00:55 – Question 1: 

How do you go about selecting shellac flakes? I see Mike uses Brooklyn Tool &Craft shellac flakes. Are the ‘tiger’ flakes any better or worse than the cheaper bags of shellac by the same company? Also, if shellac flakes can go bad with age, does the same thing not happen to the shellac once it has been applied to the work piece? Is it ‘going bad’ just in terms of the ability of the flakes to dissolve and be applied? -Conor

04:27 – Question 2:

How much reveal is the “correct” amount around cabinet and furniture doors and drawers to be sure that expansion due to seasonal humidity changes doesn’t result in a sticky drawer or door? I have heard it suggested that the goal was 1/32nd of an inch, but the actual result was more like 1/16th to 3/32nds. What is the ideal reveal to shoot for? Have I just been lucky over the years in keeping the reveal down to as close to 1/32″ as possible? -Randy

13:59 – All Time Favorite Article of All Time… for this week

• Mike – Making Music with a Handplane by James Krenov
• Matt – Cherry by Jon Arno
• Tom – Dust-Proof Any Tablesaw by Richard Babbit and Dust-Proof Your Contractor Saw by Dick McDonough

28:28 – Question 3:

I am retired and my wife and I are selling our home with the shop.  We will be splitting our time between a small condo and our lake house.  Neither has space for even a small shop.   I have rented an artist’s studio space near the condo where I plan to try pure hand-tool woodwork.  They have a rule against power tools.  Over the years, I have acquired a good selection of hand tools, but I don’t have a 26” rip saw.  I have panel saws, but all are crosscut.  Should I refile one of my saws as a rip saw, have it done professionally, or buy a new saw?  -Thomas

42:02 – Question 4:

I am a double bass luthier.  My family and I are weeks away from closing on a house with a 400 sq-ft shop and a large 1.5 car garage.  Previously I was running a shop out of 1/3rd of a 2-car garage.  My lovely wife has given me her blessing on the shop and garage. My question is focused around varnish.  Do you all find it wise to have a machine shop in a different room from your workbenches, hand tool work and varnishing?  I would prefer to have everything as close as possible for efficiency but the thought of a lack of saw dust in my primary workplace is quite enticing.  -Mitch

41:58 – Woodworking Resolutions for 2018

• Matt – Have a book come out in May of 2018, build a new dresser
• Tom – Remake a cabinet he’s not pleased with
• Mike – To get out in the shop five minutes earlier than he currently does

53:13 – Question 5:

I acquired a pretty nice set of mismatched old chisels over the last few years, and at least a couple of them have a pretty severe concave shape to their back. It’s severe enough that I feel like I’m going to misshape the socket end of the chisel if I try to lap them flat. Should correct them or should I leave them be? They are usable in their current shape, just not optimal. -Scott

 

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Tom McKenna Editorial Director	Mike Pekovich Creative Director	Matt Kenney Special Projects Editor

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Every two weeks, a team of Fine Woodworking staffers answers questions from readers on Shop Talk Live, Fine Woodworking‘s biweekly podcast. Send your woodworking questions to [email protected] for consideration in the regular broadcast! Our continued existence relies upon listener support. So if you enjoy the show, be sure to leave us a five-star rating and maybe even a nice comment on our iTunes page.