STL182: Tiny Scratches On My Blade
Tom, Mike, and Ben discuss concrete floors, honing issues, sliding tablesaws, and homemade paste waxHow Ben finished Mike’s spoon – Finish Greenwood Spoons Like a Pro by Emmet Van Driesche
Question 1:
From Fabian:
I have a sliding table saw and struggle to convert all the jigs mentioned in the magazine to fit my saw. How would you attach for example a kumiko grid jig as used by Mike in the article “Spice up your work with kumiko” to the saw? Do I fasten it with bolts to the crosscut fence or just let it ride in the one miter slot in the sliding table? In either case it is just secured on the left side of the blade.
- Spice up your work with kumiko by Michael Pekovich #259–Jan/Feb 2017 Issue
- Sliding Tablesaws: Is One Right for You? by Daniel Chaffin #272–Tools & Shops 2019 Issue
Question 2:
From Chris:
I’m on the lookout for a new paste wax solution. I’m totally over the petroleum smell of commercial options, and would love something simple with just a bit of luster to apply to my projects. Has Mike ever shared his recipe to attempt to recreate the non-longer-available Goddard’s Cabinet Makers Wax? I never used the product in its original form, but I’m sold on his description of it. Something natural, simple, and lemon-scented sounds like the perfect solution for me.
- Which Waxes Work Best? by Mark Schofield
- Custom Blending Paste Wax in the Shop – Don Williams site Don’sBarn.com
- Briwax – Natural Creamed Beeswax
Segment: All Time Favorite Tool of All Time… for this week
Tom: Cabinet scraper and card scraper
Mike: Dead blow mallet to straighten his folded-back backsaw
Ben: ARK Shark Guard for his Delta Unisaw
Question 3:
From Josh:
I see pictures posted online where people have gotten a completely mirror polished edge on a chisel or plane iron. I’m using a Norton 1000 water stone, followed by a King 3000, followed by a Norton 8000 stone. I can’t seem to get that mirror polish. I still end up with some scratches, no matter how long I work with the 8000 stone, even when honing a new blade. I know Mike recommends 1000/4000/8000, but Lie Nielsen skips the intermediate grit, so I don’t think the 3000 stone is my problem. I’ve thought about trying to get a finer stone than the 8000 I have, but I don’t want a $100 experiment.
Question 4:
From Peter:
The cement floor of my shop is unsealed and kind of wrecks my feet after a day in the shop. Keeping in mind that it’s a rental, do you have any recommendations for an affordable flooring option that may help my feet and also protect my equipment from the sludge that melts off my wife’s car? It needs to be solid enough that I can have my lathe on that won’t increase vibration.
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.
Comments
Hey, Ben. Regarding the question about dealing with a concrete floor in a woodshop, I solved that issue years ago - for free.
A friend was remodeling his family room and had a huge amount of excellent quality white, finely-tufted carpet that he tore out because there were stains in some areas. I had it hauled to my shop and went to work cutting it around my stationary tools. I didn't put pad down and didn't take any steps to fasten it to the floor; it just lies there, flat. But because it is wall-to-wall it doesn't move even when I roll stuff around on it.
It has been in place six or seven years now, and in all that time I have enjoyed a very comfortable standing and working surface. As a bonus, it also absorbs quite a bit of sound from my power tools and adds some insulation underfoot, which is welcome in the winter.
Carpet installation companies often fill dumpsters with good used carpet that you could ask to dig out of there for free. I sweep up larger chips on occasion and vacuum the sawdust off a few times a year. Other than that, it has held up very well with no maintenance. And if it ever does wear out I can get more for just the bother of hauling it and installing it. The light color carpet I have also reflects light better than did the dark gray concrete floor.
I don't like the rubber mats you referred to - the stall gates or whatever they are, or the pads that are designed for use in weight rooms. They offgas some obnoxious odors. Used carpet has done its offgassing over the years so that isn't a problem. Especially for a rental or temporary living situation you really couldn't go wrong with carpet.
Zolton Cohen, Kalamazoo Michigan
Good pod cast! Im online looking for nail clipers that cut on the pull stroke. I was grocery shopping while listening to this started laughing and people next to me though I was laughing at them.
Question 4 - I use mats everywhere except where tools stand on the concrete. Great pad - horse stall rubber mats found at Tractor Supply, heavy, solid, made from recycled tires. Can vacuum up shavings and saw dust from the surface easily. Run about $35 for a 4'x5' mat. Cheaper than the interlocking pad squares.
I am new to wood working, but love the show. I am just curious why you guys don’t utilize Dia-paste in your sharpening routine. After watching the video workshop on sharpening I was able to use a $30 kit that is sold by DMT and 3 pieces of plywood to produce an edge quality that greatly impressed a very expierenced hand tool guy at my local Rockler location. Keep up the good work and maybe mention this technique in the future when people are asking about cheap ways to get sharp!
Excellent as always.
I have had to deal with the concrete floor issue in my basement. With a just-under 8ft ceiling, I did not want to add a subfloor with sleepers, insulation, and plywood because it would encroach on my headroom. Also, I have all of my tools on casters and needed that hard concrete surface to help move the tools around easily.
My solution: Buy a pair of Hoka One One Bondi 5's. They are long distance running shoes with a super soft, thick sole. If only used in the shop, the cushion will last about a year for weekend woodworker. They do not compromise your feeling of a solid stance either, for things like hand planing, etc.
Regards,
s_hogsett
Thanks for answering my question about the sticky Jaguar door handle ;)
You gave me the idea to use both methods. Make a runner for the slot and bolt or clamp it to the crosscut fence. Works great. The advantage is that if you have a jig that has zero clearance, the runner insures you hit the already cut kerf perfectly again and the dialed in crosscut fence makes it easy to install the jig perfectly perpendicular to the blade.
Thanks again and keep up the great podcast!
Fabian
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