Woodworkers Thread
- Thread starter AgronAlum
- Start date
My 15y/o son who is into chess asked me if we could make a chess board. This was my first time doing anything with end grain like this. It's made with hard maple and walnut and finished with a couple coats of boiled linseed oil. I also built a router sled to flatten it out after glue up. He did about 80% of the work.
View attachment Chessboard.JPG
We’re picking up a free oak table on Sunday. The plan is to strip and paint/stain.
First question. Should I strip and sand the top or just sand? I plan on going a little darker than the current finish. I’ve had really good luck with GF water based stain, so I’ll probably go that route.
Second question. I’ve been using GF Arm R Seal on basically everything. Do you think it will hold up to young kids on a dining table or should I go a different route? The last heavily used top I did I ended up using a lacquer but the Arm R Seal is outrageously easy to apply.
I’ve done a lot of new tops, not so much refinishing.
The table:
First question. Should I strip and sand the top or just sand? I plan on going a little darker than the current finish. I’ve had really good luck with GF water based stain, so I’ll probably go that route.
Second question. I’ve been using GF Arm R Seal on basically everything. Do you think it will hold up to young kids on a dining table or should I go a different route? The last heavily used top I did I ended up using a lacquer but the Arm R Seal is outrageously easy to apply.
I’ve done a lot of new tops, not so much refinishing.
The table:
I’m no expert but id think you’d want to strip and sand. The seal might be better with young kids stabbing it and stuff
I use GF Arm R Seal on 90% of my projects and never had an issue. I would agree with most that stripping and then sanding will allow your finish to adhere to the wood. Would love to see a photo of it when finished. I need to refinish our table this year.
Very nice. I make end grain cutting boards, and flattening them is the hardest part. I use a drum sander, but it takes time. End grain sanding is very prone to burning, if you try to take off too much on a pass through the sander.
The "burning" part is usually not a big deal as it can be eliminated by one or two more passes through the sander but the problem is that you have probably already wrecked the sandpaper on the drum. If my boards are under 13 inches wide they're run through the planer first, and if the pattern allows, the wider ones can be constructed in two halves and run through separately before gluing together. If necessary, "sacrifice" boards can be glued to the sides/ends of the pieces and (sawed off later) to avoid "chip offs" caused by the planer.
Thanks for the comments and hint about using a planer for flattening end grain. I’ve added sacrificial wood to smaller pieces when running them through the drum sander, but have not tried that approach with a planer. I have refined my technique when sanding end grain pieces with the sander. I usually start with 80 grit paper to make the first few passes, then switch to 120 grit to finish. I rarely have problems with burning using the coarser paper, then just take my time with the final passes.
Don't know if anyone is shopping, but Rikon is offering 15% off their tools starting tomorrow. (don't know how long it lasts). Was not familiar with them until I started shopping for a "resaw" bandsaw; Both Woodcraft and Rockler offer them so I take that as somewhat of an endorsement and I haven't read a negative review. 5 yr warranty. Planning on grabbing a horse and a half 14 inch, and it includes a fence and blade (Not all do). This will be my first major tool purchase in twenty years and I'm running out of time 
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You're need to get some Cardinal labels for the 1st and 3rd columns, as no Cyclone fan should have yellow and black touching. Unless you are storing truly evil stuff in those totes...
Anyone else avoid Dewalt because of this or just me?You're need to get some Cardinal labels for the 1st and 3rd columns, as no Cyclone fan should have yellow and black touching. Unless you are storing truly evil stuff in those totes...
I've got a few Dewalt hand tools/bits/etc. but I'm a Makita man myself. The price point seems the best to me. Not professional but sees heavier use than the average homeowner.
Yes, I actively avoid Dewalt tools because of the suckeye/puke colors. I have their jobsite table saw that I actively cover in Cyclone stickers and red electrical tape to help mask the infestation.
I'm heavily invested in the Milwaukee platform, as well as Ryobi (some of their stuff is just too affordable to avoid!).
Thank you.
It’s honestly a quality I’m really proud of in this instance. Runs in the family too
Snagged my new bandsaw and decided I needed a project to check out it’s capabilities (and mine). My saw did not come with a base cabinet but rather a shelf down below, so I made this three drawer cabinet to set on that shelf. It will store the owners manual, the few tools that came with it, as well as notes that I jot down for memory when doing specific cuts or projects. The fun part was that this cabinet is made entirely from pieces of ash firewood. as each board was needed, I grabbed a CHunk of firewood and sawed out what I wanted.
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I read most of the Internet and nowhere did I find that cutting boards need to be square or rectangular, so I crafted this one. I was hoping for more contrast between the walnut and the mahogany, and also used oak and Maple. The pattern is not mine, I found it on a YouTube video. It was designed to be a wall hanging in the video and I challenged myself to do a better job on the joints than what was presented, and i’m really pleased with the way they turned out. It never hurts to think things through and determine if there is a better or easier way to accomplish the end.
