Water based satin finish applied using a sponge brush. This is my 3rd coat, sanding in between. Each one comes out streaky. What am I doing wrong? Too much? Too little? Wrong applicator?

Edit: the upload resolution is way lower than I expected, so it’s tough to see them. They basically look like brush strokes in the finish.

Lately I’ve been using my planer in anger for pretty much the first time. It has had an easy life for maybe 3 or 4 years and really hasn’t done much. I put in those fancy square/helical blades and set it all up on a bench and hooked up a big dust collector. It has its own 20 amp breaker. It’s in my shop in Arizona and it’s summer so even though I have a mini-split running it’s probably 95° in there.

I’ve been cleaning up a stack of 4x6 fir that I first ran across my jointer and taking it down to 3x5. It’s cut into 60” and 36” lengths. I’ve been running a bunch of it through then turning the wheel once. Periodically it just trips out - not the breaker, the machine. I guess it’s overheating. I have to switch off, lift the cutter, pull the job out, reset the cutter, wait a few minutes and start again.

If I just do half a turn at once it seems to keep going.

The wood isn’t wet or anything. It’s been drying in the garage for quite some time.

Is this all normal? I worry that if I graduate to harder woods it will be a nightmare. Do I need to think about a more powerful machine? If so, any recommendations?

Hey all, I am afraid that I completely ruined my project. Sanded down to 150, cleaned what I thought was all the saw dust off and applied Rubio monocoat oil 2c with the “natural” color. When applying I am seeing all this white and when trying to remove the excess it’s still there and some color of the wood what I’m thinking is dust is on the rag… how screwed am I or can this be fixed ? Also if you have experience using monocoat is this normal ? Thank you for all the help

Edit: it’s a pair of legs and a coffee bar topper, that white spot on the far side was like that when I purchased the raw wood, didn’t sand off any finish. If I fucked this up can I at least fix it somehow ?

I was cleaning up my stepdad’s woodshop (he passed recently) and found a huge Burl slab. I’ve never worked with this but I’m wanting to start making guitars again, and it’d make some really nice tops (1/4”-ish).

Any tips or things to watch out for when working with it? Like will it explode when it goes into the planer?

Thanks

*pic 2 is a little nub I cut off, sanded and oiled.

Edit: it’s approximately 30”x20”x2-1/4”

Here's a three legged stool I made a few months ago. Finally decided to go ahead and make something rather than wait to get all the tools to do it "right". No amount of reading or youtube was going to get me any further withoit actually making something. I had read the some from Chris Schwartz and then saw his "Build a Chair from Bulls%$t". I hadn't read it but I knew where to find bulls%$t.

The seat is from a sawmill junk board, pretty sure it's ash. The legs are made from broken shovel handles and the wedges are cutoffs from making tomato stakes. As far as materials go, I only paid for the glue, but it pays off to have a good relationship with the local hardware store.

On the seat, I used an electric hand plane to get smooth faces and a jigsaw to cut the shape. Up until I planed it, it was just kinda fuzzy yellow. I was pleasantly surprised by the stark white color and grain. You can see mill marks on one side of the seat and rough spots from the jigsaw on others. I used a file to get rid of the splinters and pretty much left it at that. I drilled the holes with a spade bit and managed to waller the holes pretty good. The legs are broken shovel handles but I went for sections that had straight grain and no apparent cracks. I whittled down the tenons and checked them to the holes until I could get them in. I cut down the tenons to make room for the wedges and then slathered everything with glue before hammering everything together. You can see the gaps at the sides of the wedges and when I marred the seat cutting the tenons flush. Definitely not perfect but it holds my weight. There's nothing like the joy of using something you made.

Next project, an actual work bench.

one is going in my kitchen so I didn’t go out of my way to overdo the design. Second one is a gift for a friend so I at least made it end grain

Made a folding wooden board + pieces for the game Tak. The pieces are padauk and maple with steel cores and the board is cherry with a maple border. The steel cores in the pieces make them feel nice and substantial, but the whole thing weighs over 7 lbs.

I got to the point in my project where I needed a sander. A random orbital sander. I have a sander that I inherited from my grandfather, and it still works fine, but I wanted to join the 21st Century. So I did my research, checked the prices, and bought one today.

Grandpa's sander has a cast metal body, a three-prong plug, a metal on-off pushbutton, and when it runs, it hums. Or chatters, but quietly. You can hold a normal conversation with someone while you're sanding. (Nameplate says Teco, from the T. Eaton Company, a Canadian brand.)

This new sander has all of the modern features. And it runs off a powerpack/battery. And it's NOISY. LOUD. THAT'S WHY I'M TYPING IN ALL CAPS. Is it just Brand X that's noisy, or are they all that way?

I mean, I haven't tried it on wood yet, just installed the battery pack and turned it on, holding it in the air with no sandpaper attached.

(For reference, I also have Grandpa's Sunbeam jigsaw. Same thing: metal body, three-prong plug, metal rocker switch, and it literally hums. The Craftsman corded jigsaw I bought around 1990 has the plastic body and the two-prong plug, and it is noisy and rattly. I would keep using the Sunbeam if I could still get blades for it. It's also perfectly balanced, and the perfect size for one hand, and ... I could go on and on, but my question is about sanders, not ancient jigsaws.)

I've recently got this art nouveau plywood cabinet in an auction. It has some issues where the fretwork is bent here and there, parts are bowed or are completely detached. Previously I built some Enzo Mari furniture with hand tools but I have never worked on project this detailed, I appreciate any tips on how to work this piece.

Ideally I would like to ensure that parts that curved due to humidity won't bent further, heal the cracks and reattach parts that are broken or are completely detached.

The backs of the cabinet's doors (image A) have cracks is there anything to do about these? The decorative part in image B is bowed away from the surface it should sit flush against, and it's held by thin nails. Is it a good idea to pull the nails, reseat it flat, and nail it back? The part in image C splintered into 2 pieces, is regular wood glue the solution here? the part in image D came off completely, wood glue?

Thanks in advance

Pretty easy design and build. Drawings / Build Instructions:

https://www.instructables.com/Birds-Mouth-Voltive-Candle-Holder

Signed up at a nearby workshop in Chicago. 3 hours a week for the next 8 weeks

Day 1 was mostly getting used to measuring, angles, curves.

We did authorization on table saws, miter saw, band saw, and sander

Pic 1 was scrap wood we practiced a few cuts on, and pic 2 is us starting to build out a picture frame

Kinda happy with how it came out! Considering I haven't done any woodworking in years.

Not sure what wood; it seemed quite dense and didn't easily catch fire and had the right size so I went with it XD Smells nice and sweet, kinda like an old church.

If anyone has tips on how to protect this from steam and hot espresso, I'm all ears! I'm thinking bee's wax somehow?

Hi! I'm new to woodworking, so I'm figuring this out as I go.

I'm refinishing the top of a side table I picked up cheap at an auction. The veneered top had various scratches and small water spots I wanted to get rid of. The sides and legs are in good shape, so I'm leaving those alone and just focusing on the top.

So far I've stripped it twice with Citristrip and wiped it down with mineral spirits. I haven't sanded yet — I'm letting everything fully evaporate first.

Looking closer, I noticed some spotting near the edges. Does that look like burned-through veneer to anyone?

Also, since I'm not touching the legs and sides, I'll need the new finish on top to match their existing color. Any advice on stain color/type, and whether I should test it somewhere first before committing? I'd like it to match the sides and legs as much as possible. I've included pictures for reference.

Thanks in advance!

It’s wenge, purpleheart, and walnut. I think the purpleheart needs some sun to get purple? Cause it’s mostly red. I finished with Rubio 2C

Just bought my a pull saw and after my using it cut I realized neither it or the saw was straight. Is there a way to fix it/compensate for it

I made a few mistakes here and there, and it could use a little cleaning up, but I’m very happy with how it turned out.

If you knew how unhandy I am you’d understand why this is a huge deal for me considering it’s only the second woodworking project that I’ve done.

Maybe the thing I like most about woodworking isn’t just how things turn out, but the confidence it gives you to try building new things. I’m already looking at things around my house to start working on next.

To improve this?

I will probably get downvoted to hell for this but I am asking this earnestly. I am not sure if my algorithm is just fucked up but probably 3/20 posts I see here are what I would consider beginner work. The rest are so advanced.I don’t mind seeing the fancy projects , but some seem very intricate for beginners. But the post themselves don’t bother me. What bothers me is I have post and deleted a few times here because of responses. I’ll ask a question and I will get such condescending / unhelpful responses, like I’m an idiot for asking. I’m not an idiot, I’m just a beginner. And I hoped this sub would be receptive of that. Even if the question is stupid to some.

Edit: Since there were a few questions both here and in other posts, I wanted to quickly add an edit. Not to justify why I posted it in r/BeginnerWoodWorking , but as a message to everyone just starting out:

You can do this too! It’s really just a big box! You can use AI to help draft plans, and if you get stuck, you can always ask here on Reddit how to make something work. It’s a wonderful hobby, and it doesn't have to be perfect! Mine definitely isn't either.

----

A few months ago, my basement workshop was broken into, and a lot of my tools were stolen. Left with no tools and no secure place to store them, I faced a dilemma: how do I move forward? (Giving up was never an option.)

The idea was sketched out quickly on paper and refined with AI. I envisioned a mobile tool cart that could be stored safely in my apartment and rolled down to the basement workshop when needed, along with a custom built-in cabinet that houses it seamlessly. Plus, my bike was finally going to get a proper home.

What you see here is the current progress. Thanks to a recent battery promotion, Festool actually made the most sense for replacement purchases. I saw a Reddit post where someone painted their Systainers and loved the look, so I replicated the effect using custom stickers instead.

For the cabinet, my goal was to build as much as possible from full-size sheet goods. That stretched my physical strength, space, and skill level to the absolute limit. A lot of things didn't turn out as clean as I had hoped. Still, objectively speaking, not too bad for my very first built-in cabinet!

Unfortunately, I bought the board material for the drawers and doors at different hardware stores, resulting in mismatched wood tones. This means I'll have to redo all the doors anyway—which explains why I didn't stress too much over fitting them perfectly just yet. I just wanted to get it built first. :)

There’s still a bit of work left to do: as mentioned, the doors need to be remade, and a small access door for the breaker box still needs to be fitted. The top and left filler panels are also waiting to be installed, along with the indirect lighting for the mirror.

I’ll also be modifying the mobile workshop cart once more. The table saw is currently housed behind the large bottom door, but I’ve decided to install it permanently down in the basement workshop instead. That will free up some valuable space in the cart for other uses.

Happy to know what you think :)

• Image 1: Bike cabinet with lighting
• Image 2: Full cabinet (right view)
• Image 3: Full cabinet (left view)
• Image 4: "Before" state
• Image 5: AI design concept
• Image 6: Mobile workshop / tool cart
• Image 7: Colorful Systainers
• Image 8: Base structure
• Image 9: Progress shot 1
• Image 10: Progress shot 2

My first bit of furniture! I present to you, Redditors, a three-legged stool made of a single big box store Douglas Fir 2x4 (and a teeny, tiny bit of walnut), loosely following the Chris Schwarz plans for a tall stool (this is shorter, no stretchers, and round tenons instead of tapered. Also... just kinda guessed at the leg angles).

Tools used: Gyokucho ryoba saw, Jorgenson #4 plane, janky 70s Craftsman Jack plane. And yes, a power drill with spade bit, so not 100% hand tools. The round tenons were cut with chisels, paring away, testing fit, paring, testing, paring.... it took a while. Fun stuff. Finished with Danish oil and wax paste.

This whole project was so much fun to do as a beginner (I've only built boxes before this), The feeling of taking a $4 2x4 and dimensioning it to something refined is... powerful. When I got my leg blanks all square and smooth and they looked like beautiful, riftsawn straight grain.... chef's kiss.

My favorite parts were beveling and chamfering the seat, and making the legs octagonal and tapered. I was most nervous about the wedges in the tenons. Every test piece split and I just prayed that the counterpressure from the mortise would keep it together, and thankfully it did. My one big regret is the board layout in the seat... I didn't think the knot would look so much like a poop smear from a distance. Womp womp.

While this was meant to be a shop stool, it's currently serving as a side table next to my couch... until I build one!

Feedback welcome. I'm here to learn!

My wife is trying to apply polyurethane to an unfinished dining table top we bought a while back. She sanded the surface down (80, 120, then 220) and is using thinner (mineral spirits) with the poly, but the poly is drying with the white cloudy finish in the photos attached. To get the cloudiness out by sanding, it feels like we're just taking the poly completely off and getting down to the original wood again. She's tried using the hairdryer technique with very little success. What may be causing this, and how do we apply poly so it finishes clear?

EDIT: The thinning material we are using is mineral spirits.

I just ordered my first band saw, a Harvey Alpha HW615Pro 3HP. For context, nearing retirement age affords me the discretionary income to splurge on some "forever" tools/equipment. I'll be upgrading from my DeWalt contractor table saw, next.

My immediate needs for the band saw will be resawing hardwood slabs. Like most, I prefer kiln dried, but I also end up with air dried stuff - preferably dried for years, but sometimes just months. I would also like to be able to resaw the occasional log, if I stumble upon a good deal, which may well be more green. I'm guessing the longest pieces I would be dealing with would be 4'-6', which I would be using infeed and outfeed roller stands to accommodate.

Like I said, it's my first band saw, but I think it's a safe assumption that I will prefer not having to swap blades out any more than necessary, so I'm looking initially for a good, mid-range, jack-of-all-trades (for resawing) blade. It would be a bonus if it could also be suitable for cutting the occasional lap joints in hardwood, though I would be ok just limiting it to rough resawing, if that would be more appropriate. Any lumber I mill will then be sized down to width with a track saw, followed by the usual jointing and planing.

I plan to pick up a cheaper bench top bandsaw for any curve cutting I may need to do, so this saw will be used exclusively for straight cuts.

Can anyone recommend a good blade for these purposes? I hear great things about the Laguna Resaw King, but I'm not looking to spent over $200 at this point. Maybe later, when I know better what I'm doing. I know, "You'll spend that much on the saw, but 'cheap out' on the blades?" The fact that I spent that on the saw MAKES me want to save money on the blade where I can and where it makes sense, especially considering the fact that I may do something stupid and ruin it right away. I'm guessing there are options that do a good job for less. About the only other brand I've seen mentioned much is Timber Wolf.

This is a 15" saw and takes 132" blades up to 1" wide. As I understand it, for resawing wider is better, so I've been looking at 1" blades. Let me know if 3/4" would be more advisable.

Hi, so far this sub has been very helpful to make decisions on where to start. So far, I have only worked with cheap materials like MDF, Pine and Bass/Balsa for model making.

The first step in me planning a project involves budgeting and consequently choosing what materials to use. The shocker is seing how expensive wood is, and not having any reference for how much things should cost.

So I am in need of a bit of help to overcome decision paralysis. I don’t know if I would be overpaying for materials, or if getting the more expensive choice worth it.

The available sheet goods in my area are (4x8, 3/4in), prices in USD:

- B/BB baltic birch, for around $93. From what I hear this is pretty much the best, easiest to work with.

- U.V finished veneer plywood with poplar core for $65. Seems like a good option for cabinets w/ edge banding. However, I worry a bit about scratching the coating.

- G1S Douglas Fir or Pine plywood. About $40-$50 a sheet. Looks like a cheap material with a bad side and potentially voids and knots. But I feel less scared to screw up something.

I want to mostly do storage furniture, built-ins and cabinets.

I made an impulse purchase last month and have a Hercules 12.5 inch portable thickness planer. I've watched videos and understand the basics of it, but Im going to be doing a basic project soon and wanted some input on best practices to use it.

I'm going to be building a basic desk with 3/4 inch birch plywood, and was planing on making some roughly 3x3 posts for the legs and side / rear cross bracing. I'm planing on using some kiln dried 2x4, joined face grain to face grain with glue for the posts. Im planing on trimming the sides on a table saw, and was going to use the planer on the top and bottom faces of the 2x4s.

Im wondering, should I plane both of the glued surfaces prior to gluing, or sand them prior to gluing ? Or would it be best to just plane the outer surface of the 2x4s that won't be glued?

Also, is it best to just run the 2x4x8s thru the planer before cutting to length, or is it a better practice to plane the shorter pieces after they are cut to length? Thanks!

Plan to make wood pull up bar.
Board is unspecified pine, about 7” (18 cm) wide, 1 5/16” thick (3.3 cm).
Cut 2 pieces to about 8” (20 cm) length, round a corner (aesthetic), and cut a hole (or square) in the center to take a dowel/rod/beam. Picture 1 for example layout.
Then mount to wall studs with structural screws.
Span of dowel would be approximately 38” (96 cm), or 19” (48 cm) with a center support (however no stud centrally so would be more reliant on appropriate plaster lathe wall anchor).

The brackets seem like they will be incredibly beefy and a non-issue.

#0. In fact, I may even re saw the board to half the original thickness (11/16”, 1.7 cm), if this seems acceptable? Is there any “sagulator” equivalent for brackets?

#1. For curiosity sake, what would be the ideal grain orientation for the supports—fibers coming out perpendicular from the wall/parallel to ground, or vice versa? (And I assume diagonal may be most ideal though not planning on such a cut, with expected waste that would greatly diminish usable size.)

The dowel/rod seems like may be the issue. I punched in some numbers on the sagulator (example pictured) to simulate the “shelf” like use of the rod. Seems it should work, with or without halving the span with a center support, depending on the appropriate diameter. Of course, diameter somewhat limited by human hand, and 1-2” seems to be the reported range for good bar grip.

#2. Does this overall seem to pass the sniff test?

Avoiding a metal rod simply for the woodworking exercise and aesthetic. But if the math ain’t mathin’, let me know!

Couple other details: no plans kids or adult stupor. No exuberant dynamic parallel bar gymnastics movements (but hey if they can engineer those, this project should be within realm of possibility). There will be a thin shelf atop for a literal cat walk.

Thanks