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Thread: First big project and some questions on where to begin

  1. #16
    who buys lamello at that price? not many folks.
    Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning, the devil says, "oh crap she's up!"


    Tolerance is giving every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.

    "What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts are gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts will happen to man. All things are connected. " Chief Seattle Duwamish Tribe

  2. #17
    Join Date
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    Daniel
    Every project should begin with a drawing. You have my absolute guarantee that the time spent making even a simple drawing will be well spent.
    Work a project backwards. What is the finish going to be? Make sure that this final finish is compatible with the design and construction method. Some projects require material to be pre-finished, some don't.
    I have used a biscuit cutter for alignment on large panel glueups. You have to be careful though or they telegraph their location in less dense woods if they're to close to the surface. My preference though is to router tongue and grove joint that runs the length. If you're willing to invest in a new tool, invest in the router, instead of the biscuit cutter. I also have a shaper that makes a reversible glue edge, but that's beyond where you are currently at.
    It's not that I don't trust a glued edge joint, but two edges that index to one another make it much easier to assemble and minimize the need for cauls. As I stated above though, your design will dictate which method you use. A tongue and groove joint, for example, on an exposed edge, may not be that attractive. It would be better suited for a breadboard end.
    How much of a bow are we talking about here? If it's to much, than yes it may need to be removed. If you can flatten it out by pressing down with your hand, you're probably good. If you need to use a clamp to bring it flat, you might want to reconsider.
    Filling surface voids has two camps. Pre-fill and prep, or Prep , fill and sand. Either way sanding ends up the final step. I'm in the latter camp as long as the fill is not required to provide stability and support, or hold the piece(s) together.
    Most fills are going to be some type of tinted epoxy. Epoxy when hardened does have the ability to knick blades. This is just something to consider. It seems as if your void filling is cosmetic.
    You can get really creative with the fills, or go really simple. I like simple. Michael Dresdner, a well known finish expert ,recommends using tinted black epoxy for the fills. His theory is that you can't hide it, so don't try. Use the element as part of the total finished project.

    Go slow and have fun ,but "work backwards".
    Last edited by Mike Cutler; 05-23-2019 at 9:29 AM.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michelle Rich View Post
    who buys lamello at that price? not many folks.
    Folks who buy brands like Lemello or Festool, etc., do so for reasons beyond initial cost, especially if they are earning their living from their tools or expect heavy use because of a serious avocation. In those cases, investing a little more up front actually costs less long-term in most cases. That's certainly been my personal experience. But no matter, the technique of using a biscuit, dowel, spline or tenon (including Domino) is very sound for what's being discussed here relative to keeping the top surface of boards aligned during a glue-up. What specific tool/brand/technique doesn't matter so much, but decent quality tools generally help with accuracy and ease of use, IMHO.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  4. #19
    Join Date
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    Marina del Rey, Ca
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    I bought my Lamello decades ago and it has certainly paid for itself many times over, has never required service of any kind, and does extremely precise work. Like my Festool track saw, the retail price seems staggering, at first, but both systems are well worth that price, to me, in terms of quality and indispensability.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  5. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by andy bessette View Post
    I bought my Lamello decades ago and it has certainly paid for itself many times over, has never required service of any kind, and does extremely precise work. Like my Festool track saw, the retail price seems staggering, at first, but both systems are well worth that price, to me, in terms of quality and indispensability.
    It's only six hundred bucks, for the Classic X. BTW, if you're going that way, I highly recommend the Lamello biscuit glue bottle applicator, it makes glue-up much easier and more efficient, well worth the eighty bucks.

    If I want sloppy biscuit slots (and I sometimes do,) I'll use my old Freud.

    If I want crooked biscuit slots (and I never do,) I would use a DeWalt.

    On the original topic, with the tools the original poster has, I think the table he's trying to build is too advanced a project to start with. Too big a chance of it becoming a basket case and turning him off the hobby. (Ducks and runs.)

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    Dan,
    The first thing I notices was the numbers. 6 boards at 6" is 36" total to make a 35" wide table. That's cutting it pretty close.

    How are you filling the voids? Epoxy? Are you coloring the epoxy? If so, don't do what I did and just put dyed epoxy in the void. When I did that sometime the dye soak into the wood and it looked fuzzy. If you are going to used dyed epoxy, seal the void first with clear epoxy and then pour. Others here could tell you if you could use shellac or some other sealer.

    Other than the aforementioned fuzzy spots that didn't really hurt much, I love the look of tinted epoxy in knots and wormholes and stuff. I'm in the camp where I prefill proud before I surface to thickness. The epoxy goes through a planer just fine if it has cured for a couple of days. But my planer has carbide inserts. No problem with knicking.

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