So I was making a cutting board the other day and decided to go with hinoki (japanese cypress) end grain. I know sushi chefs and such mostly use hinoki boards so it shouldn't be a bad choice. First time using hinoki and first time end grain so I didn't know what to expect.

Everything was going well until it was time for flattening. I have a router flattening jig (2nd picture) which I used with success on hardwood side/face grain before but with this hinoki end grain tear out was absolutely horrendous. I had to go to town on it with 40 grit and remove quite a bit of material to get it looking alright but with all that sanding it went out of flat again.

I ended up making it one sided with the top convex and the bottom concave. Which is fine but not what not what I originally wanted to do.

So my question is if I could have avoided all that sanding by just using a better bit (the one I used was from one of those cheap amazon sets) or if I actually need to run it through a drum sander or such to make it work.

Third picture is of the almost finished board, it still needs some sanding, a couple of indents for handles and finishing with I intend to do with raw linseed oil and some beeswax a couple of weeks after the oil.

https://preview.redd.it/bi5psdonneyd1.jpg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2692b5a010c1bdca436794a5139632f35570850

https://preview.redd.it/w183ajznneyd1.jpg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a32f64251a4e5edc137a2d1e53a1680466cdf6a

https://preview.redd.it/o3vaz2doneyd1.jpg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d689cb5aa78178bc50611a8df5a7e07a1716ded1

Lowes near me has the Kreg Track Saw on clearance for $179. It's usually $299. Would have to buy the track also which is $99. So I could be all in for around $300. I've been planning on waiting for black Friday to see what kind of deals home depot might have on the ridgid or milwaukee. But I'm wondering if I should just get the Kreg? Does anybody have any experience comparing them? I did watch the 731 videos on YouTube and he still seemed to speak pretty highly of the kreg. I'm a weekend hobbyist.

If I get serious about utilizing reclaimed/salvaged wood would a belt sander help the process or be over kill?

I don't mean old barn wood really, just odd pieces that might be over weathered or otherwise far rougher than normal consumer wood.

All of my bench-top tools are within 12" of an exterior wall (usually, at least). If I just run a short section of 2" PVC pipe to the exterior of my shed, do I need any sort of suction? Or will that cause problems down the road?

If it's feasible, is it better to prioritize a shorter pipe length or steeper slope?

My kitchen is small and the cabinet shelves are deep making it great to store but hard to retrieve. I’m thinking of converting them into pull out shelves.

Has anyone done this? Did you reuse/cut the existing shelves to fit sliders or did you make new boxes from plywood? I’ll be adding sliders to the sides so measurement is very important and that makes me nervous. I have a miter saw but no circular or table saw or even a reciprocating saw.

I see a bunch of “custom” boxes on Amazon. Is that good cheat code for the first timers?

Any tips are greatly appreciated.

Any idea what rugged and durable table-top to use? Which I can then hang with the folding table hoses.

Any ideas?

Im making built-ins for my closet, I've already built and installed one cabinet (photo #1) that fits well enough considering the walls not being at all straight.

The second cabinet (photo #2) which is supposed to sit ontop of the first one is not the right size. I had hastily put it together and had measured the top but didnt measure the bottom and its too large by nearly a 1/2"

This was caused by my routing out grooves for the shelves to sit and my depths were not consistent across them since I just have a trim router and I didnt properly measure the shelves to make sure my final width was the same all the way.

Now I've already made some dumb mistakes here's the very stupid part, I was working on something else that was going to have the same finish applied (primer and paint) so I've already primed and painted it. The shelves are glued in and brad nailed in so its not like I can just take the shelves out and cut them down to the right size.

The cabinet will be up against a wall on the back and the left side. Right now the only feasible way I think to salvage this without just re-doing it all is to effectually shave off the amount I need from the face of the left side.

It's entirely plywood so I definitely recognize that you're never really supposed to take off the face of plywood, but Im thinking if I can secure the track to it safely of making an initial cut with my track saw following the line (photo #3) and then going at it with a shitty old hand plane or chisel for the rest of it. I know it wont be perfect or pretty but that side will be butted up against a wall and noone will see my shame.

Is this a terrible idea, it sounds like I should be ok with cutting through the brad nails with the track saw as long as I have proper ppe on and I dont care about that blade?

The back wall is actually a concrete post so ill be anchoring it into that so im not too concerned about the left leg being very thin

Should I just abandon this and have this turn into a garage/shop storage and re-make it?

Bottom cabinet

Top Cabinet

Line to cut

I’ve got a total beginner question!

Are you careful not to apply too much glue? Does it matter if the excess glue squeezes out when you make the joint?

Will the dried up glue just easily sand out or is it something you try to avoid?

Hello, all.

Noob here trying to figure out how a guide like in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIeIZdrbz-Y could be used to rip a long, narrow board so that I can ensure both sides of the board are straight. I know that rip fences exist but those only work if the fence is on a part with a true edge no? I'm planning on making a simple guide like the one in video for more general cuts on wider boards but how would I use this or is there a different setup to put a straight edge on a 7' board that's 3" wide? I can't lay a guide like that on top of the board because the board isn't as wide as the guide and if I clamp the board I would have to clamp at one end, then halfway or so, cut until close to that clamp, then remove the clamp possibly throwing off the line.

I'm probably overthinking this but all resources I've found online for cutting or making a guide are for larger pieces and not something like this. There's got to be a simple way to approach this and hopefully someone can enlighten me. (preferably with a picture and/or links to resource/explanation). Or is there an inexpensive option I could pick up that is better than a DIY guide?

I just got this desk but it wobbles ( I knew it would wobble a bit and How could I limit that desk from wobbling from right to left , note that it doesn't have any leg taller than the other the wobbles comes from the construction it self ( yes, I figured where the wobble comes from but could find solution to it 🙂 I have nearly zero knowledge about wood working )

Hello! I’m a beginner woodworker, right now I work building picture frames, I usually buy moulding from picture framing suppliers, but I want to build my own profiles with fine wood, to offer a better customization for my clients, mostly square/rectangular profiles, 1” x 2” tall at most maybe 2”x2”, what I mostly need is the ability to do these long strips of wood that I can later cut a rabbet into. Im trying to figure out the tools that I would need to achieve this in a consistent and efficient way. Right now I’m thinking a jointer / a planer / a table saw. Am I on the right track? I won’t cut anything larger than maybe 3” one day.

Thanks in advance and I hope to contribute soon to this subreddit!

Let me start out by saying I’m new to staining and sealing wood. So, I originally stained my unfinished mahogany door with a very light coat of varathane rustic sage. Light, in that, I wasn’t going for a solid stain, just enough to knock down the red tones a bit. I finished with Tried and True original finish. It came out very nice, smooth, mellow, and with the red lightened a lot. Well, it didn’t last long, as I learned that beeswax/linseed oil doesn’t hold up well to the elements. So, I sanded the door down beautifully and prepped it for my next stain and seal. This time I went with the same stain, similarly applied and epifanes spar urethane. I research thoroughly how to apply and thinned correctly, however, the application came out patchy, due to my choice of stain application. I didn’t not expect it to make such a difference, since the Tried and True actually brought out the colors of both the stain and wood where it was lightly applied, almost blending them. The epifanes went deeply into the wood where the stain was thin and brought out the dark, rich reds of the wood. It looks ridiculous. I’m only one coat in. Here’s my question: do I sand it all back off and start over? Is sanding the answer here? I will say no to the stain this time, because….well, f that. I don’t want suggestions to paint the door. I love the look of raw wood. I splurged on these doors, they were my Christmas present to myself.

Please be nice. We live and learn. I’m learning.

I’m not sure if my dowel was too tight, or just right, but this was my first time seeing glue literally forced through and out of pores in oak.

I have a 2”x2”x1.5’ piece hat I need to rip beyond a 45* angle.

How would you make this cut on a table saw? Any recommendations for a jig or something?

Thanks

I am making this bar cart in the photo with 2x2. I was planning on using pocket holes at each of the red circles. I was going to place the pocket holes on the bottoms of each of the horizontal pieces to drive into the verticals. But now I'm worried they're going to hit each other. Where would you recommend I place the pocket holes at each joint? I would prefer to place them somewhere they won't be seen, so preference would be on the bottom or inside of the smaller horizontals and on the top, bottom, or inside of the longer horizontals (I will have some planks on top of the longer pieces that should cover the pocket holes)

https://preview.redd.it/6uyjsmyjzbyd1.jpg?width=1002&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7428ef23992741d56ebfbfc79eea510319f05a2e

Any suggestions on how to utilize this space? Please ignore the mess we’re still moving in. This is a rental.

Is this a decent saw to get started into woodworking? Open box special at HF.

Quick PSA for anyone thinking about grabbing something used, directly from Wahuda.

What could go wrong given the factory inspection, amirite?

1. Thing was beat up. Don't expect this to be like electronics in which most factory refurbished products were from immediate returns.

2. Would have expected them to just throw in new accessories. Nope, the trashed push blocks etc were just thrown in the box. Even though the machine was used, for the price I would have expected them to replace a scratched up aluminum fence. It's a busch league fence after all.

3. But does it work? Dunno... they forgot to include any hardware in the box. Waiting another week for parts.

If folks are interested I'll report back on whether this thing can actually surface. But given this, don't be a penny wise and dollar foolish like I was and skip anything used from Wahuda.

Hello, I was given some oak flooring off cuts, which I’m using for a box. However, there is a shiny white coating on the boards that I am struggling to sand off. Does anyone know what it is? And am I best using a cabinet scraper to remove it? If so, I will treat myself to a set.

I have a SKIL TS6307-00 and I've had a heck of a couple months attempting to get the blade aligned to the miters and miter aligned to the rip fence and making a sled that doesn't rock/wiggle in the slots. I've watched videos on setting up saws. I have a digital angle finder, machinist square, try squares and all attempts to establish a blade angle square to the table surface has been failure. It's always slightly off of square (too much or too little). That's before I start talking about how difficult it has been to align the rip fence! Why am I having such a hard time? Am I expecting too much from this saw? The miters are 5/8" so I cut custom runners and although they appear tight I was getting wobble or binding when attached to my crosscut sled attempts. I ended up giving up on aligning the blade with the table top in case there was an issue there so I aligned it with the sled on the table top and I still seemed to have some difference from perfection enough to notice no matter my adjustments. When the fence was out of line I noticed marks from the saw on the cut so I took that as a signal I had to adjust it further.

I started with a protech table saw in which the arbor appeared to wiggle so I replaced that with the Skil. Following my struggles I futher complicated my experience by purchasing a used dewalt 10" jobsite saw (model somewhere around DW745) of which I had to realign the blade before setting that up. I'm having about the same success/failures there. Yes, I have three table saws at the moment and I'm pulling my hair out. A craftsman 113 was available locally (older model) and my temptation was to jump to a different format completely. I have never had this amount of problems before! Either I wasn't paying attention or previous saws I have used have been easier to set. I'm limited on funds and space space and need something that is somewhat portable (push out of the way) so a proper cabinet saw is not in my budget or plans.