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00:30 – Question 1: 

I have a benchtop planer, but I don’t think I’ll be able to buy a decent jointer due to space. What is the best way to live without a jointer? Should I get a #7 jointer plane or some kind of jig for my planer? I’m mostly interested in building furniture for around the house and/or small gifts for family and friends. Plus, I have recently found the joy of hand tools for woodworking.  -Stephen

05:18 – Question 2:

I have a fishtail chisel that serves me pretty well for the all-important task of cleaning-out the tight corners on my half-blind dovetails.  Would a set of skew chisels offer an advantage over the fishtail style I current use?  If so, I would likely buy a couple of 1/4″ bench chisels and grind in the skews.  -Damien

11:15 – All Time Favorite Tool of All Time… for this week

• Matt – Fishtail chisel
• Mike – Sketchbook and an 05 Pigma Micron pen
• Tom – Space heater

19:09 – Question 3:

I am currently making bar stools that will have a curved inside edge on the legs and want to create a FULL bullnose on that edge.  The material is 3/4” thick and want to use my 3/8-in. bearing-guided router bit. Clearly the first pass is no problem, however, the second has no edge to run on. -Anthony

24:50 – Question 4:

I’m building a chest lid from quarter-sawn sapele. The outer 9″ of the lid are a darker shade than the rest of the lid. Are there any methods I might use to even out the color of the panel? I saw the difference when gluing it up, but I thought that after planing and sanding, they would even out. -Jim

30:30 – Smooth Move

• Mike – Not documenting his work quickly with his cell phone
• Matt – Making a drawer pocket too wide and the pieces cupping. Also, cutting the groove on the wrong edge of the board
• Tom – Dropping a blade right after sharpening

41:30 – Question 5:

Recently, I had my dovetails swell after planing them flush and applying shellac. Have you ever had this happen before, and if so, what did you do about it?

 

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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.