Best "simple" tip

[estesbubba]

9 hours ago, bleedinblue said:

Whoa.  I'm gonna try this for sure. 

At first I thought it would cause problems with finishing but I've never had any even with oak. Howard Acheson posted the tip on Woodnet 10-15 years ago and he's a finishing guru so I believed him when he said sanding will eliminate any finishing problems. You could also wipe with mineral spirits, but since I drum sand all panels, never had the need to. 

I just put a very light 2-3" wide path down the seams on both sides and works great!

[Mark J]

Have to tap in a nail on a show surface?  Drill a hole in the thin end of a shim, slip it over the nail head and use it to shield the finished surface.  

[sheperd80]

Chopsaw dust collection tips...

- Widen the dust shroud on your saw with duct tape. A little makes a big difference.

-Cut from front to back, not plunging down into the piece. Dramatically reduces how much dust gets away. Also helps with blade deflection.

-Use a shopvac or similar dust extractor instead of a big dust collector.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

[Marmotjr]

One I just used tonight, probably well known, but I liked it :). 

Use a rabbetting router bit to widen holes.  Drill a hole, cut a circular rabbit, flip the piece over, cut another rabbet.  Repeat until you reach the desired size hole, then use a flush trim bit to finish it off. 

Just made a perfect 5 5/8" hole this way, starting with a 1 7/8" forstner bit, and used a rabbet bit that took off 3/8" each pass. 

[rodger.]

Save every scap and offcut from a project until it's done and ready for finish.  You never know when you will need a repair piece, plug, etc and you want lots of choice for grain match and colour.

Also, make 5 table legs when making a table!  Gives choice and a free pass on an "oops".

[Mick S]

If the project calls for 4 legs or aprons or whatever, rough out 5. The extra comes in handy for setups, etc. and really handy if you screw one up. Never happens, but IF...

[drzaius]

Some great tips here guys. Lots of em I've heard before & forgot. Good thread.

[Pondhockey]

On 3/1/2017 at 2:29 PM, drzaius said:

I've never found the brown paper trick to really do it for me. Maybe I'm doing wrong.

Our builder used cardboard to knock down the raised grain after a first coat of water based stain on our trim.  The resulting finish was like furniture.

Maybe it depends on how you're using it.  Using cardboard after a finish might not work as well.

[prov163]

Some great new tips. Keep 'me coming. 

[Janello]

Taking the time to set up your machines perfectly pays dividends. My table saw fence rule is dialed in to the 1/32, my jointer is set to a perfect 90, bandsaw is set to a perfect 90, crosscut sled...perfect, planer is set for as little snipe as possible drum sander tables adjusted flat. 

Your projects almost build themselves square if all this is set right.

[wdwerker]

Save the scraps when building a project. Sand, plane scrape etc quite a few scraps as you do the actual project. Every grit, same amount of time . Then when you start the finishing process do the scraps first. So if you get problems like blotchy stain you can stop and figure it out before you mess up the whole project. Or if the problem shows up after you have done that step to everything you can practice the repair/ solution to the scraps first. 

I still do this after 40 years as a pro. Sometimes sanding between finish coats you can sand through the finish and the stain. It's easy to mistakenly do this near edges and corners. It's not easy to fix unless you practice. So I purposely sand through on the scraps and practice the repair there before I touch up the project.

I would rather use better wood and not stain it but clients insist on very dark stains so often. Spraying dyes is the best way to achieve those dark colors. Thin coats and build up to the level you need. Still tricky to touch up.

[prov163]

All of these are great tips, guys!  I've made a list of a few I'm going to try out.

I'll add another one.  Take a few minutes at the end of every shop day to clean up, then set out the tools/materials you need for the next project step.  That way when you head back into the shop you'll be ready to start rather than spending the first few minutes getting ready.

 

[Coop]

On 3/1/2017 at 11:04 AM, JakeL said:

 

2. I have the same respirator as Marc, when do you know when to replace those filters?  

Which one does Marc use? I know this has been brought up before and I went to search for dust mask and respirators but this iPad does not pull it up. Probably user error

[bleedinblue]

1 hour ago, K Cooper said:

Which one does Marc use? I know this has been brought up before and I went to search for dust mask and respirators but this iPad does not pull it up. Probably user error

This one I think.

[Just Bob]

Great tips!  But remember when all else fails, get a bigger hammer!

[Mark J]

Canned air.

Those cans of compressed gas you get from the computer shop work great in the shop to blow out crevices in a project or machinery, especially if you don't have an air compressor.  Try blowing the dust out of the crevice into the waiting shop vac hose.  

[Marmotjr]

I've watched many wood workers use gouges or power carvers to texture wood.  While effective, gouges take a long time to do a large area, and the power tools can sometimes get away from you.  When I've down stick welding, instead of using a hammer to clean off the slag, I've used a needler.  I've also used it to texture a variety of surfaces.  On soft wood, it will quickly and easily leave a golf ball style dimpled surface.  A little more air pressure, and moving slower would work similarly on harder woods. 

 

Background:  A needler is basically a bunch of air powered mini pistons.  They basically bounce off the air flow coming out of the tool.  It's gentle enough that it will only tickle your palm if you place it on the working end.  But it's strong enough to remove welding slag, paint, rust, from metal.   For the price point, it's a worthy little tool to keep in the shop, it's one of those you didn't know you needed it tools.  I linked the HF one cause that's the one I use.  I'm sure there's better quality ones out there, but unless you're refitting naval vessels, there's not much need for a bigger one. 

[Andrew1]

Big fan of the tip to mark your work surface before sanding. Gives the tedious process more of a progress mark towards the finish line for me. 

[wdwerker]

I mark the surface when I'm sanding. I learned to use the side of the pencil lead not the point.The point can leave a depression in the surface. I do so much of this so naturally, unless someone mentions the subject it just doesn't come to mind. Thanks for the reminder Andrew.