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Q for Woodworkers: need thoughts/recs
Posted on 7/30/20 at 10:41 am
Posted on 7/30/20 at 10:41 am
I recently started building my own small furniture (tables, desks, benches). It's been about a year of watching Youtube and learning the hard way.
Each project has improved my skillset but I'm still very basic, very amateur sticking to mainly rectilinear items.
I build the items using a jobsite table saws, compound mitre, compact router, palm sander, and a pocket hole jig. Cheap tools as I didn't know if I would stick at it.
I am thinking about picking up a powered hand planer. What are your thoughts...Is it worth it? How do you use yours?
What are some projects you started building as you were learning the craft/hobby?
Where is the best place to grab wood (live in prairieville area)? I generally go to HD but that is solely based out of ignorance.
As this hobby has become more serious, I'll be moving to a bigger space. Looking forward to building a work bench!
Here's a couple of pics
Each project has improved my skillset but I'm still very basic, very amateur sticking to mainly rectilinear items.
I build the items using a jobsite table saws, compound mitre, compact router, palm sander, and a pocket hole jig. Cheap tools as I didn't know if I would stick at it.
I am thinking about picking up a powered hand planer. What are your thoughts...Is it worth it? How do you use yours?
What are some projects you started building as you were learning the craft/hobby?
Where is the best place to grab wood (live in prairieville area)? I generally go to HD but that is solely based out of ignorance.
As this hobby has become more serious, I'll be moving to a bigger space. Looking forward to building a work bench!
Here's a couple of pics
7
Posted on 7/30/20 at 11:24 am to Tigeralum2008
quote:
Cheap tools as I didn't know if I would stick at it.
A good blade on those saws can improve them a bit
quote:
I am thinking about picking up a powered hand planer. What are your thoughts.
Personally Id rather have a bench thickness planer.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 11:41 am to NYCAuburn
quote:
Personally Id rather have a bench thickness planer.
Second. Find a used one on FB marketplace.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 12:44 pm to Aristo
quote:
Second. Find a used one on FB marketplace.
Thanks
Posted on 7/30/20 at 1:48 pm to Tigeralum2008
I have a Makita power hand planer and find I use it maybe 2-3 times a year. Not worth it for that little usage.
If looking to smooth out table tops, a large hand plane is the way to go unless you have a large mechanical surface planer or large drum sanding machine.
If looking to smooth out table tops, a large hand plane is the way to go unless you have a large mechanical surface planer or large drum sanding machine.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 3:54 pm to Tigeralum2008
quote:
I am thinking about picking up a powered hand planer. What are your thoughts...Is it worth it? How do you use yours?
I never use the one I got from my grandfather.
The portable surface planer (Dewalt DW735 for example) is the most valuable tool - it allows you to buy rough lumber and mill it to your specifications. This saves a lot of money.
Hand planes are really useful, but it is a learning curve and you have to be a good sharpener - sharp is key - and until you know what sharp is, you really don’t know what sharp is.
Service Lumber, Brazos are suppliers of lumber. There are some others. Not sure about suppliers closer to you. Home Depot is not the place to get lumber.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 5:28 pm to ChEgrad
I use hand planes a lot and sharp is key. Once you get one sharp you don’t have to sharpen it often. Just hit it with a strop and you’re good.
I use wet/dry sand paper all the way down to 2000 (I may go down more trying to remember) grit or more. I use a jig from Lee valley and a block of flat granite to be perfectly flat. It’s a mirror finish after put on the strop.
I use wet/dry sand paper all the way down to 2000 (I may go down more trying to remember) grit or more. I use a jig from Lee valley and a block of flat granite to be perfectly flat. It’s a mirror finish after put on the strop.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 7:13 pm to ChEgrad
quote:
Hand planes are really useful, but it is a learning curve and you have to be a good sharpener - sharp is key - and until you know what sharp is, you really don’t know what sharp is.
So true. Same goes for woodworking chisels. Sharp blades make woodworking so much easier and there are a lot of video tutorials that show you how to sharpen them on u-tube.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 7:13 pm to Tigeralum2008
Surface/thickness planer is so useful and really opens up lots of options. You can scavenge wood from various sources and plane it down for interesting tabletops. It is way faster than hand planing, too.
If you like building things with mortise and tenon joints, it’s worth looking for a used drill press. You can buy a mortising chisel for it and cut easy, consistent mortises. Again, like a surface planer, it will dramatically speed up your work while making things more consistent. Hand cutting can be fun, but sometimes you just want to finish things.
I’m also a fan of using oil finishes and beeswax. Nothing more beautiful than hardwoods with a hand rubbed finish. It pains me to see amazing wood slathered in polyurethane.
If you like building things with mortise and tenon joints, it’s worth looking for a used drill press. You can buy a mortising chisel for it and cut easy, consistent mortises. Again, like a surface planer, it will dramatically speed up your work while making things more consistent. Hand cutting can be fun, but sometimes you just want to finish things.
I’m also a fan of using oil finishes and beeswax. Nothing more beautiful than hardwoods with a hand rubbed finish. It pains me to see amazing wood slathered in polyurethane.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 8:01 pm to gumbo2176
quote:
So true. Same goes for woodworking chisels. Sharp blades make woodworking so much easier and there are a lot of video tutorials that show you how to sharpen them on u-tube.
Go to WoodCentral Hand Tools forum and check out the Unicorn chisel sharpening method. I tried it the other day and it is super easy and works very well. There are a bunch of posts detailing the testing of the method, but it boils down to this:
Grind bevel at 20 degrees when setting up the chisel. To sharpen, add small secondary bevel at about 23 degrees, buff for about 4 seconds using a soft buffing wheel with chisel presented at 45 degrees. Produces a sharp, long lasting edge and takes 30 seconds.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 8:24 pm to Tigeralum2008
Get ya a thickness planer.
Wood in our area: service lumber in BR, Brazos in Denham, Acadian in Ponchatoula, Riverside in NO.
Wood in our area: service lumber in BR, Brazos in Denham, Acadian in Ponchatoula, Riverside in NO.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 9:20 pm to Rossberg02
Impressed with your work for being a novice...Nice Job! I agree a thickness planer should be your next tool of trade. Craigslist under materials always has old wood for sale that is my go to.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 9:40 pm to bbvdd
Agree with the hand planes use.
I initially got them Bc I wanted a quieter tool vs the power one. At this point I use them more often because I can grab and go with a little effort vs pulling out and setting up a power tool.
I initially got them Bc I wanted a quieter tool vs the power one. At this point I use them more often because I can grab and go with a little effort vs pulling out and setting up a power tool.
Posted on 7/30/20 at 10:30 pm to ChEgrad
quote:
Go to WoodCentral Hand Tools forum and check out the Unicorn chisel sharpening method.
Will do, thanks for the link.
Posted on 7/31/20 at 6:21 am to Tigeralum2008
Check Craigslist too! There also for used old lumber. 
Invest in some good chisels. That and a drill. They you can start learning how to do mortises which is a big step up in woodworking.
Invest in some good chisels. That and a drill. They you can start learning how to do mortises which is a big step up in woodworking.
Posted on 7/31/20 at 7:51 am to Tigeralum2008
What’s the going rate for one of these?
Posted on 8/1/20 at 3:03 am to Tigeralum2008
Looking good man. Nice work
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