Making Thin Stock, Angled Tenons, Dust Collector Placement and MORE!!!

Woodshop Life Podcast

This Episodes Questions:

Brians Questions:

I'm in the market to upgrade to a cabinet saw that I want to last for a long time. I've been using a Powermatic 64A contractors saw for the past two years that I bought used and have done my best to tune up. That saw still has its flaws though, and it's time to move on. I'm setting a budget of roughly $4000. I want a new saw with a 3 HP motor. 30" rip capacity is enough for me, as I can break down sheet goods using other methods, it will also fit better in my shop. I'm currently considering the Powermatic 2000B or the Sawstop 3 HP cabinet saw. Which one would you choose, and why? What other models would you consider? Love the podcast! Thanks for your advice! Mike K.

Hey guys!
I’ve recently started scroll saw portraits (ex. Newton Makes Art or Scrollsaw Scribbler). So far I’ve stuck mainly to using pre-milled 1/4” stock, but I would like to add some dimension to the pieces and get even thinner stock, down to 3/16” or 1/8”. I recently added a planer to the shop and was thinking of taping stock to an MDF board to thickness the stock further.
So my questions, first do you think this is safe? I have fears going this thin may lead to things getting ripped apart on the planer. Second, is there any other ways you’d recommend getting boards this thin? PS I do not have a drum sander to help with that last bit of flattening.
-Trevor

Guys Questions:

I am a relatively new woodworker. Still learning skills, techniques, and patience with woodworking.
Last year I made a pair of bar stools using cherry wood. It was my first real project of any significance, and overall I am really proud of how they turned out and how they have been holding up to daily use.
This is a two part question because these are the two issues I struggled with the most during the build.
1. I made the legs of the stools splayed, and raked. I used blind mortise and tenon joinery to attach the rails to the legs. Since the legs were splayed and raked, I had to cut my mortise and tenons joint on an angle to accommodate the legs not being vertical. I used a forsner bit on the drill press and angled the table to roughly the proper angle, then used a chisel to square the holes. But I really struggled to do this accurately, especially when using the chisel to square the angled hole. What advice would you give to get precise angles, and to keep that angle while chiseling the holes square?
Part 2. What would you suggest for attaching the seat to the base of the stool? I pre drilled holes into the bottom on the seat and used screws from underneath. You can’t see them unless you foil the stool upside down. but I felt like a bit of a hack doing that and would have preferred to use some sort of joinery instead of screws.
Thanks again for providing the woodworking community with your knowledge and for the great entertainment. Braden

Hey Gents! Canadian listener here, I found your podcast about a week ago and i have been listening every day now. Thanks for the content.
I love the look of pure oil finishes like tung oil but I can't handle how long it takes to dry. I have heard you can thin it to help. Is this something you guys do from time to time and if so what do you thin with / what ratio? Tyler
Huys Questions:
Hey Guys,
As I’m working on building a new shop this summer. I’m getting a little closer to figuring out dust collection for the big machines. I ended up putting two 6” runs in the slab. But I’m stuck on which DC types work best.
I built a large storage shed off the back of the shop that is walled off and the plan is to store the DC, lumber , air compressor, etc.
I know a cyclone with a hepa filter is the gold standard in removing fine dust, which makes sense if the DC is inside the conditioned shop.
But I already have a dual bag setup from Shop fox W1687 (3hp DC with separater and bag filters). I think this setup may get better air movement than the cyclone. And since it’s housed “outside” of the shop I think the filter requirements could be reduced.
Shop specs: 470 sq, all the normal machines to process rough lumber. Jesse

Hello from Australia!
I've been an enthusiastic hobbyist woodworker for about 18 months. I use mostly hand tools except a budget circular saw, which I hate, and I just got a 12 inch bandsaw, which I love.
So far I've build a joiners bench, several planes, including a 52 degree smoother from a broken Stanley no.3. And I'm most of the way through a small bookshelf made from Tasmanian oak.
As you know a lot of Australian wood is hard and can be challenging to work with. My next wood will be Austrian blackwood, which is moderately hard and has a high silica content. But it is also filled with glow and once oiled looks amazing.
I also have some reclaimed floorboards which are some kind of gum tree. I would like to use them at some point but the boards are determined to remain in their current form. They are difficult to work with and if my no.5 plane is not super sharp it will just skip over the wood.
Can you share any tips and knowledge on working with hard woods?
Thanks for the show, I've learnt a lot from it
Kind regards
Jeremy