Woodworkers of Head Case unite!

[naamanf]

3 minutes ago, VPI said:

Any of you guys using automated/remote blast gates?  Looking to try some but most of the ones I am seeing look to be poorly made. 

I am. Using iVac. I have a metal pro one and plastic one. So far no issues other than the power supplies they supplied were AC/DC and would keep on frying from static. Turns out there is already a DC power supply already built into them. Switched to just using transformers and I haven’t had any issues. 

[naamanf]

Put together a vanity. 
 

[swt61]

Pretty damned sweet. Your shut lines are perfection. Not an easy accomplishment. 

Is it going in your house?

[naamanf]

3 minutes ago, swt61 said:

Pretty damned sweet. Your shut lines are perfection. Not an easy accomplishment. 

Is it going in your house?

Going in one of the two smaller houses we bought recently.  I have another vanity all cut, just need to put it together. I think getting the faces on take up about half of the construction time. 
 

Getting it all lined up is definitely a chore, I have a fully kitchen to do next, think I’m going to go with a larger reveal so being perfect isn’t so critical. 

[VPI]

Dominos or pocket screws?

I decided to test the drum sander I finally got set up in the garage and all the new sanders by building an edge grain cutting board for the kitchen today.

Only 30 more hours of sanding and some finishing left  

Edited January 16, 2022 by VPI

[naamanf]

Pocket screws for the face frame. Dominos don’t really make sense and would be more work. The rest was dados, glue, and brad nails. 
 

Board is looking great!

[VPI]

Very nice. My work is way too sloppy to get clean lines so I have to cheat with adjustable Blum hinges.
 

The magic ping pong table does the dados?  I need a mini one of those, but I think I need a jointer more at this point.

Edited January 15, 2022 by VPI

[Voltron]

The cutting board looks great. I'm probably telling you something you already know, but a cross-cut blade with way more teeth will give you smoother cuts with the sled. I don't always switch but it is an improvement.

[VPI]

Yep. Too lazy to switch but I do have the Forrest cross cut on there now to finish the edges a bit.  So much tear out that I am hoping to clear out with a quick trim. 

Maybe I need another Sawstop so I can keep one loaded for cross cut and one for ripping.  

[swt61]

Now you're talking like a true wood-o-phile!

[dsavitsk]

16 minutes ago, VPI said:

Maybe I need another Sawstop so I can keep one loaded for cross cut and one for ripping.  

I think you're joking, but I've come very close to doing that on several occasions.

That said, I went for a long spell using a Freud 24 tooth rip blade with flat teeth for everything. Worked fine, and I don't recall there actually being any more tearout than with my fancy 80 tooth ridge carbide. Modern blades are so much better than the ones that existed when all the blade rules were devised.

[naamanf]

2 hours ago, VPI said:

Very nice. My work is way too sloppy to get clean lines so I have to cheat with adjustable Blum hinges.
 

The magic ping pong table does the dados?  I need a mini one of those, but I think I need a jointer more at this point.

I also use the Blum hinges, impossible To get it perfect without some tweaks. Really wish the Blum slides were in stock, the cheap knockoffs make it much harder to do. 
 

The ping pong cuts everything minus the face frame rails and stiles. Kind of wish I had an edge bander now 😂

[Voltron]

Steve's favorite slides are Knape & Vogt or just KV. I bought some extremely stout KV slides for my Festool drawers and they are excellent.

[naamanf]

I’ll have to check them out, hopefully there is a local supplier. 
 

Picked up these Amazon Basics Euro handles for the cabinets. The quality is surprisingly good. Solid stainless with quality look and feel. Best part was they were $1.15. Which is probably bad since I’m just supporting the Bezos and China. 

[swt61]

I've used much of the Amazon Basics hardware lately, including doorknobs and deadbolts. I've been really happy with the quality. They are a bargain price, but even more important, they just work well. On the other hand, I've had nothing but problems with the uber expensive Emtek shit that the posers love to buy and namedrop. Baldwin is my fave, but these Amazon Basics are damned good for the $.

On a different note, I've discovered a few new YouTube woodworkers worth watching.

Bourbon Moth Woodworking and KJ Sawdust.

BTW, The real Blum hardware is also excellent. The Bourbon Moth guy has some good tips on easy installation of their bottom mount drawer guides 

[naamanf]

1 hour ago, swt61 said:

I've used much of the Amazon Basics hardware lately, including doorknobs and deadbolts. I've been really happy with the quality. They are a bargain price, but even more important, they just work well. On the other hand, I've had nothing but problems with the uber expensive Emtek shit that the posers love to buy and namedrop. Baldwin is my fave, but these Amazon Basics are damned good for the $.

On a different note, I've discovered a few new YouTube woodworkers worth watching.

Bourbon Moth Woodworking and KJ Sawdust.

BTW, The real Blum hardware is also excellent. The Bourbon Moth guy has some good tips on easy installation of their bottom mount drawer guides 

Good to know the rest is the line is also good. 
 

The Blums are impossible to get here and online, why I’m looking for the best alternatives.  

[swt61]

9 hours ago, naamanf said:

The Blums are impossible to get here and online, why I’m looking for the best alternatives.  

As Al stated, I like KV. I've used them for 40 years or better and have had no issues. They make an undermount glide that IMO is a quality unit.

https://www.cabinetparts.com/p/knape-and-vogt-drawer-slides-undermount-drawer-slides-KVMUVHDB27-p29674?gclid=Cj0KCQiAoY-PBhCNARIsABcz771LxncWljnBQEOzIxrRTzbrduGTPDsdskITdRUcCNQKdZYdcpOb5FAaAv51EALw_wcB

[VPI]

Bourbon Moth can be over the top but decent work. I like the whiskey table design. 
I also like King’s Fine Woodworking for actual learning and also Fisher’s Shop, Stumpy Nubs, Rob Cosman and Tamar. 
 

Put some Odie’s Oil on the 3D board so it is about as finished as it is going to get. 
 

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by VPI

[swt61]

Yeah, not sure why so many woodworkers are wanna be stand-ups, but if the work is good I can overlook the bad humor. His work is pretty damned good.

[naamanf]

Second vanity complete. Definitely going with a larger reveal for the kitchen I’m going to do next. 
 

[swt61]

Thought I'd share a little tip since I'm building and installing double gates on a trash can container. 

So I'm building a large bin to hold trash and recycling containers, as well as loose cardboard. This is for a bookstore we're building for a repeat client. 

I always get annoyed when two gates don't line up perfectly. And installing two gates and getting them to line up can be a pita, especially if your working alone. So some years back I developed a better way to do this.

First I build the bin, then take the measurements for the opening where the two gates will live. Then I build the two gates as one unit. I make the top frame and bottom frame full length. I put in my rail supports, and leave a strong 1/8" between the middle rails.

I've already started cladding the gate frame with reclaimed lumber, but you can see the small gap in between I'm referring to.

After cladding the gates, I then set the gate assembly in place using shims at the bottom to ensure each side is level with the top of the bin walls.

[swt61]

Then I align the front, apply the hinges, and use a sawzall to cut the top and bottom 2x4s right in that tiny 1/8" gap. That way everything stays aligned perfectly once you cut the two sections apart.

It took me a few years to figure this out, so I thought I'd pass it along. 

[Augsburger]

As soon as I learn how to use a saw I will be all over that.

[naamanf]

How are you attaching the the two sides of the gate where the 1/8" gate is?

Decided I need to do some more meta woodworking and build a proper miter saw station. Going to clean off some space, remove some built in shelves, and build a station. How are you liking your setup so far, Al? Also need to decide if I just roll if my old Hitachi saw (which has been a work horse and pretty solid over the years) or move to something hopefully better. 

[swt61]

You need a Festool. The trenching feature alone is very worthwhile. 

I attach the gate as a unit, with two hinges on each side. Then I  cut the top 2x4 and bottom 2x4 of the gate frame, right in the middle, where I have left the 1/8" space.