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1500 questions
26
votes
6 answers
How long does it take tung oil to cure?
Depending on what you're reading, tung oil cures in a day
I use Minwax tung oil on all my turningings. Two Coats ussually. After the
second coat, I buff with the Beall Buffing system, Ussually about 6 to 24
hours after applying last coat of…
drs
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26
votes
5 answers
How can I prepare the end grain for stain, so that its final appearance matches the rest of the wood?
Despite doing a great deal of sanding on the end grain, and getting it just as smooth as the rest of the wood, it always soaks up more stain than the rest, and turns out much darker and different. Is there any technique or process I can use that can…
whatsisname
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25
votes
9 answers
How should I dispose of sawdust safely?
My workshop is more accurately termed my garage, with a small table saw, radial saw and a router table that I built. I don't have a central dust collection, and only the radial saw has any dust collection built in.
When I do any projects, I end up…
JohnP
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24
votes
4 answers
How does one aggressively sharpen chisels and plane irons when damaged?
I have a lot of finds from garage sales and from picking out tools from my grandfather's old shop. While he mostly keeps his tools in great working order he had some that I would guess he didn't feel comfortable throwing out (He kept EVERYTHING.)
So…
Matt
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24
votes
5 answers
How do I prevent chipping when cutting a veneered counter top with a circular saw?
I bought a fake butcher block counter from Ikea which is really a veneer over particle board. No matter how I cut it, I can't seem avoid slight chips in the veneer. I'm using a 7 1/4" circular saw and a 60 tooth blade. I have someone holding the…
Steven
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23
votes
5 answers
When should I use a Jointer vs. a Planer?
I am fairly new to woodworking and just starting to outfit my shop with power tools. One area that I find confusing is the use case for a jointer vs. a planer.
Both tools seem to have very similar capabilities, and probably could substitute for one…
JohnFx
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23
votes
5 answers
In what cases is it useful to have more than one of the same tool?
For the purposes of this question, please note that I am not asking for general advice on buying tools, but rather, I'm trying to identify the cases in which it may be practical and useful to have two or more of the same tool. One reason is to help…
rob
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22
votes
4 answers
How do you plane end grain?
I tend to like power tools, because I need a lot less 'skill' to get the same quality product. However, I do like learning hand tool techniques and sometimes they are just as good or better than power tools. Sometimes faster if you only have one…
bowlturner
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22
votes
2 answers
Is working with MDF going to kill me?
MDF is pretty cool stuff. Been around for a fair amount of time now. Stuff is used lots now and days. Dimensionally stable and cost effective for a great deal of projects. Problem is that MDF is made with formaldehyde right? and that the chemical…
Matt
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22
votes
3 answers
Which type of drill bit for which jobs?
I was looking at a 35 piece wood drill bit set in an online shop
Although only Forstner bits are present for larger size holes, the size ranges overlap so ..
If I want to drill a 10mm hole I have a choice of
Forstner bit
Auger bit
Flat…
RedGrittyBrick
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22
votes
9 answers
How can you make a square without a square?
There are many tutorials on making a square to check that corners are 90 degrees, but they all require you to use a square to check.
So how can you make a square, without using a square? How were they originally made if the accuracy needed to be…
Fuzzy
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22
votes
3 answers
Perfect miters every time
I'm using a table saw to make picture frames with mitered corners. It turns out that even tiny inaccuracies in the miter angle or the lengths of the frame pieces cause gaps that make a frame look sloppy. I know there are ways to fine tune a miter…
Caleb
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22
votes
2 answers
How do bench dogs work?
At my woodshop, a lot of the workbenches have holes in the tops.
I'm told these are for "bench dogs". What are bench dogs and how do they work? Why they're called "dogs".
drs
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22
votes
4 answers
How do I sharpen a chisel/plane blade?
I'm getting started with woodworking and am looking to refine my technique for sharpening chisel/plane blades. Currently, I just have a cheap double-sided water stone, but am now looking to get a "proper" setup which will hold me moving forward and…
anthonyv
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21
votes
2 answers
When should I use a spiral router bit?
Straight-cut router bits come with blades with three broad shapes: straight, down-spiral, and up-spiral
from left to right, straight blade, down-spiral blade, and up spiral blade, from amazon.com
When should you use a spiral blade instead of a…
drs
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