Woodworking Tips (31-May-2007)

A collection of tips for both the novice and the expert. The newest tips are at the top of the list.

• Have a look as well at my favourite wood working web sites.
• When you are serious about fine woodworking then I highly recommend The Complete Illustrated Guide series from Taunton Press. I bought these six reference books:
  1. Shaping Wood, by Lonnie Bird
  2. Joinery, by Gary Rogowski
  3. Furniture & Cabinet Construction, by Andy Rae
  4. Finishing, by Jeff Jewitt
  5. Jigs & Fixtures, by Sandor Nagyszalancy
  6. Sharpening, by Thomas Lie-Nielsen
• When books are too dry for you then at least watch several TV or video episodes of a good craftsman. Personally I have learned a lot from The New Yankee Workshop with Norm Abram. Check the local PBS or Home and Garden TV listings.
• Measure twice, cut once.
• Wood is a natural product; if you cannot stand its inherent imperfections then woodworking may not be for you.
• A good finish is like a cherry on the pudding. Never cover wood with paint; enhance it instead with a stain and clear varnish.
• I never sand coarser than 120 grid, and seldom sand finer than 220 grid. For the 220 or finer grid I always use the black waterproof paper sheets, also for dry sanding. For larger surfaces I use a cork sanding block. Before using a new sheet of sanding paper run the back of the paper diagonally over a sharp edge. This will break the glue and release any "loose" grid.
• Various "consumables" that I normally use:
  1. Sure Grip carpenters glue from LePage -- 500 ml bottle.
  2. Wood Patch from Woodwise -- filler for red oak, and other wood types; Winsor Plywood sells it.
  3. TopCote from Bostik -- table and tool surface sealant to reduce sliding friction.
  4. DriCote from Bostik -- blade and bit cutting lubricant.
  5. Industrial strength cleaner and resin remover from Lee Valley -- clean blades give clean cuts.
  6. Stain for red oak -- Cloverdale Semi Transparent, clear base #16204, "Kitchencraft Spice" colour.
  7. Varnish -- Cloverdale Acrylic Urethane Varnish, satin finish #42314.
• There are two ways to "hide" joints:
  1. You can emphasize the joint by chamfering both edges before glueing them together, or by making sure that the two surfaces are not in the same plane, like when you join a board to a table leg.
  2. No matter how accurate you work there will always be a slight "gap" when you glue up for example stiles and rails of a raised panel. Glue everything and do the usual sanding. After the sanding is finished make the joint dust free. With a putty knife fill a little gap sparingly with wood filler (see previous list). Before the filler dries take a used piece of 220 grid sandpaper, gently sand over the filled area. The sanding dust will mix with the wood filler helping the colour matching. You may have to change your sand paper around several times, as it will clog up pretty quick. Keep sanding until the filler is only in the gap itself. Don't used a light filler to fill a dark knot; use a darker filler instead.

How to use a Dado

A dado consist of two outside saw blades and zero, one or more chippers. The chipper(s) go between the two outside blades. The minimum width is obtained with the two outside blades only, and can be changed in 1/8" increaments by combining the various chipper blades. The dado is assembled on the arbor of the table saw and mounted like a regular saw blade. There are other types of dados on the market.

Cutting a groove using a dado is the same as using the regular saw blade on the table saw and does not need very much explanation.

A more interesting use of the dado is the cutting of tenons on a piece of wood, i.e. make one end thinner than the rest of the piece of wood. For that we use the table saw, miter gauge and dado. Put the dado set together for a certain width and mount it in the table saw. Clamp a block of wood (about 3/4" thick) to the table saw fence on the side of the dado several inches before the dado. Attach a piece of wood to the miter gauge so that stock is properly supported when run past the dado. Set the dado height for the amount of material that needs to be take away.

For example, to cut a tenon length of 1" you have to adjust the fence such that the block of wood is offset by 1" to the left of the dado as shown in the picture. The procedure is to put the stock against the miter gauge and the block of wood on the fence. Then squeeze the stock against the miter gauge and run it past the dado. Pull the stock to the right to clear the dado and pull back. Position the stock against the miter gauge again such that the remaining material can now be removed by the dado, squeeze against the miter gauge and run past the dado again. It is highly recommended to run a couple of scrap pieces first after each dado height and tenon length adjustment and verify that the results are what is expected.

Finishing (31-May-2005)

There are many ways to finish wood. Our choice is a medium colour transparent stain for our red oak furniture, finished with a few coats of Acrylic Urethane varnish. Red oak has an open grain. You can fill the grain for a complete smooth surface, but we prefer to see and feel the grain. Some folks recommend a sanding sealer before staining and varnishing, but we have never felt the need for that.

Preparation

• Make sure all surfaces are sanded smooth with 220 grid sandpaper.
• Ensure that all surfaces and the workshop environment are dust free; we vacuum clean several times.
• Have good ventilation. We have a large extraction fan.
• Wipe the to be finished surfaces very lightly with a tack cloth just before staining.
• Have good lighting. Striking light is very helpfull when applying the second and subsequent coats of varnish.

Staining

• All visible red oak surfaces are stained. Ensure that the stain stays wet for at least 15 minutes for good penetration. After that any excess stain can be wiped off.
• Let the stain dry for at least 1 day before varnishing.
• Wipe the stained surfaces with a clean cloth before varnishing.

Varnishing

• To varnish "fill" the brush, apply it in one stroke in the direction of the grain, distribute the varnish by brushing cross-grain, and finally finish by brushing with the grain.
• Leave a "wet" edge where you work so that it is easier to brush out edges with the next area you work on.
• Do not brush too much; let the properties of the varnish do the work.
• Do not try to "fix" something on a half dry surface; you make it only worse. Wait until the next coat.
• Apply thin coats. It is better to apply two thin coats than one thick coat.
• All surfaces need two coats of varnish. We recommend that desk tops and table tops get four coats of varnish.
• Let each coat dry for at least 1 day, and sand very, very lightly with 320 grid sandpaper before applying the next coat. Usually two passes with sandpaper is enough to get rid of small dust particles. Use you hand to feel for imperfections. Clean very lightly with a tack cloth.
• Drawers made from aspen and birch plywood need only one coat of varnish. After which a very light sanding with 320 grid. It is almost like applying a sanding sealer.
• The bottom of desk and table tops made from solid red oak should be stained and receive two coats of varnish. This helps to prevent warping and cupping.
• Let the final coat dry for a week before using the furniture.
• Optionally, after a month you can apply one application of natural BriWax to the desk or table top. The top will look fantastic, but the disadvantage is that you can never varnish the top again.
• If possible use a fresh can of varnish for the final coat. It is amazing how many "foreign" particles end up in a used can of varnish, while a varnish gradually thickens as well and thus loses its optimal properties.
• If you have a large job then brake it down into 1 to 2 hour jobs, and thoroughly clean the brush at each break.
• Do not strike the brush against the top rim of the can to get rid of excess varnish. The rim is one of the main sources of foreign particles such as dust and dried varnish.

Glossary of Terms (4-Dec-2006)

• bdft (board foot) -- The size of a 1 inch thick board of 1 foot by 1 foot (144 cubic inches). Board footage is typically based on the nominal dimensions of lumber, i.e. the lumber dimension in its rough sawn, green, unseasoned condition. Some places charge an extra 8% to cover shrinkage, such as caused by kiln drying of the wood. So when you buy for example 100 bdft they charge you for 108 bdft.
• DAMIFINO -- I don't know, as in: damn if I know. A typical situation when 90° is not square.
• S4S -- Sanded four sides. Often used with solid woods.
• G2S -- Good two sides. Often used with plywood that has the same high quality finish on both sides.
• SNAFU -- Situation normal, all f...d up. The usual situation after verifying measurements twice and then still cutting the wrong size.