Woodworking things I've learned

Bob Gibson

Member
Messages
11,472
Location
Merrimack, New Hampshire
1. I really need an 8" jointer. I started out years ago with a 4" upgraded to a 6" and thought I was in heaven. Now I find it so restricting that it costs me Money (see #2)

2. Buy good lumber. I buy nothing but rough sawn. Usually its common grade cherry at a little more that $2.40 bf. FAS or select grade is a bit more than $4.00bf. My scrap pile grows by the minute and I'm tired of giving my son in law piles of kindling every few weeks. By the time I mill all the boards I'm lucky to get 50% of it nice enough to use on my projects. Common grade usually has some decent figure but I spend way too much time and effort cutting out knots and straightening out twisted boards. If I can only learn to subdue the cheap yankee in me I'll be less stressed, more productive, and save some money.
Everytime I have an board I have to trim it so I can fit it to flatten the face on my 6" jointer (the delta has been a dependable workhorse) 8 and 10" boards are pretty much wasted. I know that I could build a planer sled but with my bad back I can't lift anything that heavy for very long.

3. Learn sketch up I went to school to be a mechanical engineer (never finished. money was tight, there were way too many good looking girls on campus, 20 cent draft beers, and I figured out that mathematics and I would never be very good friends) so drafting is in my blood.
SU would save me a ton of time and frustration designing some of the ideas I have in my hard head.
Question..does/can SU figure the bf of a project ??

4. I love tape measures. I must have a dozen or more kicking around all over the shop and house. Thing is each one seems to measure a little different. You'd think that the different companies that make these things could get their act together and make one that is always as accurate as I strive to be.:rolleyes:
The other day I collected them all and threw them in a box and hid it under my workbench. I kept out my favorite one and promised myself to never misplace it.

5. Buy/make a marking knife. If I'm withiin a 32nd of an inch I'm usually ok. But sometimes if I'm making a clock or a small box being 1/32" off seems like a foot. No matter how I try I cant remember which side of the pencil line I'm supposed to cut. After using my new marking knife as well as my dusty marking gauge my accuracy and projects have improved dramatically.

6. Take good pictures. I have an album full of pictures of the stuff I make. All are crappy pictures of my stuff sitting on the floor of my shop. I want to make a website but can't find a decent picture to put in it.

7. Larry makes me a better woodworker the ambassador either has super vision or his computer super magnifies. He finds every tiny flaw in every picture of something I make (even hiding my work in lousy pictures hasn't worked :D)
I find myself doing my best to outsmart Larry that my work is getting better. Darn you Larry :rofl:
 
1. I really need an 8" jointer. I started out years ago with a 4" upgraded to a 6" and thought I was in heaven. Now I find it so restricting that it costs me Money (see #2)....

I disagree. Go for at least 12 inches, so you don't have to do it again again again. I went to 16 inches, and covet a 20 inch.

...2. Buy good lumber. I buy nothing but rough sawn. Usually its common grade cherry at a little more that $2.40 bf. FAS or select grade is a bit more than $4.00bf. My scrap pile grows by the minute and I'm tired of giving my son in law piles of kindling every few weeks. By the time I mill all the boards I'm lucky to get 50% of it nice enough to use on my projects. Common grade usually has some decent figure but I spend way too much time and effort cutting out knots and straightening out twisted boards. If I can only learn to subdue the cheap yankee in me I'll be less stressed, more productive, and save some money.....

Around here, the lumber yards primarily sell S3S 15/16 or 13/16, with one edge straight line ripped. The 15/16 is planed enough so you can see color, grain, and flaws, yet have enough left to plane out dings and delivery accidents. The extra processing adds about 15 cents per board foot, but you also pay for the wood that went into their dust collector - you only get the 90% left after milling. That is what I primarily buy, for all the reasons you discussed.

Although I primarily buy FAS or Select and Better, If I have a project that needs lots of smaller pieces, #1 common around here costs about half as much and if you are going to cut it up anyway, yields 60-80% as much as better grade wood. Of course, if you need larger pieces, #1 common sucks. What is left is good kindling for family and friends.

... 3. Learn sketch up I went to school to be a mechanical engineer (never finished. money was tight, there were way too many good looking girls on campus, 20 cent draft beers, and I figured out that mathematics and I would never be very good friends) so drafting is in my blood.
SU would save me a ton of time and frustration designing some of the ideas I have in my hard head.
Question..does/can SU figure the bf of a project ??...

There is a free add-on to Sketch-up that gives you a cut list (if you use Sketch-up right). I suspect it would give you the wood requirements or at least allow you to easily calculate them in a spreadsheet - it has been years since I used it.

...4. I love tape measures. I must have a dozen or more kicking around all over the shop and house. Thing is each one seems to measure a little different. You'd think that the different companies that make these things could get their act together and make one that is always as accurate as I strive to be.:rolleyes:
The other day I collected them all and threw them in a box and hid it under my workbench. I kept out my favorite one and promised myself to never misplace it. .....

I was taught to use only one tape, to both plan and produce a project. If you need to replace it, do so between projects.

...6. Take good pictures. I have an album full of pictures of the stuff I make. All are crappy pictures of my stuff sitting on the floor of my shop. I want to make a website but can't find a decent picture to put in it. ...

There is a place in our living room that all my work gets photographed. Nothing fancy, but a good pocket camera (not a cell phone camera) took virtually all the pictures on my web sites. Look closely and you will recognize the same floor boards and throw rug.

I have never gotten a useful picture in the shop, other than of a shop procedure, or of Larry when he came to visit.
 
Last edited:
1. I really need an 8" jointer. 1. Amen Brother. My 6" was nearly always too narrow, my 8" is nearly always wide enough . . . for me.

2. Buy good lumber. Right there with you. I still regret building my workbench frame and trim from kiln dried Douglas fir from the BORG. Despite stickering it in the shop for months prior to using it, so much went to waste that I could've bought properly dried poplar or whatever was reasonable and built the bench sooner, for less money -and- not have to refurbish it "one of these days".

3. Learn sketch up. The Dave Richards DVD from Fine Woodworking is great.

4. I love tape measures. I took the time (and made the returns) to get two 12’ right-to-left tape measures for the shop. They match all my steel rules which match everything else. This is something you only have to do once and it will pay dividends in accurate parts no matter what you use to make the measurement.

5. Buy/make a marking knife. I finally broke down and bought one. Now I have two; short & wide and long & narrow. I also still use my trusty X-Acto knife.

6. Take good pictures. I still struggle with this.
7. Larry makes me a better woodworker. He certainly is an unintentional task-master isn’t he :rofl:
 
Bob only comfort i can offer is to say you aint alone. ;)

I can relate to most of your points.

Dont think the 8 inch jointer solves things. I now find thats still not enough when i am at the local lumber yard and the good boards are wider than 8" but then the prices are out there too.

My thoghts are heading towards going a bit further afield from me to a place i know of where i can get s4s wood at very reasonable prices. This to me saves time and waste and risk. You get to see the wood/ grain ,its already milled and basically ready for marking out.

When weather improves top of my list is the tape measure issue. I am going to take advice i obtained from somewhere that said take a good steel rule and check everything against it as a reference.

I have yet to finish my marking tool another half done project.

As to sketchup well again snap only thing i see there is using it all the time. Given the way my memory is messing me around and the frequency at which i get to use sketchup ....well i end up with pencil and paper again or i would get nothing done.

Fortunately i dont have website ambitions for woodworking. My suggestion for that is try find a local senior high school kid that has photography as a hobby and let them get some practice for a few coins.

And "Eagleye" spots everything and should be a teacher in my view.

Sorry Bob all i can do is empathize dont have great suggestions i have same problems.


sent from s4
 
Tongue firmly in cheek, here's my take:

1. I really need an 8" jointer.

Not if you have a lathe.

2. Buy good lumber.

Why buy when you can pick up free stuff on the side of the road?

3. Learn sketch up

Yep, it's real handy for drawing shop layouts and figuring out where to put the lathe.

4. I love tape measures.

Yeah, they're handy for checking to see if your chainsaw bar can safely rip that chunk of log in the driveway.

5. Buy/make a marking knife.

What? And risk a cut? I use a lumber crayon for most marking. Maybe a pencil if I need to be super accurate.

6. Take good pictures.

A photo tent is a turner's best friend. Well, next to his lathe, of course.

7. Larry makes me a better woodworker

Frankly, Larry hasn't really helped my woodturning a whole lot. He's still a nice enough guy, though. :rofl: (Actually, he has helped by supplying me with some real pretty wood.)

I find myself doing my best to outsmart Larry that my work is getting better.

I have a few woodturning friends who motivate me to try to do my best. And yes, I know that any time I do flatwork Larry (and a bunch of you other folks) will be looking over my shoulder, so I try to at least make it look right. :thumb:
 
+1 with Charlie on 12"+ why joint less than you can plane :D

+1 quality wood, heading towards being with Vaughn, free wood is best wood unless its something you can't find or if you have to flat work.. then pay for it all right.

Yeah should learn sketchup... although I still have a hard time loving its model... still do most things with pencil+paper renderings, I'm (relatively) fast with that which makes it hard to commit to convert (but then I see what Dave blows out in a few minutes and well yeah...).

On the measuring, I'm trying to quit. No seriously, I'm coming to the conclusion that measuring tapes are the bane of quality woodworking. If you HAVE to measure use a steel rule but better use templates and story sticks.

Marking knives are the one true way, unless you're just rough cutting. I stock chalk for that.

Pictures are hard there's no denying. I have friends who are fabulous photographers.. unfortunately they live in different states than I do.

You ALL make me a better woodworker. Thank you!
 
You ALL make me a better woodworker. Thank you!

This is a point worth repeating which i fully agree with.

Over Xmas one of the stocking stuffers i was given was a couple of woodworking magazines. I stopped all subscriptions some time ago not for financial reasons but frankly Xmas issues just reminded me why again.

In a few posts on our forum i get more info and more relevant and get to interact with the originator to clear up any "stupid" questions or thoughts i may have that just cannot happen with a magazine.

It just kinda proved the value to me of our community.

Its also a bit like Tv versus You tube. On one you take the stuff someone else pushes out on the other you can select what you wish to spend your vauable time watching.

Simply consider the value of the debate in this post and all its merits.....there just aint a comparison in my opinion.

I too say thank you to all of you.

sent from s4
 
its an ongoing battle I have with myself about the 8 inch jointer.
220 line would be a problem in itself, as I only have one line.

the other thing is, my local yard, (not local, the yard closest to me, and there are only 2 within reasonable driving distance), sells its 6 inch and narrower for less money than 8 inches and above width.
So purchasing 6 inch width saves me money, not a lot, but I figure its enough to do glueups which Id have to do most likely with 8 inch boards on my projects.
 
An interesting thread Bob, glad you started it. Looks like the mentoring process for this coming Tuesday has already started .;) Sounds like some philosophical discussion on the whys & wherefores of woodworking (aka the trials & tribulations of a woodworker).:rofl:
The clam chowder is sounding better all the time.:thumb:
 
Why would you want a wide jointer instead of a planer, if you're using the machine to get rough lumber properly sized/surfaced? Am I missing something?
 
A jointer is usually used before a thickness planer to remove crowning or cupping to establish a flat surface on one face so the planer can then mill a flat parallel surface on the opposite face, or both, to finish thickness. A jointer narrower than the planer limits the width of a board that can have a flat face milled.
 
Use a good steel rule and check & adjust everything against it as a reference.

Then using a tape measure measure out on a board the longest length you commonly work with & mark it then check all the tape measures you adjusted against the marked board. Also using all one brand of tape measure helps.

I like the 16' Ace brand it's always worked fine for me.
 
Last edited:
I'm less experienced than y'all so I'm still learning lots of basic things.

1) Cut the tongue/tenon before you cut the groove/mortise

2) Remember to account for the kerf

3) Even plywood has a grain direction

4) It's easier to cut it right than plane it flush

5) Wood moves
 
Why would you want a wide jointer instead of a planer, if you're using the machine to get rough lumber properly sized/surfaced? Am I missing something?

Bob,
I have a 13" planer. But like Al said you have to get one side of the board flat before you plane it. The flat side faces down and you start planing from the top of the (rough side) board.
I use just rough sawn lumber. There is always a cup or twist in it. If you don't get one surface flat first then you end up with a finished twisted or uneven board.
 
Why would you want a wide jointer instead of a planer, if you're using the machine to get rough lumber properly sized/surfaced? Am I missing something?

I don't need a jointer and I am planning on selling both my jointer (6") and current planer (13") for a bigger planer. I can get by with just quickly flattening one side with a hand plane and then running it through a planer. It does not take that much longer for me, but I realize it would not be practical if you are in a hurry, like a production shop or for those of you hand tool challenged . In that case, I would get the biggest size possible. And if anyone wants to give me a large jointer, I will happily accept it! Just because I can get by without one doesn't mean I could not appreciate one. If someone out there is willing to send me a large jointer, I really would like a very very large bandsaw. Preferable 36", like a old Crescent.

17138-A.jpg


I thought I would give it a shot!
 
1. I really need an 8" jointer. a 8" jointer is nice, better than a six, for my use, but if had it to do over again, i would listen to charlie, maybe a combo machine.. but for hobby setup that cost is prohibitive, bill satko makes a real good point on flattening, bob, look up charles neils web page and he shows how to use a plane to get you close then plane in the planer to get parallel
2. Buy good lumber. Amen,, even with my good fortune, i have that same delema, i have found that i need at least 40% more wood to do a project to start with to get what i need in the first figured amount..then you end up with what i have now, a pile of really picked over wood that if i could move out, i could get in some much better stuff..but that will become picked over in time as well.
3. Learn sketch up
Question..does/can SU figure the bf of a project ?? yes, you can get it to figure your needs bob,, its got a cutlist plugin available,, talk with dave richards and he will get you going in the right direction..
4. I love tape measures[/U]. i have one tape measure and it marked shop,, and i have learned to use story sticks and steel rulers,,(enter in Larry didnt come born with this knowledge he learned it from places like this forum and those in it) i also when i switched out shop tape measures compare all other reference devices and reset to the tape measure..or change out the tape to match reference,, we dont need to be getting different numbers each time we measure..
5. Buy/make a marking knife. by all means in some instances they are worth ten times there cost..
6. Take good pictures. i try and have had the class on what i should do, but i am still trying to get by without one thing or another, the web page bit looks very inviting but it needs maintenance that requires a person to do things each day or at least periodically to make them work.. if you got to a site and see it still has the same picture on it with a nick in the left corner you know that someone isnt changing the oil and it might not last very long..
7. Larry makes me a better woodworker now this is where everyone is wrong!!!!! larry doesnt do this,, you do this from looking at everyones work and so you are striving to make something that looks like theirs but if you havnt seen theirs up close you are assuming that it has no flaws ..your wrong again i have flaws ,glenn (my HERO) has some sometimes and we all are trying to make that perfect piece that we think the other guy or gal has done.. well it is just US trying to be better and that is why we all help each other to do better,, we all have had obsticals and have learned from each other ways to get around them..
 
One more anti measuring tape note.
  • The inside dimensions of something measured with a tape will likely not match up with the same measure taken with the tape on a piece with the same dimensions on the outside. The move in/out on the end of the tape is supposed to handle this but rarely does.
 
What I've learned:

1. Don't let a customer push you for a price. "I'll get back to you" is a perfectly good answer. When I get pressed for a price, I tend to be low. As in always.

2. Time management is always a challenge.

3. Prioritizing can be a challenge.

4. Tooling is everything. Especially when efficiency matters.

5. When in doubt, order more lumber.

6. Someones IQ will plummet about 60 points the second they're on your payroll

7. You'll never regret buying the right tool.

8. You'll never regret buying better material.




As to the tape measure thing, tune it. Bend the tab at the end until its spot on. If I need to be that accurate, I use the middle of the tape somewhere, like starting at 10"
 
Top