting to compare my current capabilities with what is possible and then to assess how that relates to the project I am working on now. When I think in those terms, I come to the conclusion, that at this moment, I am not going to spend the money to buy the Festool.
Is this my final word on the Festool sander? No, not at all, as there will come a day, when I am building another project, one in which I desire a higher quality result, that I will likely revisit the issue. It was suggested that I read some of the reviews on the Lumberjocks site. This was very helpful.
So I gained a bit of experience about sanding and really enjoyed seeing how beautiful all the wood, which is stacked in my basement, really is.
It should be no surprise to anyone that 16 minutes of woodworking is not nearly enough. I have begun gluing the 22 inch pieces of hard maple together. The first set of 4 that I slathered Titebond on, were tricky little devils. Who knew that glue could be so slippery? Actually, I would imagine that most woodworkers knew that, but for me it was something new. The best part about the first glue up was that after I had clamped them together, I noticed that the first board had ridden up a bit. Did I panic? No, I put the glued up section in the cauls I built. I tightened the cauls up and the little bit of unevenness disappeared. I was very proud of my little cauls, performing their job so admirably.
The process of building the top for my router table will move slowly, as I only have enough clamps to do one set of boards at a time. That is ok, as I am such a novice at gluing up stuff, that doing them one at a time, will allow me to learn with each set. As with each other skill in woodworking, it just takes practice and repetition to get good at it. Or so I would imagine. Every time I try something new, I get very excited and it makes me happier than a cat who has won a bid on EBay for a giant ball of yarn.
Awesome router table Brian!Introducing My Router Table
Hello All,
For those who have been following my router table building adventures, I am pleased to announce that it is a fully functioning table of routing. I love it. I am especially pleased with the dust collection adapter I created. It not only works, but looks pretty good in my humble opinion. The best part is that I have learned a bunch.
http://bit.ly/bUwY1B
Ok, now to conjure up ideas for my next adventure.
Thanks,
Brian
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