Woodworking / Furniture Building

I’m getting down to the last couple back splats so I started on the rockers. They are laminated in the same way:

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I could probably make the form smaller since it is quite heavy (each side is 3 layers of 3/4” plywood) but its size let’s me use fewer clamps, so it’s a trade off. Next step is to shape the rear legs a bit more and prep them for joining to the seat.
 
How long do you have to leave them in the form, for them to retain the new shape?
 
JohnSinVA;n8880392 said:
Did you get that coffee table underway?

Yes and no. I have small workshop, 10X16. I have a large contractor delta table saw (Probably to big for the shop, but I wanted something better than a job site saw). I love the saw but the problem I face is that it can only turn 180 degrees at a time. I spent this weekend reworking and building a base for it with 360 degree casters on it. I should be able to finish it tonight and will make an out feed wing for it tonight. Just something simple that I will be able to put down when storing it. My goal is to have a work bench on the side well and everything on 360 degree casters so my shop really becomes flex space.

Here is another project of mine. My cousin’s wife has MS and they needed a new computer desk because her wheel chair was destroying the old desk. The goal was to make it easier to get her chair under it without hitting the legs. I came up with this simple design. I normally would not take on a project this large, but it was for family. Main difficulties with this desk was getting all the clearances correct. It looks standard, but it is all custom to her needed height and widths based on how she sits in her chair.
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FreddieMac;n8880494 said:
Yes and no. I have small workshop, 10X16. I have a large contractor delta table saw (Probably to big for the shop, but I wanted something better than a job site saw). I love the saw but the problem I face is that it can only turn 180 degrees at a time. I spent this weekend reworking and building a base for it with 360 degree casters on it. I should be able to finish it tonight and will make an out feed wing for it tonight. Just something simple that I will be able to put down when storing it. My goal is to have a work bench on the side well and everything on 360 degree casters so my shop really becomes flex space.

Have any progress pics? It's good seeing other's ideas on how to improve efficiency in space and storage.

ETA: That desk doesn't look "standard" to me. Well done!
 
tomcat;n8880400 said:
How long do you have to leave them in the form, for them to retain the new shape?

Much depends on the adhesive being used. My last two chairs I used plastic resin glue that comes as a powder and gets mixed with water. It specified 24 clamp time. This time I'm using Unibond One which is a similar composition but comes prepared in a single bottle. It says 12hr minimum clamp time. I've been doing my glue ups on weeknights, so it can sit in the clamps while I'm at work, and be ready the next evening. I'm liking the Unibond One so far. When I used the PR glue, I would mix half of a one pound tub at a time, and I would do one rocker and 4 back splats ganged up in the form. It worked but I had to move pretty quickly to get glue on all the parts and get them aligned and clamped in the glue's open time. Plus with the ganged up back splats I needed to wax the faces of adjoining parts so they didn't wind up stuck together coming out of the form. This way it's a bit slower, but a lot less nerve-wracking. Both these glues dry to a hard glue line that keeps springback to a minimum.
 
JohnSinVA;n8880505 said:
Have any progress pics? It's good seeing other's ideas on how to improve efficiency in space and storage.

Yes, I originally was going to make one of these large tables with the flip up tools, but after laying it out, it was just too big for my space. So here you can see where I put together a small support system. I put some sides and dust capture on the back of the saw.

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Here is a pick of the first version. After putting it together just as a structure, I decided I did not like it. I cut it down and added 360 casters. The saw is 36" wide, so having the 360 swivel casters is a huge boon for managing shop space.
 
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This is one of the projects I am most happy with because I helped a friend. Both my neighbor and I were flooded with 4.5 feet of water in 2016. He had a family piece of furniture that sat in flood water for 5 days. Then he pulled it out and sent it to a furniture restoration place. It then sat in a warehouse for 6 months. He called me one day asking if there was anything I could do. Here is the piece I received. Warped wood, dried flood mud and completely dried out wood. It was in such bad shape, it would not stand, it had to be upside down the entire time.

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I spent about 3 months disassembling the piece and putting it back together. I went through 5 bottles of Ole English oil and probably 10 packs of baby wipes to clean it up. In the end, I was able to salvage all the original wood, with all the original markings except for the floor board which was just too far gone. I replaced that with some red cedar tongue and groove to keep the bugs out. Here are some before and after pics.


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Plodding along on the rocking chair and able to claim a couple small victories as milestones are reached. Have a couple rockers glued up:
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The back legs have some additional padding added to reinforce the connection to the seat:
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They will be sawn apart then squared and trimmed for connection to the seat later on. Now moving on to the seat. The front relief is laid out, as well as the joint locations for the front and rear legs:
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I use the bandsaw to cut out most of the waste then clean up with other tools. A router and fixture will square up the front leg notches:
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I’ll use the tablesaw to finish the rear leg cuts.
 
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Initial cuts are cleaned up, and are ready to have the joinery cuts made.
 
Here is my updated tablesaw, dust collection and router table. It has been wired for the electric. It has a place for my crosscut and mitre sled. It is made of just leftover lumber I had laying around. Best part is the 360 casters.Total cost $20.

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Looks good. Do you have it wired to turn the vacuum on with the saw?
 
JohnSinVA;n8890043 said:
Looks good. Do you have it wired to turn the vacuum on with the saw?

No. I have a switched attached on the side that will allow me to turn on the vacuum and the power to the saw. But, I still like to use the red start button on the saw. I have some safety steps I take and only want the blade to spin from the red button.
 
FreddieMac;n8888561 said:
Here is my updated tablesaw, dust collection and router table. It has been wired for the electric. It has a place for my crosscut and mitre sled. It is made of just leftover lumber I had laying around. Best part is the 360 casters.Total cost $20.

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com\/20190824\/d8a97130d10a240ab46e4e197e21c427.jpg"}[/IMG2][IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com\/20190824\/1f0764d20015805c9ffb72619defa81e.jpg"}[/IMG2]


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That looks great! I have that same saw and have been thinking about making something like this with the router table built in. This could be really helpful.
 
A rabbeting bit in the router is used to cut the joints for the legs - essentially a type of bridle joint:
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Once the joints are cut I can rout the holes for the back splats, and begin to shape the seat itself:
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Hey everyone, I've been following this thread for awhile as woodworking is something that interests me. As someone who wants to get started in woodworking what does everyone suggest as your first big tool purchase? I'm sure that it all somewhat depends on what types of woodworking one is going to be doing but as of right now I'm somewhat of a beginner but I hope to continue the craft once I finish my graduate program in a few months. Thanks again in advance and I really enjoy everyone's work they have posted!
 
Hey everyone, I've been following this thread for awhile as woodworking is something that interests me. As someone who wants to get started in woodworking what does everyone suggest as your first big tool purchase? I'm sure that it all somewhat depends on what types of woodworking one is going to be doing but as of right now I'm somewhat of a beginner but I hope to continue the craft once I finish my graduate program in a few months. Thanks again in advance and I really enjoy everyone's work they have posted!

The immediate response to this question is almost universally "table saw". While it's true that the table saw is an incredibly versatile tool, there may be better ways to spend your money to start. Let me ask a few questions:

1. What type of projects do you see yourself doing?
2. Do you plan on using primarily sheet goods (plywood, mdf, etc.) or solid lumber for your projects?
3. What tools to you own, or have access to, now?

The best thing about woodworking is it can be done with as many or as few tools as you care. Our ancestors produced some of the finest crafted pieces using tools powered by nothing but their own muscles.
 
The best thing about woodworking is it can be done with as many or as few tools as you care. Our ancestors produced some of the finest crafted pieces using tools powered by nothing but their own muscles.

Which we all know you have none of! :ROFLMAO:
 
The immediate response to this question is almost universally "table saw". While it's true that the table saw is an incredibly versatile tool, there may be better ways to spend your money to start. Let me ask a few questions:

1. What type of projects do you see yourself doing?
2. Do you plan on using primarily sheet goods (plywood, mdf, etc.) or solid lumber for your projects?
3. What tools to you own, or have access to, now?

The best thing about woodworking is it can be done with as many or as few tools as you care. Our ancestors produced some of the finest crafted pieces using tools powered by nothing but their own muscles.

Thanks for the reply JohnSin! So when I think about what sort of projects I see myself doing I'm really not too sure. I have a lot of interest in furniture, which of course can vary from outdoor furniture to indoor furniture and honestly one of my goals is to build a dining table. I don't know what it is but the idea of building something that your family gathers around for, if done correctly, years just really appeals to me. As far as tools that I have now, I really just have more of the general tools like drills and such. So when it comes to woodworking I would truly be starting from scratch. I do have access to a table saw as my father-in-law has a table saw.
 
Thanks for the reply JohnSin! So when I think about what sort of projects I see myself doing I'm really not too sure. I have a lot of interest in furniture, which of course can vary from outdoor furniture to indoor furniture and honestly one of my goals is to build a dining table. I don't know what it is but the idea of building something that your family gathers around for, if done correctly, years just really appeals to me. As far as tools that I have now, I really just have more of the general tools like drills and such. So when it comes to woodworking I would truly be starting from scratch. I do have access to a table saw as my father-in-law has a table saw.

There is one adage that most woodworkers swear by: you can never have too many clamps. If you don't have any, start picking some up, you're going to need them. You can do a great deal with general carpentry tools: drills, circular saw, etc. Do you also have some standard woodworking chisels and a means to sharpen? You can probably get started with what you have and the occasional trip to your FIL to do some work.
 
Thanks for the reply JohnSin! So when I think about what sort of projects I see myself doing I'm really not too sure. I have a lot of interest in furniture, which of course can vary from outdoor furniture to indoor furniture and honestly one of my goals is to build a dining table. I don't know what it is but the idea of building something that your family gathers around for, if done correctly, years just really appeals to me. As far as tools that I have now, I really just have more of the general tools like drills and such. So when it comes to woodworking I would truly be starting from scratch. I do have access to a table saw as my father-in-law has a table saw.

Yep, tough question to answer, because in the end, to do some of the larger projects like you're describing, you need so many different things.

What you want initially I guess is some versatility. You can do a lot with a good circular saw with a good blade. Can't emphasize enough the importance of a good assortment of clamps. Possibly the largest purchase might be a planer/thicknesser....starting out you can probably go with a tabletop style unless you've got the scratch for a free standing one. Might also look into a decent router and some quality bits.

With those tools and access to a table saw, you can do quite a bit and if you're like me, you'll spend almost more time making jigs to make things than you will actually making things, if that makes any sense, lol. Used to drive my wife crazy when I was working on a project. She'd come see how progress was coming, like a foreman (lol), and ask me what I was building and I'd tell her, "I'm making a jig so I can do such and such", and she say the above comment, that I spend more time making jigs than I do making sh!t, hahaha!

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the reply JohnSin! So when I think about what sort of projects I see myself doing I'm really not too sure. I have a lot of interest in furniture, which of course can vary from outdoor furniture to indoor furniture and honestly one of my goals is to build a dining table. I don't know what it is but the idea of building something that your family gathers around for, if done correctly, years just really appeals to me. As far as tools that I have now, I really just have more of the general tools like drills and such. So when it comes to woodworking I would truly be starting from scratch. I do have access to a table saw as my father-in-law has a table saw.

Yep, tough question to answer, because in the end, to do some of the larger projects like you're describing, you need so many different things.

What you want initially I guess is some versatility. You can do a lot with a good circular saw with a good blade. Can't emphasize enough the importance of a good assortment of clamps. Possibly the largest purchase might be a planer/thicknesser....starting out you can probably go with a tabletop style unless you've got the scratch for a free standing one. Might also look into a decent router and some quality bits.

With those tools and access to a table saw, you can do quite a bit and if you're like me, you'll spend almost more time making jigs to make things than you will actually making things, if that makes any sense, lol. Used to drive my wife crazy when I was working on a project. She'd come see how progress was coming, like a foreman (lol), and ask me what I was building and I'd tell her, "I'm making a jig so I can do such and such", and she say the above comment, that I spend more time making jigs than I do making sh!t, hahaha!

Good luck!
 
Yep, tough question to answer, because in the end, to do some of the larger projects like you're describing, you need so many different things.

What you want initially I guess is some versatility. You can do a lot with a good circular saw with a good blade. Can't emphasize enough the importance of a good assortment of clamps. Possibly the largest purchase might be a planer/thicknesser....starting out you can probably go with a tabletop style unless you've got the scratch for a free standing one. Might also look into a decent router and some quality bits.

With those tools and access to a table saw, you can do quite a bit and if you're like me, you'll spend almost more time making jigs to make things than you will actually making things, if that makes any sense, lol. Used to drive my wife crazy when I was working on a project. She'd come see how progress was coming, like a foreman (lol), and ask me what I was building and I'd tell her, "I'm making a jig so I can do such and such", and she say the above comment, that I spend more time making jigs than I do making sh!t, hahaha!

Good luck!

Yep. Probably another thing I would add, assuming a sufficient workspace, is for a workbench as the first project.
 
Fortunately (but sometimes unfortunate) I live just a few miles from my in-laws so it is a quick trip if a table saw is ever needed. @Gaholfer @JohnSinVA What do you guys think are some good "Beginner" projects. I've been thinking of making some very basic bedside tables as I feel like they can be something to ease into woodworking and I won't end up being extremely frustrated. I'm lucky to have an unfinished basement so going into the Utah winters won't stop me. I have a few misc. clamps of different sizes and I'm wanting to invest in some nice chisels. Any suggestions?

I've looked at the planers a few times as I think the concept of them are pretty awesome. That being said I think it is a bit further down on my list as I have more of the basic tools that I need first.
 
Yep. Probably another thing I would add, assuming a sufficient workspace, is for a workbench as the first project.

You answered my question before I even asked it. My lifetime table seems to be getting pretty beat up and out of balance so a nice sturdy workbench is definitely something I have been wanting to start on!
 
Take my advice with a grain of salt, as I'm not as knowledgeable as many people here I'm sure, but I'm of the thinking that a nice compound miter saw would be of more use than table saw to start if you're not going to be doing projects that require cuts of large sheets of plywood or such.

Unfortunately when I moved to CA I had to give up all my tools and I don't have any room for anything now, but if I were to start back up I think that's the first thing I'd get.
 
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