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WT240 – The Snarky Show

  • 1:15 am
  • 15 Comments

Today’s show is sponsored by Festool and SawStop.

On today’s show we’re talking about using boiled linseed oil before a clear coat, tinting epoxy, and whether to pre-finish edge banding on a plywood box.

What’s on the Bench?

  • Marc is carving the seat of his Sculpted Rocker
  • Shannon made a saw dust coated finish
  • Matt is painted his Dresser project and it’s B-E-A-utiful

What’s New?

Kickback

      • Lance, Tony, Dyami, and a sizable percentage of woodworkers wanted to let us know that the Bosch Glide Miter Saw fits right up against the wall. We “strongly agree”
      • Alex is concerned about explosions when trying to cure finishes in the oven
      • Steve build a sculpted rocker and discovered that wood moves a lot when sawing away the inside of a curve
      • Wilbur thinks our high horsepower tools today compensate for duller blades and faster feed rates

Voicemail

Tom captivates and entertains us with his smooth radio voice safety tip

Email

      • James wants to know if he should apply a coat of Boiled Linseed Oil to his Cherry bathroom cabinet before top coating with poly
      • Gary is building kitchen cabinets and wants to know if he should edge his plywood and when to finish it
      • Eric wants to know how to change the color of his epoxy to match the wood he is using

How You Can Support Us

Use the links in the left column and sign up for a recurring donation, kick it up a notch and wear a Wood Talk T-Shirt, or leave us an iTunes Review

15 replies on “WT240 – The Snarky Show”

Two pieces of kickback that may help your listeners:
I had the exact same problem with my saw stop’s riving knife. All you need to do is adjust it. The manual explains how, and I now have no issues with the stock knife and a thin kerf blade.

Regarding the sliding miter saw. I’ve had mine for 10 years (dewalt 12″), it’s huge and not needed except for possibly two common home owner projects: large crown or if he wants/plans to build a deck. The larger boards used for a deck and bigger crown pieces will take advantage of the sliders. If those projects are on his list, suggest he keeps it.

I too have a fear of potlucks. There is just something about eating food that others have made. And yes, I know it is weird.

I should have mentioned this last night, when it comes to potlucks or celebratory treats at work I have a long-standing policy of watching what my co-workers from the Microbiology dept don’t eat…then follow their lead.

So far it’s been a good policy…

Here’s some kickback for the dimensions “poll”:
When asking for boards I try to tailor my request based on how the yard sorts their stock. I’ve seen lumber stocked by thickness and others stocked by length x width. I’ll ask for it in any order that brings me the fastest results with the least amount of grumbling.

Didn’t mean to stir up the snark with my Bosch glide kickback! I’m on team Shannon with the dimensioning of lumber. I’ve been a machinist for 20 years and have always refer to metal sizes by thickness, width, then length. I callout lumber dimensions the same way.

Yes, Pollster13 is me and I am a guy. I am glad you liked the review I posted on iTunes.

One followup question I have is on the original question you discussed on the show about older machinery having smaller motors than today and they worked fine. Do you think that with today’s economics of making things as inexpensive as possible, are manufacturers making equipment now that require larger motors?

I am looking to add several large pieces of equipment to my new shop including a joiner, planer and drill press and have been conflicted on whether or not to try and find a good piece of equipment made 20 or 30 years ago (made in USA) or go with something that is being made today in China (like Delta, Jet)? I have also read several reviews saying Powermatic’s quality has also dropped recently (If I am going to pay a couple thousand dollars for something I had better get a great piece of equipment). I often wonder if these “reviews” are from competitors that are posting negative reviews to drive sales away from their completion or if they just got a lemon or if overall quality has deteriorated. I was also disappointed to find out that Steel City Tool Works has gone out of business. I have their 8″ low-speed grinder and I love it.

What are your thoughts on the quality of large equipment being made today (Jet, Delta, Powermatic, Rikon, Porter Cable, et cetera)?

I’d say the quality is probably going down. Even brands like Powermatic have kept their prices relatively static over time, while inflation has chipped away at margins. Newer manufacturing techniques likely help, but raw material cost keeps going up. In order to keep the price static, something has to give.

There is genuinely quality equipment being made, however it’s generally out of reach of most hobbyists and small shops. ie: Felder, Griggio, etc.

Most people are not going to consider a $15,000 table saw or $10,000 planer.

My old contractor saw I inherited from my grandfather had a 1/2hp motor and his old bandsaw had a 1/3hp motor.

They worked great, especially with sharp blades and steady feed rates (have I mentioned that one previously?)

Did I upgrade eventually? I sure did, but only because both of them were of a vintage that I couldn’t take advantage of safety equipment and some accessories that I thought were things I really wanted.

I get it that folks want tools that apparently are ready to tackle crazy thick and hard timbers…when in fact they probably might use that kind of lumber once or twice over several years versus day in and day out.

I just find it funny when people get all crazy about motor hp and insist anything less than 3hp is useless CHORLTE!

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