AskWoodMan

My name is Allan Little. I have been a professional woodworker since 1985. You can visit www.AskWoodMan.TV to see more of my work and visit my tool company www.VerySuperCoolTools.com to visit my store. I have over 700 educational "how-to" videos on YouTube and have many more to come.

[askwoodman]

I get questions all the time about how someone can add a proper Biesemeyer guide rail to a bench top saw so they can use a VerySuperCool Tools t-square fence with aluminum extrusion. Well the answer is these saws are not stout enough to bolt the steel guide rails to. So I designed and fabricated a steel frame that allows the saw to be secured into it and be precisely leveled and squared. The guide rail is now part of the structure of the frame. The DeWalt 745 is a strong 15amp saw with more than enough power to go through 8/4 lyptus which I consider one of the toughest woods to work. Now this little saw (the fence that comes with it is a bad joke) that cost $299 new has nearly the capabilities of a large stationary cabinet saw. 47″ rip capacity. I also made a cutout for the a JessEm Mast-R-Lift II router lift. I would not say this setup is portable, but it is definitely easy to disassemble and setup again. And the weight carrying load capacity it has from the angle iron and schedule 40 steel pipe make this saw station a beast. Fabrication videos and plans to come.

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I collaborated with friend/customer to turn his Grizzly Sliding table saw into a complete saw station with router table. There is downdraft dust control on the work table which has the 20mm holes for Festool work holding clamps. We even added a Roubo vise. There are many more pics at the link below and a complete build video series will be ready soon.

http://vsctools.com/sliding-table-saw-work-station/

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Help. I am hours and hours into a project - Waterlox on countertops. It was perfect until I applied the satin finish. In previous coats I would have a few bubbles but they settled out quickly. In the final satin coat I had the same amount of bubbles, so I didn't worry and just walked away. Big mistake! Surface looks great but feels rough. I know I shouldn't just knock them down and put on another coat of satin. The original has too much sheen. Can I switch to another product for top coat?

I have always thought the Satin was not a good product because of the waxing agents. I don’t use Waterlox (3 years now) because of problems I have had with the product. You were impatient with the Original. The sheen falls off by 50% after cure. Good luck.

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can i finish mahogany with tung oil?

If by tung oil you mean pure tung oil? My answer is no because without drying agents it will remain a sticky mess indefinitely.

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Papi was giving me his feedback on a drawing today. He likes to be involved in everything I do. And I am thankful for it.

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I am interested in buying one of your t square set ups. I am sizing up my table saw to figure out dimensions for steel. How wide is the t square that runs on the rail?

Sorry for the response delay. I don’t keep a close eye on tumblr Write me at [email protected] and I will send you pics and dimension links. Or go to vsctools.com and there is lots of info there.

[askwoodman]

Managing power tool cords is always a pain. I finally figured out to keep the cords tidy and ready to use with no damage to the cord or retaining boot. And the good thing is that is very easy and cheap to make the clips. Here is a link to a video series showing the use and how to make them. http://vsct.us/powercordmgr-playlist

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I am almost done with a form laminating press I am making for my shop I will show pics of soon. Last week I had to buy a little more steel for the press fabrication and Papi wanted to inspect the quality. He says "yep the big tubing looks good and I am glad you went with 3x3x 1/4" angle iron". Thanks Papi.

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My table saw rebuild is almost done. I acquired a precision 3'x6' cast iron machinist table top (1500lbs) that is just as flat as flat can be. I welded up a new steel table base with 6 leveling feet to accommodate my out of level shop floor. I also welded a new level platform for my the saw cabinet. The grey outfeed table has 20mm holes for Festool clamps which also double as downdraft holes for the dust collected venturi below. I will drop a router lift into the top later. I am especially happy with the Roubo vise design. The red star nut can be spun with my foot on the Acme rod. By adjusting this nut this negates the need for the locking pin of other Roubo designs to stop the bottom from kicking in under load.  There will be a complete video series coming that will cover all the welding, metal work, Roubo design and fabrication, outfeed framework perforated top with venturi, drawer making.

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If you were to build a speed bag platform what type of wood and what thickness would you use for the base board?

I am not really sure what you are describing. Something to stand on or what the bag hardware is attached to? I am not very familiar with boxing or the equipment used in the training.

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I am making furniture out of baltic birch plywood and am trying to get a smooth, glossy finish. Currently I'm using pure tung oil but find that it takes 10+ applications to look smooth with at least 24 hours between each application (birch is very coarse and seems to soak up oil like a sponge). I am looking for something faster and glossier that still looks and feels natural (not poly). Do you have any advice? I was going to try waterlox but hear that the formulation has been changed. - Julian

Sutherland Welles is what I am using now. I have videos in the works on its application. Actually easier than Waterlox because it does not require as much brushing. Also less noxious because they use citrus solvent instead of mineral spirits. I love Baltic birch. I have made tons of stuff out of it.

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we have a CB75f and have replaced the motor with a 3 hp TEFC. we followed your info on the pulleys and are pretty sure we have the right blade speed, or very close to it. we resaw various hardwoods for guitar tops and are having to clean the blade very frequently. this was a new stellite 3" blade that has been used for several hours. it could be that the blade is getting tired. we resaw maple burl, myrtle burl flamed and quilted maple pieces that are 8-9"tall by 24 long. any advise?

I cut a lot of wood and get very little buildup on the blade because I regularly liberally apply WD40 to the running blade. I have been doing this for as long as I have owned the machine. WD40 is pretty useless as a lubricant but it is a great cleaner that does not cost much and does not contaminate wood. Write me at [email protected] if you have more questions about this machine. There is not much I have not done with it. Allan

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I am 55, Papi is 7 and sweet fragile Martin is 15. I am in the middle of a big welding project and feel so thankful to still be able to work 10-12 hours days (and enjoy it) in 100degree Texas heat. Sue brought the boys out to my shop and got me to stop for a birthday picture. A shout out to two of the  other Aug 13 birthday celebrants, Fidel Castro and Danny Bonaduce. That is some diverse company.

[askwoodman]

This is the shop made box within a box drill holder setup I have used in several of my video series. I am using it here to accurately bore a precision 1" hole over 10" deep. Both Moxon jaws and the Texas Roubo truss body all had to be drilled in place from one side without moving any of the components for perfect hole alignment for the bronze bearings and Acme screws to all line up. I was only able to drill part depth before adding a bit extender. Since the extenders introduce wobble, I added a sacrificial wood block between the truss to keep the bit running true between change outs. All of this is going to be covered in video detail soon on AskWoodMan.tv.

[askwoodman]

This bed design is how I learned to be a woodworker. I made this bed hundreds of times but had not made one in 23 years until now. I really could not improve on the design even though I have many more skills. The large drawer has wooden wheels with bronze bearings and steel axles. There are sliding lids to keep the dust bunnies out. The bed side table is cut at 5 deg on the sides and front to match the 5 deg legs. The case, drawers and big drawer are all through dovetailed. The bed can be disassembled very easily for shipping or install. I will be uploading a complete detailed video series about every aspect of building this bed, table and drawer on https://www.youtube.com/user/askwoodman and there will be plans coming soon also.

[askwoodman]

This is my Texas Roubo workbench that I made three years ago and posted a very detailed video series on AskWoodMan.tv http://vsctools.com/diy-portable-moxon-vise/ I have recently added the double Moxon to the bench and could not be happier with the results. You will notice the screws can be shifted to offer very large capacity for holding drawers which are always tough to hold. There will be complete detailed plans for the the Roubo plus double Moxons coming soon. As well as a video series on the Moxon fabrication.

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I just posted a series on building a large capacity style of Moxon vise I recently designed. There will be fully complete white oak Moxons, hardware  kits and complete plans for this design available. The picture shows four Moxons with the acme screws adjusted to different vise capacities. http://www.vsctools.com/portable-moxon-vise