STL205: Swimming In Sawdust!
Anissa and Ben are joined by Windsor chairmaker David Douyard and they discuss what to do with sawdust and shavings, whether a jointer is worth it for a listener, storing lumber vertically, and whether or not drift is actually mythical.This episode is brought to you by Maverick Abrasives.
Question 1:
From Dean:
I am burdened by shavings and sawdust accumulated in my dust collector. In all respects that is a good thing. However, what does one do with 30 gallons of shavings? For some years I piled bin after bin in a pile hoping the shavings would com post into a nice fertile loam. Alas, even with annual addition of high nitrogen fertilizer and periodic forking the pile never reduced. I should have known better—for forty years before the mill I worked at had a boiler shavings and sawdust was blown into piles. Fifty years later some of those piles remain. I could probably disperse the shavings with my weekly commercial rubbish collection, but that does not seem to be an environmentally sound method. Lately I have been throwing shovels full into the wind with the hope of spreading shavings across a larger area. Fortunately, I have a forested lot and a bid of shavings thus spread are not unsightly. (Some that blows back on the lawn is visible for a long time.) Any suggestions or wisdom regarding disposal of shavings?
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From Fine Gardening: Composting in Cold WeatherNo matter how particular you are about building your compost pile properly in winter, not much will happen in the cold weather. Mounds of old salad, cooked broccoli, and moldy… |
Question 2:
From Greg:
Every few months or so I ask myself if I should buy a jointer. It feels like it would be nice, but I can’t seem to justify the investment. I’ve been buying S2S lumber from an online hardwood dealer and have had good luck getting straight and true boards. I figured I’m paying a premium of several dollars per board foot over rough cut lumber. But, I also am not spending hours preparing the wood.
When I think about buying a jointer, I can’t see purchasing a 6 inch since everyone seems to regret that wish they bought an 8 inch. Additionally, I have a small basement shop that isn’t currently wired for 220, so I’d have the hassle of getting it into the basement and rewiring. I figure I’m looking at a $1,500 investment at a minimum. Even at a $5/bf premium, I’d need to process at least 300 bf. before breaking even. That is probably at least 2 years of projects given my current pace. For edge jointing, I just use a glue-line rip tablesaw blade and for occasional face jointing I’ve built a sled for my planer. What am I missing? Is the investment really worth it?
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Segment: All-Time Favorite Technique
David – Using burn in sticks to fill check marks in oak chair legs
Anissa – Chris Becksvoort’s speed tenon technique
Ben – Making a sawing guide out of a 1x2x3 block and a magnet
Question 3:
From Butch:
What is your opinion on band saw blade drift? I have a Laguna fence on a Jet 14” bandsaw which easily allows accommodating blade drift. I have a Carter log mill that doesn’t seem to drift at all, and if you watch the video on their sled ”Little Ripper” from Stockroom Supply from Canada he says that drift is caused by the forces released in the wood pushing against the fence as it passes the blade. There are many people that say blade drift is a myth and is caused by improper setup. And there are many who will tell you how to accommodate for the drift.
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Question 4:
From Justin:
What is the proper way to store rough milled lumber? I currently work in an 8×8 basement shop and storage space slim to nothing. I have lumber stored vertical due to lack of space. Would storing it vertically cause the boards to warp?
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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.
Comments
As an addendum to the sawdust disposal question: we found a woman who has horses and some horse trails that run through her property. She picks up 12 giant trash bags full every week and a half or so. The only caution is that certain species' dust is harmful if used in horse stalls (walnut, teak...), so she is sure to just use the doug fir, alder, etc. shavings in the stalls, and the rest on the trails. She's happy, and we're happy! Find someone with horses maybe...
In response to the jointer question: Check out: https://www.wahudatools.com/category-s/107.htm
I purchased their Cutech 8 inch (not 6) benchtop jointer with spiral head, carbide tips and teflon coating for $450. I've had great luck with it. I also bought their top line planer and it works really well for a hobbyist like me or a small shop.
On drift: Michael Fortune is correct. If your blade is sharp, the blade is tracking properly on the wheel, your guides are adjusted correctly, your saw will not drift. I never adjust my fence, blade changes or not. Cuts for veneer under an eighth mike less than a couple of mils different end-to-end. My school, Rosewood Studios, (a place where Michael teaches occasionally), teaches this, and they never adjust their fences. This has worked on my old cast frame Delta clone as well as my new Laguna 14-12. Sharp blades are critical - but that's for a number of reasons, and not just resawing. My band saw works so well, it's reduced my table saw use by at least half - maybe more. Long live properly set up and non-drifting band saws!
After more than 200 episodes, I have taken this podcast out of my listening lineup. The newer folks do not evidence the professionalism of the previous hosts and participants. I will try again in a while and hope to see a higher level of preparation, better diction, and more seriousness. This is not to say that humor is not welcome; however, silliness is simply frustrating. Also, please reconsider the sound effect during the break: nails on a chalk board is too kind of a characterization of this screeching.
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