10
votes
Accepted
Filling gaps/seams in a new cherry tabletop
This was then glued onto a plywood top.
This isn't what you asked about but you might want to stop right there. You will likely run into problems if you glued solid wood firmly to a dimensionally ...
- 64.4k
7
votes
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What's a reliable measure of wood hardness?
Technically hardwood comes from angiosperm trees, softwood comes from gymnosperm trees.
So (mostly) if the tree has leaves it is hardwood, if it has needles it is softwood.
This means that some '...
- 266
7
votes
Accepted
What steps should one take to avoid spalting when drying timber?
The broader question here is what steps should one take to preclude spalting when drying wood?
Spalting, as you probably know, is the result of fungal attack on the wood. Wikipedia lists several ...
- 12.1k
7
votes
Sanding woods of different hardnesses perfectly flat
My other option might be to glue a rougher grit paper to a large flat board and use this combined with a lot of elbow grease to smooth it out.
If you use the right abrasive and the right strategy ...
- 64.4k
6
votes
How can I dye my hardwood inside deeply so I can laminate something like this?
The handle in your photo is laminated, each colored strip was individually dyed before the lamination process.
It's been 40 years since I dyed wood but the process worked well. I made my own purfling ...
- 1,072
6
votes
Accepted
How to smooth out an inside cut?
Once you've sawn1 out the bulk of the waste some careful chisel and gouge work may get you most of the way there, after which the ideal tools for completing this sort of shaping is files.
Needle files ...
- 64.4k
5
votes
Accepted
What are good reasons to return hardwood boards selected by a lumber yard?
If the lumberyard selected and delivered it, I would feel comfortable returning for exchange any pieces that I could not use due to either straightness or cosmetic defects. Some yard workers will use ...
- 66
5
votes
Creating a hollow, seamless box; CNC needed?
How seamless does this need to be? Cuts along the wood's grain can often be glued back together almost undetectably, if you're careful.
Bent lamination could be done, but the connection to face and ...
- 9,191
5
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What steps should one take to avoid spalting when drying timber?
Moisture is the largest contributor to wood spalting, especially maple. However, what you are doing will greatly reduce the risk.
The only wood I have used so far that has spalted when kept in a ...
- 15.7k
4
votes
Accepted
Should I seal my bed slats, and if yes, with what?
He thinks that the bed slats might warp if I don't use a sealer.
A 'sealer' won't make much or any difference to this once the slats are fixed in place and in use.
I use quotes above because the ...
- 64.4k
4
votes
What's a reliable measure of wood hardness?
Per your edit, you appear to be looking for e.g. Janka hardness, a standardized measure involving indenting a wood sample with a penetrator and measuring the force required to indent a standard amount....
- 940
4
votes
Accepted
Purpleheart sustainability and environmental responsibility
Purpleheart is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. So it would not be generally considered "endangered".
My understanding is that in the environments ...
- 5,500
4
votes
Accepted
Planing end grain - cheap vs more expensive wood
Planing end grain is not an easy task and getting a nice result should be taken as a good indicator of sharpness, especially in softwoods.
It's impossible for most beginners and very difficult for a ...
- 64.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Can you use a jointer and planer on hardwood with gnarls?
Board looks ok to me, ready to proceed to next step.
I see tiny silvery flakes on the jointed surface, which I suppose were a part of the knives just moments ago
Your knives may not be good quality! ...
- 2,119
3
votes
Building a Dimensionally Stable Panel Using MDF and Plywood
Are you going to be in an environment with large fluctuations of humidity and temperature, perhaps outside the range of comfortable human habitation?
This is just a gut feeling, based on secondary ...
- 2,879
3
votes
Purpleheart sustainability and environmental responsibility
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) itself is greatly at fault. Plug in "Purple Heart" (or similar search terms) and you get no answer at all! It looks like you must ...
3
votes
What are some good ways to cut 1/8" strips of hardwood?
There are several ways to do this. The radial arm saw would probably be my last choice, though.
If you can find material 1 1/2 - 2 1/2" thick then you could just rip strips off of this with your ...
- 5,500
3
votes
Accepted
How are bubbles avoided when brushing on Polyurethane?
I have used polyurethane a few times. Each time I've tried to be more careful about creating bubbles, but the finish was still riddled with bubbles.
You're putting it on too thick (pun intended), ...
- 64.4k
3
votes
Accepted
Walnut drawer sides: Is it wise to glue-in the plywood base?
you should be fine. the drawer sides are thin enough that expansion/contraction of them is not an issue. furthermore, although you are pinning the dimension of the drawer from the inside, the outside ...
- 2,416
3
votes
Accepted
How to remove paint in dent of guitar
There are two ways: chemical, and physical.
chemical: use paint stripper. if there is still finish left on the body you'll want to test this in an inconspicuous spot to make sure that finish isn't ...
- 2,416
3
votes
Accepted
White spots on ash wood
It's hard to tell from just photos - the lighting and white balance can throw things off. This looks to me like you haven't fully removed the lacquer from most of the guitar, and those whitish spots ...
- 2,416
3
votes
Filling gaps/seams in a new cherry tabletop
Depending on the size and how many gaps you have, you could try a Dutchman or Butterfly patch.
- 6,296
3
votes
How can I dye my hardwood inside deeply so I can laminate something like this?
Wood dyes can be very expensive or very reasonable. Check out suppliers such Transfast wood dyes which come in a powdered form and can be tinted darker by adding more dye to the liquid base. You can ...
- 8,274
3
votes
Accepted
Should I use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to remove pencil marks from unfinished wood?
I don't know if it's okay to use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to remove all the pencil marks on the bed slats since it uses water. And I always hear water shouldn't be used on wood.
It's perfectly OK to ...
- 64.4k
3
votes
Should I use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to remove pencil marks from unfinished wood?
Acetone is my go to for removing pencil marks - I'm not sure why you're having trouble with it. Perhaps the builder has left very heavy/deep marks?
Water is fine to use on wood - I wouldn't leave it ...
- 1,045
3
votes
Replacing hardware store 2x’s in plans with hardwood
A 6" wide board of 4/4 cherry should be fine for the side rails of a bed. If you want you can run the calculation through Sagulator, an online calculator designed to tell you how much a board will ...
- 5,500
3
votes
Accepted
Threaded wood insert for Beech Hardwood
Threads directly formed in hardwood can be surprisingly strong and last surprisingly well1, either if they're cut/tapped or 'forced in' by drilling an appropriate size of hole2 and literally screwing ...
- 64.4k
3
votes
How To fasten rubberwood desktop to electric motorized steel base, in easy detach/ knock-down way using Fasteners? e.g. Wood inserts?
Edit for the new information that this is a knockdown (K/D) project.
This probably does require the use of threaded inserts
Although you can thread wood directly1 inserts are intended to provide very ...
- 64.4k
3
votes
How To fasten rubberwood desktop to electric motorized steel base, in easy detach/ knock-down way using Fasteners? e.g. Wood inserts?
I would thread holes into tabletop because I know this is strong enough because wood screws are strong enough for same purpose, and there is no insert. But if you choose inserts here is my answer.
...
- 2,119
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