Wood4Fun

Hey,
Posted in the "hello" section. Here are a few of the things I have done this past year.
Mostly all have to do with trying new skills or techniques. I am 100% self taught and have only been making an attempt at fine woodworking for a year.

Other than some scraps for setup, this was my first box using half blind DT's. I think I used cut down construction 2x4's for this


This is a scaled down "concept" hope/blanket chest. I really don't like using stains - it really shows how badly I did the glueup, then the shoddy cleanup afterward
This is just a bunch of cheap pine I picked up off craigslist


This is my workbench I built. Just kiln dried construction 2x4's. If I could afford to buy enough hardwood at one time to do a benchtop, I would make something other than a friggen bench top


I will start another thread showing newer stuff.

Handyman

Welcome to the thread. I think you are on the right path to fine woodworking. I like the the work bench and the box. The blanket chest looks well made, just not likeing in color. But Hey, You didnt make it for me. Keep up the great work and keep us posted.

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firehawkmph

Hey wood,
Your projects are coming along nicely. You are learning with each one. You now know you have to be more careful in the glue up stage to avoid problems with the staining. Time to build something out of better wood. It tends to put a little more pressure on you to make sure all the little details are followed through on. Plus when you are done you will like it that much better. You will learn that the difference in the detail really doesn't take that much more effort, just a bit more in the preparation stages. As far as the glue goes, just have a bucket with some water and a rag handy to wipe off the excess glue with. Wipe it a couple of times rinsing the rag in between and wringing it out. You don't want to soak the wood, but you want to make sure you get rid of all the glue that seeped out. Most of the hardwood will tend to take stain a lot better than pine. Keep it up, looks like you are having fun.
Mike Hawkins

Wood4Fun

thanks guys

I wasn't happy with the color either - more of a "well, lets see how this goes" type stain... it was just something I had on the shelf.
I don't really like stain, I would rather use the natural color of wood.

I know pine doesn't stain well either - and I didn't do any sort of conditioning. I think what I really learned with the chest is that if I am going to stain, I have to be even more careful with glue and such

dbhost

You are off to a good start. I am working smaller pieces, and building skills on scrap myself. This is a great stress reliever for sure...

I really like the DT box you did. Who cares if it was stud grade 2x4s? It still came out nice...

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Kenbo

I can honestly say that my first pieces didn't look half this good. Great job. Keep up the good work and remember to learn from your mistakes, not dwell on them. Keep posting.

Tony B

have you noticed that some members have quotes after their signature?
Well, you have the perfect quote.
"If I could afford to buy enough hardwood at one time to do a benchtop, I would make something other than a friggen bench top".
That is perfect. My complements. Some of us think it but never write it.

Tony B

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KJWoodworking

Good work.

I think you've done great.

I still have problems with glue sometimes. I keep a wet rag near for wiping the glue when it oozes out during assembly. I also have to sand or use a wood scraper to remove the dried glue from a project sometimes.

I think you've done well and it will get better with each project you do.

Some projects look better natural while others look better with a stain applied to bring out the wood grain. It is a personal choice..

The more you use the stain the better the results you will get from it too.

Keep on working the wood!!!

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clarionflyer

Nicely done Wood4Fun.
A little strategic tape around the joints works wonders to keep the glue from unwanted places. Takes a bit of time but it beats all the sanding (looks better too).
Another great thing I learned (the hard way)... when you're laying out your boards, match the grains. This sounds obvious, but if you keep knots away from big cuts and grains flowing together through your joints, it makes assembly and stain much easier.

I love your bench. And your box joints look great.

red

Nice looking work. I really like the dovetailed box. Red

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