What did you learn on your latest project?

[Bill Conerly]

Today I learned two lessons (which may be second-nature to the sharper members of this forum).

First I learned to check the squareness of my miter saw cuts occassionally. Somehow the fence got a bit out of adjustment. Not too much damage done.

Second, I learned to think about available materials when planning a project. I'm building drawers for storage in my workshop. I laid out several different drawer heights (vertical measurement) to accommodate a variety of different tools. Today I started scrounging through the scrap pile looking for a drawer face that would be four inches high. I had plenty of old 1x4 pieces that would have been perfect if I had made the drawer opening 3 1/2.

What have you learned lately?

[Dave Stuve]

Here are a few lessons I learned this month:

1) Qtips can put finish in hard to reach places - finishing some blanket chests for Christmas with Watco Danish wood oil, I noticed that I missed a few hard to reach corners in my frame and panel construction. Qtips dipped in the finish were able to reach those spots easily.
2) Hand planes are cool - after I glued the face frames to some end tables I'm making, I noticed the face frame joints weren't terribly flush - instead of sanding, I opted to try my bevel up smoothing plane which easily leveled the frames and even made the cabinet/face frame joint nice and smooth without the usual sanding noise and mess.
3) Scrapers are cool too - I glued up some panels for a coffee table, and decided to try out hand scraping instead of reaching for my sander. I was impressed at how a scraper made a smooth surface with no noise, dust cloud, or hand-numbing vibration.
4) Drill presses and wood cabinet pulls - my brother's kids visited and broke a knob off of an end table's cabinet, so I found a store-bought cherry knob in my stash and I attached the screw and then chucked said screw into the drill press. Spinning at the lowest speed I was able to hold sand paper in my hand and smooth and reshape the knob in almost no time at all.
5) Beeswax is a great screw lubricant - I have a block of paraffin that I've used over the years to coat my screws, and while it works, I tried a block of beeswax recently, and thought it was much better - sticks better to screws, and smells nice.
6) LED shop lights have arrived - 3/4 of my garage was lit with 3 shop lights, and the dark area was over my band saw - on impulse I bought a Feit Electric LED shop light that Costco had on sale at Costco for $20 last week, and it's as bright as my other light fixtures, turns on instantly, and should last forever.
7) Organize your tools. Lee Valley has free shipping this time of year, so I went through their catalog and made a list of things I'd love to have, and on a whim looked at my previous orders on their site and noticed I bought several of them 2-3 years ago, and just forgot. Now I just need to find where I put them. :)

[Jim Becker]

Current project...a small commission for a "retro-modern LP record rack"...



Don't cut things so close on material buy...there will always be that one board that is an inch too short to produce the component you need
Keep plenty of inexpensive hardboard sheet stock around for jigs and fixtures required for complicated projects so you don't have to run out and buy more at the last minute, holding up the work
Don't expect inexpensive tooling for things like drilling/countersinking to work well and last when using "hard" hardwood
Measure twice...err....three times...nail/screw once
Sharpen before you need to use a tool

[Nick Decker]

- Whatever board you perforated with holes to store your router bits is not long enough, nor will it ever be.

[Warren Wilson]

I re-learned that I have an unlimited imagination for finding new ways to err.

[Brian Tymchak]

I just finished up some sorely needed maintenance in the shop over the holidays. I found out that...
- changing the blades in the planer isn't nearly as intimidating as I thought it would be.
- I need to clean the blade on my MS more often
- used Rocker blade cleaner will grow things when stored for a long time
- I need to learn how to lube the gibs on my jointer
- I really need to create better storage for my TS accessories
- my next project has to be racks for that stack of wide cherry sitting in the middle of the basement
- it's really easy to delete a post when editting on a tablet ...

[Bill Jobe]

Microwave drying of wood to turn is an art. I'm not exactly an artist. But I intend to pursue my efforts to learn.

[Chris Fournier]

Without discipline it's all too easy to unlearn lessons you thought you had learned!

[John TenEyck]

I learned Jim is right - buy more wood than you think you will need. I'm nearly done with a project that required 80 BF per SketchUp. I bought 101 BF. I needed 108 BF. Had to make another trip to the lumber shop to get a board. Thankfully, they had just what I needed.

This project has also taught me that building a set of divided lite arched French doors takes a long time and there are a lot of hidden challenges. It's been fun and I've sure learned a lot, but it's taking a lot longer than I expected.

This project also confirmed that buying that new Grizzly 0636X bandsaw this Summer was a really smart move. It resawed the 8/4 Sapele and cut all the 1/8" thick veneer for the door skins easily and perfectly. No runs, no drips, no errors. What a great machine. Now about that anemic drum sander ....

John

[Lee Schierer]

I was rebuilding some side gates for a baby bed for a friend. I had to add spindles to change the spacing between them so I also had to make new top and bottom rails. I had clamped all the rails together and marked the locations for all the holes for the spindles, measuring from one end. I even marked the ends of the four pieces so I could keep all the ends oriented the same way so any measurement errors wouldn't accumulate and mess up the assembly. So what did I do? During assembly I flipped one rail on each side end for end creating exactly the problem I was trying to avoid. As long as the gates go together with the ends of the rails on top on one end match there is no problem. But if you flip one top to bottom then there is a cumulative error that causes the bed to be slightly twisted when it is assembled so that only three legs touch the floor. There is a work around but I'm not 100% happy with the outcome.

What I learned is when you mark pieces for orientation, pay attention to the marking during assembly.
Here are a few lessons I learned this month:

[QUOTE=Dave Stuve;2640498]
5) Beeswax is a great screw lubricant - I have a block of paraffin that I've used over the years to coat my screws, and while it works, I tried a block of beeswax recently, and thought it was much better - sticks better to screws, and smells nice.

If you pinch the screw threads that have beeswax on them between you fingers for a few seconds, it sticks even better. Beeswax does not work well on plane soles for reducing friction.

[Cary Falk]

All my projects are so rushed that I don enjoy them

[Leo Graywacz]

That clients can change their minds on a whim and don't think it is in stone until it actually is.

And even then, after you build it, they can still change their minds about the project.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Installing a Benchcrafted Classic leg vise. I learned that a 2 3/4 Forstner bit is not easy to come by.

[Leo Graywacz]

Installing a Benchcrafted Classic leg vise. I learned that a 2 3/4 Forstner bit is not easy to come by.

http://www.woodcraft.com/product/125949/234-forstner-bit.aspx

[jack duren]

Not to forget my lead pencils. Standard #2 wood pencils don't hold a point on critical markings. That puts grandpa in a pissy mood....

[Paolo Trevisan]

I definately learned not to keep my hand to hold a board in front on a chisel. ..
Well long story shot 5/8" chilsel sliced straight through. On the bright side doctor did complement on my sharpING as she said it was a very clean cut.
Cheers and be safe

[Jeff Ramsey]

I relearned the wisdom of Tage Frid, one of my favorite master craftsman. He writes clearly, and his jigs are exactly what they need to be; simple and functional.

[Darcy Warner]

That I really hate installing anything anymore.

[Jim Andrew]

I learned how to use sliding dovetails to build a drawer.

[mreza Salav]

A lesson that I keep forgetting is that it always always always takes longer than what you think it would take to do a step.

[Steve Eure]

I built a night stand with mortises and tenons. My first attempt at doing this. I learned to make sure of the layout on each piece before cutting with the router. Made only one mistake before I realized what I did. First time gluing up in stages. Like finishing, it's time consuming, but worth it. Never get in a hurry.

[Keith Weber]

I learn the same thing on every project... that I tend to underestimate the time I'll need to finish a project.

[Bob Hoffmann]

I replaced a Kreg fence stop on my table saw sliding table with one from Woodhaven -- the Kreg one had play that the Woodhaven one does not. Doing so, I needed to rebuild the fence that hold the stop -- the rail had to be turned around, the ruler replaced.

Anyway, when I put it on, I noticed that the fence was not flat with the table saw top -- the sliding table part was miss-adjusted. It took some time, but I was able to adjust the tilt of the sliding table so that it matched the table ... did not notice it when cutting, but it could have made the cuts a little off ... The last time that I lowed at it was years ago -- so it was a good thing to notice -- so check adjustments -- I guess that it is something that should be done regularly, but as most things, if it still works, just use it ...

[Bill McNiel]

The game changes with age. What was simple and automatic now requires thought and concentration.

My memory sucks! I will plan out a process and then skip a step. Solution - white board on the wall with all the steps written down in order.

Also- recheck everything in the morning, don't assume that set-ups from yesterday were finished or correct. Don't assume anything.

[Brad Barnhart]

I've learned that my memory ain't what it used to be. Most of work is scroll work, signs, intricate work. The orders I take from folks amaze me at their expectations in a short amount of time. Nothing is set in stone. And, I've also learned to write everything down. Measurements, type of wood used, blades used, etc.

[Justin Ludwig]

That I really hate installing anything anymore.
+1. I wish I had a crew down where I live like I did up north. Deliver and walk away.

[Mason Truelove]

its like working for anything should be from your heart to get a good result.

[Leo Graywacz]

its like working for anything should be from your heart to get a good result.

Not if you plan on being a business man and making a profit off of it.:p

[Paul F Franklin]

Latest project is a jewelry chest with box joint drawers and miniature Gilpinoid legs ala the article in FWW a while back. About 12" tall, 8.5 deep and 16 wide. Two full width drawers, 4 half width.

Most of my woodworking projects have been larger in scale.

I learned that just because the piece is smaller, doesn't mean it will take less time to build. Not even close. (which explains why this Christmas present *still* isn't delivered :( )

For one thing, there was a lot more resawing and stock prep to get the 3/8 and 1/2 material. And I had more than my usual share of boards that potato chipped after resawing.
Then I had to build a new finger joint jig for the smaller scale. And several jigs for the Gilpinoid legs. And I really wished I had a smaller combo square or double square (now on my wish list).

I've never been all that great at estimating time, but I really blew it on this one. Good thing it wasn't a commission or I'd be taping money to it.....

[Len Rosenberg]

I learned that using a sharp marking knife to mark cut lines and measurements is far more accurate than using a pencil.

[Patrick McCarthy]

I was REMINDED that most of my mistakes happen at the end of day, especially when I'm in the mindset of " I'll just get this much more done today, so I'll be ahead tomorrow."
On this project I was cutting window stools. I used test pieces to figure the offset of the casing, the wing of the stool beyond the casing and then added that x2 to my window width measurement. Cut one, did the returns, and happy with the way it looked and fit, measured the other windows and started my cut list as I went. Problem was that I put the width and a +, but forgot to add the trim x2 before I cut . . . . Even though I kept looking at my cut list for each length before sawing . . . . . This, of course, was at the end of the day. Why the "+" sign didn't jump out at me I do not know, but doubt it is because my ADD suddenly went away . . . .

[Mike Ontko]

I haven't picked up any new bits of sage old shop wisdom lately, but my latest projects are introducing me to new techniques that I'm hoping to make more regular use of. Based on what I was able to glean from a number of videos and written instructions, I recently built a router jig for creating ellipses. In addition to building the jig itself, I've learned that a 1/4" shank, 1/4" upcut spiral bit works a lot better for routing out a shape than a 1/2" shank, 1/4" straight cutting bit. I'm not sure why yet, other than the obvious application of too much force, but the straight bit broke after nearly completing my third 22" x 12" cutout (the bit was one of four in a Rockler straight bit set). I was hesitant to use the 1/4" shank upcut bit as an alternative, thinking that it would snap off even faster. But maybe I was more cautious the second time around, or that upcut bit (a Freud) was just better quality because it worked out just fine.

I'm also going to be doing a little steam bending over the coming weekend, creating a solid banding/rim using either ash or Doug fir to wrap around the outside of the ellipse cutouts (I'm using them as shelves for a cat tree). I recently purchased an Earlex steamer and am going to build a box for it this weekend along with a couple of forms and then give it a try. If that works out, then I've got a few other projects lined up that will help me learn my way up to bending parts for a couple of kitchen counter stools that I've been wanting to build.

[Dick Brown]

I just learned today to wait till it stops snowing to plow it off or you will have it to do over. About 8" of new plus 3or4" of old and 6 degrees this AM

[rudy de haas]

Never to say "sure, I can do that"

[Sean Hagerty]

Always use enough glue. Too much wipes off, not enough causes the project to fall apart.

[Patrick McCarthy]

. . . . and, given my skill level (or lack thereof), that it would be foolish to give up my day job.

[Greg Works]

I learned about pocket holes! Not fine woodworking, but they have a place. I needed a shelf in the shop and made a nice looking one in 1/2 the time I normally would have spent. No need for clamping and waiting for glue to dry was the real time saver. Admittedly, I could have moved on to another project and come back after glue dried, but I didn't have to wait. The immediate gratification was a bit like woodturning.

[Garth Almgren]

I learned there is a reason why electricians say to keep your bends in a run of conduit to 360 degrees or less...

[Bob Elliott]

The undermount drawer slides I used require a 1/2" gap between the bottom of the plywood and the bottom of the drawer side. This is a the first time I used undermount slides. I always used side mount slides and a 1/4" gap. It cost me some time and material but I won't make that mistake again.

[Bill Jobe]

Using thin CA leaves a stain much wider that the crack that is next to imposible to remove.

What do others use for external cracks?
I bought my glue on Klingspor, so I do not suspect a quality issue.
Am I waiting too long to resand?

[Al Launier]

This is an excellent thread! Actually a good tutorial.

If you find yourself rushing to complete a project, especially one that is detailed, has involved a lot of work & includes expensive materials, STOP! Take a breath then take your time. Otherwise, you'll only increase the chances of mistakes or failure. Not a good feeling when/if this happens.

When installing splines to reinforce miter joints, make the fit too tight can be detrimental. Allow adequate clearance for a glue film on each side and be sure the spline is seated all the way to the bottom of the kerf during/after gluing. There is a tendency for the spline to resist seating all the way & spring back out. This can be helped by not gluing the internal edge of the spline and/or mating surface. Clamping the splines in place with a large rubber band is helpful.

Use a palm router for mortising hinges.

[rob gugerty]

If I have not done a particular task in wile. I need to do a few practice runs before the real one.

[Brian Williamson]

...that I am allergic to epoxy!! :eek: