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My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

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Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#171

Post by ticmasta »

gummydog wrote: post #47

My woodworking journey started when I was quoted $2500 to fix my porch railings. $1000 in materials, $1000 in tools mix in youtube tutorials and patience and now I'm hooked. The sliding compound mitre saw was the life changing tool for me. It was what was holding me back all these years from doing my own projects. I was always outsourcing this type of work for simply the cutting of lumber and thought I could do bette…

I used this justification to buy a really good router. I would love to have a drill press and a spindle sander; there's some things you just need one to accomplish well.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#172

Post by pwillia7 »

mettamage wrote: post #127
random_visitor wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This kind of comments are really difficult to get rid of, especially so in a site that doesn't strictly tie with your real self. Also, that kind of behaviour is extremely hard to curb. If moderators lay guidelines on what kind of talk is and isn't allowed, people attack the mods and the subreddit for taking away their freedom. If mods are lenient, this and much worse happens. I used to moderate a popular sub (top 100…

> especially so in a site that doesn't strictly tie with your real self. I never realized it so clearly, but this is definitely the case for me on HN and probably for more commenters on HN.

Use handles that can be traced back to you everywhere reasonable

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#173

Post by ticmasta »

fatnoah wrote: post #112
larrywright wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really is sad that most schools have discontinued these programs. I have a cousin who makes knives. When I visited his shop in Ohio last year, he commented that a lot of the workbenches and tools that he had in his shop were bought at auctions from schools getting rid of their shop programs. It’s a shame.

My high school was the regional hub for vocational training, so we had an entire wing devoted to these things. There was even a small restaurant and I remember one of the capstone projects for the year was actually building a house. Fortunately it has continued to be well-funded. Unfortunately, an honors-level academic load meant there was no time in the schedule to take many of these classes.

Ha! I was the only one taking AP-level everything and electronics and power mechanics as my electives!

The shop teacher was so grateful that he finally had someone super-interested in more advanced topics that I got to do extra projects he'd had on his wish list for years. One of my favorite high school memories and experiences.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#174

Post by takk309 »

raister wrote: post #132
joshstrange wrote: post #129

When I bought my house I told myself I was going to learn how to do woodworking so that I could build some basic things or improve some things. I bought a bunch of tools and built a workbench (err, well, I finished 90% of it, I never cut the final boards for the bottom shelf) and then... did nothing. I need to finish the workbench and move it to the back of my garage (once I move it I can't put in the bottom shelf wi…

Start doing the projects by Rex Krueger (YT), then some of foundations by Paul Sellers (blogs, YT), I'll leave here some manual woodworkers for your delight: - James Wright, Wood by Wright - Mike Siemsen - Rob Cosman - Frank Klausz - Shawn L. Graham, Worth The Effort - Roy Underhill - Joshua Farnsworth, Wood and Shop - James Hamilton, aka Stumpy Nubs - Matthew Cremona - Jay Bates - Shannon Rogers - Simon James

I would add Christopher Schwartz to this list. Not really on youtube but his publishing company Lost Art Press is an absolute gold mine for information. His blog (blog.lostartpress.com) has some good information too.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#175

Post by pawelk »

greedo wrote: post #164
pawelk wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started when we bought our first house and there wasn't much money left for kitchen furniture. But we needed a kitchen, so I decided to get some big box store pine, hinges, drawer slides etc to build some temporary cabinets. I didn't know much and I made many mistakes, but the kitchen I built lasted us... 7 years, and is gone now mainly because we're renovating the whole house. All the tools I had back then were a…

I too used Paul Sellers as a guide when I started up, but it's important to realize that he isn't really unplugged. He shows you how you can do it unplugged, but he uses a wide variety of power tools for "monkey work" as he calls it. This includes jointers, planers, and bandsaws (though he demonstrates that tool explicitly). Unless you're able to get wood already S4S, unplugged is a helluva lot of work.

I'm well aware that Paul Sellers uses machine milled / planed / dimensioned lumber. I am quite comfortable starting with rough sawn boards straight off the mill (I'm not crazy enough to re-saw logs by hand). Yes, it requires effort and depending on the size of the project I will either use S4S wood or rip, flatten and true boards by hand.

However if I were to have machines in my shop I'd get a bandsaw first, then a jointer/planer. I'm mostly limited by physical space, not self-imposed constraints, although it is very fulfilling to build something without electricity.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#176

Post by ip26 »

Tempest1981 wrote: post #105
larrywright wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really is sad that most schools have discontinued these programs. I have a cousin who makes knives. When I visited his shop in Ohio last year, he commented that a lot of the workbenches and tools that he had in his shop were bought at auctions from schools getting rid of their shop programs. It’s a shame.

Agreed. I doubt the schools wanted it this way. I think we, as a society, are allowing this to happen. Wish I knew how to reverse it.

It seems pretty obvious it died down as a result of the shift to knowledge economy. It would reverse if manufacturing & the trades resurged in importance.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#177

Post by lsiunsuex »

ErrantX wrote: post #142
lsiunsuex wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not wood working, but I remodeled almost my entire last house. 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom, 2 bedrooms, a hallway and minor work to the dining room and family room. These were complete guts down to the studs with new windows, doors, electrical, plumbing, insulation. Expense wise, you need quite a few tools and obviously materials. Doors I always went with solid core doors (vs hollow) and double pane windows. We used fiber…

Agree with all of this. People act really shocked at the level of DIY I get up to, but really the main secret is having a go. You can definitely get as close to as good a finish as a pro, it just takes longer and is more fun for you! The current project is a home office from scratch; which basically meant learning how to build a wood frame building. YouTube is a wonderful resource! (First fit is done, plastering next…

Best lesson learned on plastering - thin it out a bit with water and add a little dish soap - helps keep bubbles out. Google it (where I got it from lol)

Ceilings are the hardest part :( So much reaching :( Eventually I got good at corners but that took effort.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#178

Post by ip26 »

tempest_ wrote: post #46
frankosaurus wrote: post #36

Is there a name for this type of ceiling? It's angled, so the roof is directly above the room (no attic). There's also a higher wall whose top portion is presumably adjacent to the attic. I've seen this in California homes, including my own master bedroom. It really heats up during the day, presumably due to heat convection from the roof and attic.

Called a vaulted or cathedral ceiling around here. Often looks nice but as you say in some climates you pay to heat or cool that space.

The problem is less conditioning the extra space and more the fact that a good R-60 roof requires about twenty inches of fluffy insulation between the drywall ceiling and the roof deck.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#179

Post by rfrey »

adsjhdashkj wrote: post #78
codingdave wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a bad woodworker. My furniture has bad joints, gaps between pieces of wood. I don't use good wood. I do a poor job painting or staining it... and everyone still just sits down on my chairs and says, "This is so cool that you make your own furniture." Start small, start bad, improve on each project... and give it time.

Stupid question - would it be sane to get involved in this stuff without having a means of transporting large objects? Every time i look into wood related work, be it home repair or artsy stuff, everything is huge. I have a Prius. I'm not too thrilled at the idea of buying a 2nd car (truck), and i don't want to drive only a truck.. so how am i to get the supplies? Sounds like a silly question, but yea - things are ju…

If you want nice furniture, listen to all the other comments here. If you want the joys and sorrows of woodworking, look into making boxes.

We're not talking about apple crates here. Some people make some very nice boxes. You can start simple and get more complex, but even the simple projects require precision and care. You can involve all sorts of advanced woodworking techniques like inlay, homemade veneers, marquetry, hidden joints, it's an endless list. You can't really buy nice boxes like you can build, unlike furniture. And you end up with nice gifts, especially for people who appreciate fine craftsmanship.

Re: My wife recently passed away. I used my time off to build her a giant bookshelf

#180

Post by quicklyfrozen »

ticmasta wrote: post #173
fatnoah wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My high school was the regional hub for vocational training, so we had an entire wing devoted to these things. There was even a small restaurant and I remember one of the capstone projects for the year was actually building a house. Fortunately it has continued to be well-funded. Unfortunately, an honors-level academic load meant there was no time in the schedule to take many of these classes.

Ha! I was the only one taking AP-level everything and electronics and power mechanics as my electives! The shop teacher was so grateful that he finally had someone super-interested in more advanced topics that I got to do extra projects he'd had on his wish list for years. One of my favorite high school memories and experiences.

Unfortunately I think a lot of kids would shy away from doing this today as it can hurt your GPA -- because of weighting, an A in an AP class is worth more then an A in a shop class.

So if a school is mostly focused on college-bound students, it's kind of natural that these programs have fallen away.

I'm old enough that I did basic shop stuff in middle school -- soldering, bandsaw, even a table saw. No way that would fly today.

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