STL197: Clean miters that are actually strong
Mike, Anissa, and Ben discuss various case miter options, veneering curved legs, buying old machinery, painting MDF, and their all time favorite tools of all time… for this weekQuestion 1:
From Elijah:
I’m planning on building a floating media cabinet out of 5/4 cherry. The basic idea of the cabinet is an open box that looks like you can look through to the wall. However, it will actually have a false back made of 1/4” MDF painted the same color as the wall to hide all of the wires.
For this project I like the clean look of miter joints, but I am worried that it will not be strong enough. The cabinet will be about 48 inches wide, 10 inches tall, and 14 inches deep. Do I need to reinforce the miters somehow or will glueing in the false back strengthening it sufficiently?
- Strong and Handsome: Half-Blind Mitered Dovetails
- How to Cut Half-Blind Mitered Dovetails
- 3-D Shelves Enliven Any Room
- Add Muscle To Your Miters
Question 2:
From Reg:
I’m trying to make bird’s eye maple legs that have face grain on all four sides. Unlike (for eg.) white oak laminated legs, the side grain on bird’s eye is obtrusively different and a lamination would be obvious if done in the white oak manner of laminating only on two sides. So I think I need four-sided laminations, which seems to mean mitered laminations. What is the best way to go about this? I am assuming some core 4-square stock is the starting point. These are going to be Krenov-type legs, so thinly laminating finished leg seems out of the question.
Segment: All-Time Favorite Tool
Mike: Holdfast
Ben: CNC used as a pin router
Anissa: Her marking gauges
Question 3:
From Dave:
What machinery can be bought vintage and what should be bought new(er_)? It seems as though this kind of discussion is all but exhausted when it comes to hand tools but I don’t hear as much about the bigger purchases in the shop.
For instance, not much has changed for drill presses, so an old and stout model seems like a chance to save some money. Meanwhile, it’s clear that table saws have improved dramatically with regards to safety and dust collection, so if a SawStop is attainable, I should budget accordingly. But what are your thoughts about bandsaws, jointers, planers, lathes, and the like? Are some types of shop equipment less vulnerable to the risks of buying used?
Question 4:
From Frank:
I am making several MDF plinths for an upcoming exhibit. They are 16″ square. I mitered the edges so the only visible end gain is at the top. I’m looking for painting suggestions. Some videos say to use Zinsser BIN, and others say to just use regular drywall type primer, then lightly sand before applying primary color. Do you have any suggestions that would steer me in the proper direction?
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
OK... In terms of the first mitered edge question... Seems to me the mitered corner with dovetail technique will provide excellent strength but you don't solve the expansion/contraction issues at the corners so over time the joint won't fall apart but you will get the seam opening on the inside (likely unseen) or the outside (which won't look great). I would suggest if you really want a 5/4 MITERED joint you would be best off using "plywood" - can still make your own face veneers and get perfectly matched edges as well. If you want solid wood, better off using something other than a mitered joint!!
Regarding the temperature vs color temperature question: Kelvin is a scale of temperature just like Fahrenheit or Celsius, it's just that 0° Kelvin is absolute zero. The surface of the sun (I only just googled this) is ~ 5400K like Mike said. That is literally how hot it is AND ALSO we describe its COLOR in that way, compared to red stars (cooler) and blue stars (hotter... temperature wise). It just so happens that heat that produces colored light does so in a very predictable way, so can be described by the temperature of the heat source itself. In more modern light sources like LEDs, it has nothing to do with the physical temp, it's only the color of the light.
The writer was kind of correct in that the heat temp of the filament is extremely high, but it's Kelvin, not °F. Fahrenheit temperature is a way higher number after conversion.
Aaaaaaaand feel free to award me the nerdiest comment, to the ONE question no one ACTUALLY hoped to hear the answer to.....
Hey guys! I was taking a walk with my dog yesterday and went way back to episode #2. It just so happened that Mike’s all time favourite tool for that week was a hold fast...the one he mentioned in this episode.
Hey Ben, yea....no. Kelvin in regard to color temperature in light theory is based on a black body radiator at varying Kelvin temperatures. Most metals behave similarly, therefore they are usually used as example. 2700 - 3200 K is the color of metal at this lower Kelvin temperature (reddish), as the heat increases, the metal will turn yellowish (4100K), then white (daylight/5500K), then into the blue spectrum (6500K).
Thanks again for the info on the bulb for my pipe bending rig.
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