Hi Gang,

Been watching this thread for awhile and always love the advice.

So I’ve been making tables and chairs and stuff for awhile and I’ve sort of always used cheap pine. It’s been easy to do since I hadn’t really delved into tapered legs or anything super complex so I didn’t have thin pieces necessarily. Honestly once I stain it, and finish and since it’s not super heavy use stuff it’s never really mattered. I would love to use hardwood but it’s so dang expensive as to be prohibitive.

Now that I’m delving into a bit more complex stuff, I don’t think softwood will do it anymore, at least knot pine :)

I have used poplar in the past and it seemed to hold up pretty good. This is indoor furniture not outdoor.

Anyway, I was just curious - is there a way to NOT spend $300-400 on hardwood for one friggin chair?? I confess I haven’t exactly checked out the lumber yards around my area yet we just moved, but I already know it’s gonna run me hundreds of dollars for one piece of furniture! Not trying to rant it’s just that we bought a house and I’d love to have some quality stuff since I don’t want my furniture to break haha.

Any recommendations on a) finding good quality lumber without breaking the bank, and b) does anyone else just use pine? I mean, I know it’s not the best but I’m not THAT overweight! Finally c) is there maybe an alternative that isn’t pine but not friggin cherry or oak? At this point I might just start planting cherry or oak in my backyard and waiting till I’m 80 to start building rather than spending $8-$10-$20 per board foot

Thanks in advance!

I have a very small shop and I'm curious if a shopsmith is worth it. I've found some pretty damn good deals and want to get some opinions.

Hi, team; quick question regarding suitability of Box Elder as workbench. Truly an amateur here, looking to build my first bench

I know there's a lot of discussion about hardwood vs softwood for the benchtop; does Box Elder walk that line between hard and softwood as the softest of the maples? Does it not also meet the criteria of pine of being on the cheaper side in many places of the US?

Context: I have line of sight on a load of free box elder, and curious if there's a reason I should hold out for free hardwood or pull the trigger on cheaper softwood

What's a decent moisture meter for a max of $30

Hi All,

I have a G0959 Jointer/Planer that has been great for a year or so that I have had it. I bought it used but very lightly used.

Lately, when I have been jointing wider boards, or really any boards I am ending up with some twist. The board is still very flat if you lay the straightedge along the board from front to back. However, if you measure from opposing corners one side has a dip and the other a hump. It is always the same amount of dip and hump no matter what I seem to do.

I have been trying to put shims underneath the tables to make them coplaner as well as moving the cutterhead up and down slightly and trying to reflatten the tables. I can't seem to significantly affect the twist in any way. Am I missing an adjustment? Is there something else I can try or is there a guide anywhere on calibrating jointers with aluminum beds? Or am I simply asking too much from this tool and I need to upgrade.

Thanks!

I know nothing of woodworking, however I wanted something of mine for a new desk. Got myself a pine table top because I wanted something of that tone. Got the right size and thickness for my wallet, sanded it, put a few layers of hardener, so it can hopefully last a few years without major damage, and sanded it again. I really liked how it turned out.

I thought about leaving it like this as the tone was just spot on, however the pine feels sticky if I stay in contact with it for a couple of minutes.

What's my course of action in order to not affect the colour of the wood but solve this sticky situation? Thanks

Working out of a 11 by 11 shed in Canada.

I’ve seen references to small wood objects created to show mastery of skill and technique with hand tools. These have no other function. What are they called?

Installed a cedar post mailbox about 6 months months ago. Sealed with clear sealer and post faded quite faster than I thought. We have a new rough sawn cedar posts and railing being installed and would like to make the color match as close as possible. I’m thinking the best route is to sand, stand and seal? Recommendations on products are gladly welcomed!

What’s the best way to go about fixing this table up ? I was planning on just sanding the paint off and then painting it. I want a wood-colored finish.

Anyone here turn wood? Such as segmented, specifically?

I'm searching for the perfect coaster that I can use with cold drinks, but that won't stick to the glass once they get water on them. I have smooth wooden ones that stick very easily, so I tried cork ones, which still stick, though they take a bit longer. Has anyone come up with a wooden design that won't stick to the glass but will protect the table from moisture? So holes all the way through won't do for example. I have a lathe if that helps.

I knew the original owner. He was very skilled and treated his tools well. He passed away last year (old age) and his wife is giving it to me. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a table with lift so the timing is excellent.

So I like making wooden swords to cut down tall weeds etc in my yard for the heck of it, the last wooden sword i used i think was made of maple, it did an impressive job until after weeks of use, it snapped in 2..

I need wood that's much more snap proof but still hard wood, preferably a type you could get at any hardware store because I only live in a small town in the maritimes. I think I have access to oak but don't know if it's strong enough, it basically has to be mostly snap proof under excessive use.

Example: I was cutting "Japanese Knotweed" and the bottom stalks are pretty thick and solid, the sword i made could cut it but it'd dull and after several sharpens it eventually snapped