Highland Staff

Tips from Sticks in the Mud – September 2016 Tip #1 – Protecting the Finish While Multi-Tasking

Sep 012016
 

Welcome to “Tips From Sticks-In-The-Mud Woodshop.” I am a hobbyist, not a professional, someone who loves woodworking, just like you do. I have found some better ways to accomplish tasks in the workshop and look forward to sharing those with you each month, as well as hearing your problem-solving ideas.

“Obladi, Oblada, life goes on, yeah.  La la la la, life goes on.”  Sometimes you put finish on a piece or a project, but you have to keep working on some other component of the project, or a totally different project.

Still, you didn’t put finish on just to have to re-do it, so you don’t want dust or flecks from the next task to land in the finish you just finished.

Such was the case recently, when I needed to put the next-to-the-last coat of polyurethane on these two stools, but I had sawdust to make when I finished.

Fresh polyurethane. Is there anything stickier? Anything floating in the air around your freshly-applied finish is going to end up in that surface, unless you protect it.

Fresh polyurethane. Is there anything stickier? Anything floating in the air around your freshly-applied finish is going to end up in that surface, unless you protect it.

Now, you could go for the ultimate solution and build the nice enclosure Steve Johnson made (click here to access the video series).

As you might have guessed, mine is less elaborate and, well, cheaper.  But, not by much, as Steve really used low-cost components for his booth.  I think there’s hope for the boy yet!

Mine amounts to a simple little tent in two basic forms.

The first starts with a PVC stand you’ve seen before.  It’s my wife’s shower-curtain stand that surrounds her pottery wheel and prevents clay from being slung all over.  When she’s not using it for that, it’s my drying rack for used paper towels.  Then, a few of the spruce studs I found on the roadside (click here to read the story).  Last, a painter’s plastic dropcloth.  Beware:  if the plastic has been used previously, be sure to shake it clean (well away from your project) prior to spreading it over the support.

Voice of experience.

When the time came to do other things in the shop, these two little birthday stools had to have protection from any dust, dirt or other foreign material I generated. I was already on a deadline and didn’t have time for a do-over. A PVC frame I already had, a plastic dropcloth I already had, and some 2x4s to keep the dropcloth from sagging into the finish, and I was set. I even put a fan in one corner to circulate air for finish off-gassing, to be turned on after I stopped generating dust.

When the time came to do other things in the shop, these two little birthday stools had to have protection from any dust, dirt or other foreign material I generated. I was already on a deadline and didn’t have time for a do-over. A PVC frame I already had, a plastic dropcloth I already had, and some 2x4s to keep the dropcloth from sagging into the finish, and I was set. I even put a fan in one corner to circulate air for finish off-gassing, to be turned on after I stopped generating dust.

Once your plastic is clean and spread, ensure it’s not going to touch your project by pulling it taut and anchoring the edges.  I used some metal cans.  Once the film is mostly dry you can begin to use a slow-turning fan to move some air.  Remember Alan Noel’s admonition:  finishes don’t cure without air movement.  With a little effort you could incorporate an air-conditioning filter into the plastic “wall.”

In a different project I used a related technique.  Using decorative colored epoxy in the edges of a table I’m making for our youngest grandchildren, I needed a way to keep debris from falling into the wet epoxy while I continued to work on other components in the shop:

While the epoxy was wet I let these spring clamps form a frame for a plastic tent. Two more spring clamps held the plastic tight, so it wouldn’t sag into the epoxy

While the epoxy was wet I let these spring clamps form a frame for a plastic tent. Two more spring clamps held the plastic tight, so it wouldn’t sag into the epoxy

(A network news reporter recently suggested using obladi oblada as a “cryptic” password.  I don’t think it would be considered “cryptic” among us baby boomers.)

Here is another place I used my wife’s PVC frame for dust protection. It was a good height for this table, but not as deep as the table is wide, so I used a couple of roller stands to support the opposite side.

Here is another place I used my wife’s PVC frame for dust protection. It was a good height for this table, but not as deep as the table is wide, so I used a couple of roller stands to support the opposite side.

Jim Randolph is a veterinarian in Long Beach, Mississippi. His earlier careers as lawn mower, dairy farmer, automobile mechanic, microwave communications electronics instructor and journeyman carpenter all influence his approach to woodworking. His favorite projects are furniture built for his wife, Brenda, and for their children and grandchildren. His and Brenda’s home, nicknamed Sticks-In-The-Mud, is built on pilings (sticks) near the wetlands (mud) on a bayou off Jourdan River. His shop is in the lower level of their home.Questions and comments on woodworking may be written below in the comments section. Questions about pet care should be directed to his blog on pet care, www.MyPetsDoctor.com. We regret that, because of high volume, not all inquiries can be answered personally.

Tools You Should Buy First: Veritas Dual Marking Gauge

Aug 182016
 

In this month’s issue of Wood News, we featured an article by new contributor Justin Moon about the Veritas Dual Marking Gauge.

If you are new to woodworking and struggling to decide which tools to purchase first, take a look at Justin’s article. He offers some compelling thoughts about his philosophy for buying tools in general, using a story about buying dress shoes as an example:

The first time I bought dress shoes, I bought the cheapest pair I could find. My father, ever the impeccably dressed, took one look at them and told me “Buying cheap shoes is the most expensive thing you can do.” In no time at all, my blisters and I were paying for a well made pair of shoes, plus the cost of the cheap pair.

Read the full Veritas Dual Marking Gauge review here.

Show Us Your Shop: Ty Crum’s Garage Shop

Aug 162016
 

In this month’s Wood News we featured 14-year old Ty Crum’s garage workshop. Ty’s biggest inspiration was his 7th-8th grade shop teacher, and he says he also learned a great deal from his grandfather, who was also a woodworker. Ty has even taken the step of starting his own woodworking YouTube channel, which you can view here. Take a look at the pictures of his shop below, or click to learn more about Ty Crum’s shop.

To read about even more shops, click to check out our Shops Gallery.

If you would like to submit your shop, just SEND US PHOTOS of your woodworking shop along with captions and a brief history and description of your woodworking. (Email photos at 800 x 600 resolution.) Receive a $50 store credit redeemable towards merchandise if we show your shop in a future issue.

Make a Table Saw Storage Box

Aug 112016
 

Since the beginning of recorded time, or so it seems to me, my table saw fence has been the repository of assorted things.  Pencils, chalk, Allen wrenches and other paraphernalia have collected there along with wood chips and dust that could not be swept away for fear of losing some small thing that might have later importance.  So what should I do about it?  Live with it I could no longer abide.  I needed a different solution.

Table saw boxSomewhere I saw an idea that caught my attention: a small box attached to the off side of the table saw fence that could hold those things I need to keep nearby.  As I thought about it, my gaze fell upon a partly completed walnut box that didn’t make the cut as a gift box, but would make a great storage box.  It needed only a bottom to make it complete.  I grabbed a scrap of thin walnut, cut it to size, rabbeted the bottom so it would fit the box and glued it into place.  Reaching into my waste box, I found a chunk of walnut to use for a hook and handle.  I cut a notch in the chunk to fit the lip of the table saw fence, then shaped it on the band saw and sanded it smooth on the belt sander.  Because it was white wood from a larger walnut piece, I stained it dark to more closely match the box.  Then I glued it to the box so the hook would engage the table saw fence lip.

The resulting box is more functional than it is beautiful, but it does its job perfectly.  And, it had the added benefit of using up things that had no other purpose!  Now that is recycling at its best.

Woodworking Safety: You Have to Be This Tall!!

Aug 032016
 

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Well, that settles it! I’m getting one of those amusement park ride signs saying “you have to be this tall” before you can come in my shop. Let me tell you why.

Like the rest of you, I am proud of my shop and jump at any opportunity to show if off. Twice in the last several weeks I have invited friends with children to come over and see what I am working on and what I have made lately. Some kids have questions about woodworking and tools, and sometimes parents want to see the shop after they have heard me talk about it.

First family came over and the older child, about 11, was fascinated by carving tools. We set up a piece of soft wood in the bench vise and she tried out the draw knife (don’t pull it too far towards you, that’s what happened to my half-brother! (took three times to get the joke)(Thanks Roy Underhill)).  She tried my spokeshave, and was just enthralled with being able to cut wood with hand tools. In the meantime, her five year old brother was loving the round ship’s wheel on the leg vise. He must have turned that thing a thousand times. His Mom was concerned that he might mash a finger in the vise, but I assured her that it was a once in a lifetime occasion because if he did clamp up his finger, he would never do it again. Later she winced as most Moms would when he picked up something sharp and I pointed out the box of bandaids. We got through that day unscathed, thank goodness.

A couple of weeks later another couple came over with their four year old daughter. I invited them all into the shop and told them to look at anything they wanted, but make sure to not turn on any tool. They had an old dining room table to re-finish so we set the center leaf on the table saw to decide the best course of action. Kid is wandering around the shop with all of us thinking we are watching her while we work on the leaf. I stepped away to find some stain and while I was in the corner of the shop, to my abject horror, I heard the table saw start up. The little girl had come up next to her Dad and could not resist punching the button right in front of her face. Thank goodness, the blade was retracted below the table or it could have been really, really bad.  Talk about dodging a bullet.

I’m putting the sign up next week!! Cavalier attitude and all the good will in the world does not exactly cut it. Safety first!

Get more woodworking safety tips from Highlandwoodworking.com

Poll: Do you ever miss your shop?

Aug 012016
 
I work at least sixty hours each week.
I sleep about fifty hours each week.
I walk about seven hours each week.
I commute about six hours each week.

The other forty five hours are spent getting ready for work, getting ready for bed, eating and yardwork and taking the garbage out, cleaning litterboxes, taking the dog out and bringing the dog back in.  Of course, there’s going to the bank, going to this store and that store, and the delightful chore I found time for today, getting the oil and filter changed in my car.

That doesn’t leave much time for woodworking, so, you can imagine that, as hours and days tick by, I begin to miss it quite a lot.
It’s not surprising, then that I might just pass through the shop “on my way” to the car in the mornings.  Just a quick pass gets me a mini-fix.  I might touch a piece to see if the finish has cured, or touch a sanded board to see if the grain was raised by the 300% humidity we have in South Mississippi on summer days.

What about you?

Tips from Sticks in the Mud – August 2016 – Tip #2- Free Woodworking Wood

Jul 312016
 

No Southern-fried Southern boy wants to be called a Yankee, but we share the characteristics of shrewdness and thrift. Thus, each month I share a money-saving tip. It’s OK if you call me “cheap.”

If you have any pride, you might want to stop reading right here.  If your desire for a bargain can overcome your pride, read on!  There is a world of building materials and other treasures available for the person willing to open his/her eyes.  Not all of the treasures involve Dumpster-diving, either.

See this great plywood? Three pieces, free for nothing. It’s 1-1/4” thick and as flat as your torsion box. I found it on my morning 3-mile walk and picked it up in my car on the way to work. It’s no longer pretty, but it’s going to add a ton of strength to some project someday.

See this great plywood? Three pieces, free for nothing. It’s 1-1/4” thick and as flat as your torsion box. I found it on my morning 3-mile walk and picked it up in my car on the way to work. It’s no longer pretty, but it’s going to add a ton of strength to some project someday.

The spruce studs supporting these stools being finished? Came from a neighbor’s house right down the street. He was throwing away a whole ton of valuable stuff. By lugging it home during my morning walk, I added it to the calories I burned. They aren’t furniture-grade, but they will get used one day. In fact, several more are on the floor under the stools; about six altogether, I think. A good haul!

The spruce studs supporting these stools being finished? Came from a neighbor’s house right down the street. He was throwing away a whole ton of valuable stuff. By lugging it home during my morning walk, I added it to the calories I burned. They aren’t furniture-grade, but they will get used one day. In fact, several more are on the floor under the stools; about six altogether, I think. A good haul!

This 4x6x10' white pine timber was lying in the mud in front of a Family Dollar store being built in our town. A little washing and scraping and it was ready to go into storage, awaiting its eventual use.

This 4x6x10′ white pine timber was lying in the mud in front of a Family Dollar store being built in our town. A little washing and scraping and it was ready to go into storage, awaiting its eventual use.

The day after I found the spruce studs, another neighbor threw away a perfectly good half-sheet of 3/4" CDX plywood. Full sheets sell for $30-$35. Half-sheets sell at a premium because stores want you to pay for the convenience and the cut. Toted this home for $0 and about 150 calories.

The day after I found the spruce studs, another neighbor threw away a perfectly good half-sheet of 3/4″ CDX plywood. Full sheets sell for $30-$35. Half-sheets sell at a premium because stores want you to pay for the convenience and the cut. Toted this home for $0 and about 150 calories.

This was a “Made you look” moment. I was on my way to lunch and made a mental note to stop at this pile if it was still intact after lunch.

This was a “Made you look” moment. I was on my way to lunch and made a mental note to stop at this pile if it was still intact after lunch.

However, upon closer examination, I could see plenty of rot in the plywood and the 6" PVC pipe was thin-walled. I wasn’t interested in taking home any termites, even if I cut the bad parts out of the plywood. Even I draw the line somewhere!

However, upon closer examination, I could see plenty of rot in the plywood and the 6″ PVC pipe was thin-walled. I wasn’t interested in taking home any termites, even if I cut the bad parts out of the plywood. Even I draw the line somewhere!

Jim Randolph is a veterinarian in Long Beach, Mississippi. His earlier careers as lawn mower, dairy farmer, automobile mechanic, microwave communications electronics instructor and journeyman carpenter all influence his approach to woodworking. His favorite projects are furniture built for his wife, Brenda, and for their children and grandchildren. His and Brenda’s home, nicknamed Sticks-In-The-Mud, is built on pilings (sticks) near the wetlands (mud) on a bayou off Jourdan River. His shop is in the lower level of their home. Questions and comments on woodworking may be written below in the comments section. Questions about pet care should be directed to his blog on pet care, www.MyPetsDoctor.com. We regret that, because of high volume, not all inquiries can be answered personally.