Woodworking

[2112]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Exactly! I have asked my grandsons and they say it is not offered anymore. What the ****?

Probably too expensive. All the band saws and lathes. It's cheaper to buy computers lol I had metal shop in junior high too.

[aturnis]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Exactly! I have asked my grandsons and they say it is not offered anymore. What the ****?

This. I get that budgets are an issue, b/c as a country, our priorities are ****ed. I really think they could do a lot of good by offering a class where they mix math, physics and shop classes together. A more practical application of math/physics that could make shop class a lot more valuable.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by aturnis

This. I get that budgets are an issue, b/c as a country, our priorities are ****ed. I really think they could do a lot of good by offering a class where they mix math, physics and shop classes together. A more practical application of math/physics that could make shop class a lot more valuable.

You make a great point. IIRC, my shop classes are mostly what triggered my interest in math way back in the day.

Your point just may be instrumental in helping the young men in the future get a more basic knowledge of math that will serve them well beyond shop related activities.

To be honest, I wasn't aware the lack of shop classes was primarily due to budgets. I just assumed it was the big private learning institutions such as DeVry lobbying and applying pressure for their financial gain.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by aturnis

This. I get that budgets are an issue, b/c as a country, our priorities are ****ed. I really think they could do a lot of good by offering a class where they mix math, physics and shop classes together. A more practical application of math/physics that could make shop class a lot more valuable.

A local school (not ours) couldn't find a shop teacher so they had an auction and sold all the tools.

That's insanity.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by notorious

A local school (not ours) couldn't find a shop teacher so they had an auction and sold all the tools.

That's insanity.

Sounds like a downward spiral. Quit teaching it, you have less of a teacher pool.

[Chiefshrink]

Originally Posted by D2112

Nice work Ed!! I haven't done that stuff since wood shop in junior high back in the (gulp) 70's

Same here.

[TimBone]

I took wood shop in junior high, amd thoroughly enjoyed it. I do small projects here and there, but nothing major. I'm good with most woodworking machines..sanders, router, jigsaw, miter saw, etcetera. Table saws scare the hell out of me, though.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by TimBone

I took wood shop in junior high, amd thoroughly enjoyed it. I do small projects here and there, but nothing major. I'm good with most woodworking machines..sanders, router, jigsaw, miter saw, etcetera. Table saws scare the hell out of me, though.

Never had a problem with a table saw but my compound miter saw is the one that has almost gotten me a couple of times. Fingernail saved my little finger a couple weeks ago.

I just finished this one for my sister in law tonight, my fifth one.

[Rooster]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

I just finished this one for my sister in law tonight, my fifth one.

Is that purple heart wood? It looks great.

How you do get such a good finish?

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Rooster

Is that purple heart wood? It looks great.

How you do get such a good finish?

It is cedar from the nasty cedar trees that grow around here. We have a mill about 10 miles away.

I sand it with 40 and 80 (belt sander),100,150,220 (orbital sander) then put on sanding sealer and sand it with 220 again prior to applying polyurethane. Thanks for the compliment, like jspchief, it is my least favorite part.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

It is cedar from the nasty cedar trees that grow around here. We have a mill about 10 miles away.

I sand it with 40 and 80 (belt sander),100,150,220 (orbital sander) then put on sanding sealer and sand it with 220 again prior to applying polyurethane. Thanks for the compliment, like jspchief, it is my least favorite part.

Good old random orbit sanders - easily my favorite 'discovery' of the last 5 years or so. I've all but retired my belt-sander and will just hit things with a hand plane before taking some 80 grit on a random orbit sander to smooth things out.

I realized after several years of hating everything that I stained/finished that the reason I didn't like it is that I just don't care for hand-rubbed finishes. They pull out way too much grain and give that colonial look that I don't like. Once I went to harbor freight and got myself a cheap little $10 gravity fed sprayer, I found that I enjoyed my finishes much much more.

May I recommend General Finishes products? I think they make the best stuff out there and their prices are reasonable. Their high performance topcoat has never disappointed me.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Never had a problem with a table saw but my compound miter saw is the one that has almost gotten me a couple of times. Fingernail saved my little finger a couple weeks ago.

I just finished this one for my sister in law tonight, my fifth one.

Looks great; nice use of that ice cream wood.

My buddy's dad has probably set 1,000 board ft of that stuff on fire because he doesn't like the look but it's great for rustic projects and things like those chests (please don't get me started on the amount of walnut 'scrap' he's burned up....ugh)

Here's a wood that I don't think anyone would have ever thought to use that we stumbled into - osage orange; common hedge. You'd need a hell of a bandsaw to re-saw anything of significant heft, but if you're able to get any 2 inch thick stock, a good table saw can do the work.

It's damn near bright yellow when you cut it but after it ages for several months to a year, it takes on this honey amber color that's really quite attractive. Better still is that it's DENSE. It's the only thing I've ever worked with that approaches ipe and it's a shitload cheaper. Makes for a tight, pretty grain pattern and fantastic durability for outdoor furniture.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Looks great; nice use of that ice cream wood.

My buddy's dad has probably set 1,000 board ft of that stuff on fire because he doesn't like the look but it's great for rustic projects and things like those chests (please don't get me started on the amount of walnut 'scrap' he's burned up....ugh)

Here's a wood that I don't think anyone would have ever thought to use that we stumbled into - osage orange; common hedge. You'd need a hell of a bandsaw to re-saw anything of significant heft, but if you're able to get any 2 inch thick stock, a good table saw can do the work.

It's damn near bright yellow when you cut it but after it ages for several months to a year, it takes on this honey amber color that's really quite attractive. Better still is that it's DENSE. It's the only thing I've ever worked with that approaches ipe and it's a shitload cheaper. Makes for a tight, pretty grain pattern and fantastic durability for outdoor furniture.

I had never heard it called "ice cream wood" before, interesting.

I am not sure if there is any of that hedge growing around here but we had plenty of it in Kansas. Doesn't it have this kind of screwy twisty grain that makes it hard to work with? My brother likes burning hedge because it burns so hot.

The mill a "couple hollars over" only does cedar and oak. I bought 40 1x8x8fts in white oak from them. Holy crap, that stuff is like titanium compared to the cedar.

There is a few more mills around here and I will have to check them out one of these days.

Thanks for your input.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

I had never heard it called "ice cream wood" before, interesting.

I am not sure if there is any of that hedge growing around here but we had plenty of it in Kansas. Doesn't it have this kind of screwy twisty grain that makes it hard to work with? My brother likes burning hedge because it burns so hot.

The mill a "couple hollars over" only does cedar and oak. I bought 40 1x8x8fts in white oak from them. Holy crap, that stuff is like titanium compared to the cedar.

There is a few more mills around here and I will have to check them out one of these days.

Thanks for your input.

My buddy's dad has near 1000 acres now and a fire spread across a large portion of it. It killed a stand of walnut trees but didn't actually hurt the lumber. The insurance company still paid him for it. He took the money and bought a mobile saw mill and set it up at his old hey barn, then we cut down the walnuts that had died and he used the mill to re-saw them into rough cut lumber of all sizes.

Ended up using the lumber to build a big covered bridge (beautiful bridge; brilliant guy with a masters in math from MIT; designed/built the bridge himself). That sawmill has been a huge benefit for him.

As for the hedge...I don't recall much in the way of twisted grains but again, that mill made light work of just about anything we needed. Admittedly we didn't get a ton of lumber, but we got enough. And yeah, it burns hot as hell again because of the density and the amount of energy it has on account of it. As opposed to something like cottonwood that is soft, burns in a heartbeat and has no energy to speak of.

We used to take hedge down by piling around it and burning it because it was eating saw blades alive. Once we got some of the smaller stuff down and milled though, we convinced his dad to stop doing that and he's started saving it for later use. He's used it to build a 'deck' on the outside of the covered bridge that really couldn't have come out any better.

[Mike in SW-MO]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Looks great; nice use of that ice cream wood.

My buddy's dad has probably set 1,000 board ft of that stuff on fire because he doesn't like the look but it's great for rustic projects and things like those chests (please don't get me started on the amount of walnut 'scrap' he's burned up....ugh)

Here's a wood that I don't think anyone would have ever thought to use that we stumbled into - osage orange; common hedge. You'd need a hell of a bandsaw to re-saw anything of significant heft, but if you're able to get any 2 inch thick stock, a good table saw can do the work.

It's damn near bright yellow when you cut it but after it ages for several months to a year, it takes on this honey amber color that's really quite attractive. Better still is that it's DENSE. It's the only thing I've ever worked with that approaches ipe and it's a shitload cheaper. Makes for a tight, pretty grain pattern and fantastic durability for outdoor furniture.

I used to hand carved Selfbows out of the stuff. (Damn kids eat ALL your spare time). It would sand down like glass because it is so dense.

If you like that aged color, wipe it down with bleach. The chlorine instantly oxidizes it giving you that burnt orange color. Pretty cool running a cloth with clear liquid down the wood and having bright yellow on one side & burnt orange on the other.