Dear Fanlax Experts - Help and advice thread.

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

have i put the disclaimer out on this new site yet???

...

where are you headed, presumably italia...

[thatsmell]

I dont think you have. If you did, I missed it!

Get to go to Vasto/Pescara for 10 days and Rome for a week!

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

the chairman, never has and has never intended, to ever indicate, in any way, that carbonara should include peas nor cream, nor has the chairman ever consumed said dish with such elements

[thatsmell]

Had a blast, had some amazing wine and even better carbonara. Really clogged the arteries!

[youthathletics]

Just found a great cigar, very close to a Cuban. Nester Miranda “Special Selection” great cool draw and full of flavor. You will not be disappointed. https://thecigarauthority.com/nestor-mi ... ar-review/

Thanks to thatsmell from the laxpower days, for tipping me off on the tupperdore. Works great with a couple Boveda packs and some Spanish Cedar picked up from local shop. Keeps humidity at 69-70% for well over 6 months.

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

im at it again. this time, i built a butcher block.

i don't have a jointer or planer, nor can i actually operate one. so i went to the store and bought 38' of pre-planed boards that were perfectly edged at 90'. they were about 3/4'' width and 2'' depth. cut into 17'' boards.



get different color/contrasting woods, but try to get nice looking, parallel grains. i couldnt get walnut, which is preferable. so i went with blonde poplar and green pine. arrange them so they look nice. glue together. clamp. wait.



then, sand. this is the most intensive labor. then, sand again. you can see how imperfect this is. but then again i'm not good at this.



using a handheld router, and a 1/4'' inch roundover bit, i rounded the edges. poorly.

then i used a plunge bit and cut slot handles in the side. this is where i went wrong because the bits werent big enough. but, youd have to look closely to see the poor craftsmanship.

three coats of oil (food safe!) and then three coats of beeswax. it's drying now. will cut something on it soon.





time: about 7-8 hours of labor, but really takes days because you have wait for drying (glue, oil, wax, etc.). half of the time was probably hand-sanding.
total cost: around $13 wood, $9 in oil/wax, $3 in glue, some sandpaper so let's call it $25

here is the final photo, you can really see how the color changes with oil and wax:




over-under on when this falls apart???

thanks for reading! if anyone wants i have instructional videos i can send around. next i might do table leaves!

[youthathletics]

Gorgeous.

[DMac]

Love your ambition and willingness to jump into projects like this, Chairman.
You see all the imperfections, that's the norm, but the rest of us (as in everyone else who sees it....but of course you'll point them out to them) won't.
Very nice!!!!! As for your over-under, I'll go ten years and I'm going REAL light on that...that glue aint letting go.

Too bad you don't live up this way, I'd take you to my son's pole barn where pretty much every tool under the sun is. You could also learn all of the tricks of the trade there. The oldest does fine wood working on the side, has made some really nice stuff out of good woods. The youngest is the best though, when the oldest is stumped/runs into trouble, the youngest bails him out. That kid can do pretty much anything in that world.

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

thank you both!

did consider doing some classes but i just didnt find the right fit around here. any skills i learned from my father decades ago are all gone. this is the restart, of sorts!

will try to make two table leafs next.

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

disregard

[DMac]

Hey...what's this "image" stuff?????
I can't open them.

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

that's odd- it worked, and then it didnt... will fix.

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

ok let's see if this works- inspired by the butcher block, i decided i needed a workbench- one that in fact looks a lot like the butcher block!

again it's not perfect- i used the same technique as the butcher block (but doubled in size), gluing up pine and poplar, but this time the store had maple (dark brown):



i carved out some feet:



then framed up the legs to go on top of the feet:



next was to build supports to attach to the top of the legs, but to also screw into the bottom of the tabletop. I chamfered the edges, which you can see below:



i framed out the middle of the legs for stability (and weight). this is where things started going wrong- you can see the bowing of the wood above. very hard to get everything precise.

i cut some planks to make a shelf on bottom:



the floor isnt even (neither is my carpentry) so i attached some felt pads to the feet to even it out.

i used a 2*2 plywood that i cut out and made a middle shelf. this was the only part that i used nails, small 1cm tacks, hammered right into the frame:



otherwise I piloted all the holes with a drill bit, and then used wood screws. some were 3'', some were shorter. final product is about 2*3:



lots of sanding! i have to get a vise to attach.

this was probably ~60 bucks in wood and various felt pads, screws, glue, etc.

happy new year! -CoB

[DMac]

Very nice, Chairman!! Your work bench is gonna make you want to cut your veggies and bread on it, which isn't to say your buthcer block look isn't very cool.
"This is where things started to go wrong" This is where my youngest would say, "Well, you'll have that.",then show you how make it all right. Tricks of the trade and experience are the best tools.
I have questions:
How high is it?
Not a slippery type felt under the feet, right? Friction is a good thing there.
A cautionary word from my observation, with regard to your well being of course.
Muscling something around in that vice might/maybe/could tip the work bench?

[youthathletics]

Gorgeous...well done.

A cool look for the base might be to use a small torch and burn the wood slightly giving it an aged look. This YouTube video can give you a visual. https://youtu.be/Jir-1_-iETQ

I have been looking into making a kitchen island something like this. Considering using 2” threaded black pipe with plumbing fittings and threaded flanges for the base, going for the industrial/rustic look....I’m not a fan of your typical cabinets and big box store products.

[Bart]

ok let's see if this works- inspired by the butcher block, i decided i needed a workbench- one that in fact looks a lot like the butcher block!

again it's not perfect- i used the same technique as the butcher block (but doubled in size), gluing up pine and poplar, but this time the store had maple (dark brown):

Nicely done. Be careful though, you soon end up with a desire for all the fancy tools of the trade. It is a fantastic hobby.

[Bart]

ok let's see if this works- inspired by the butcher block, i decided i needed a workbench- one that in fact looks a lot like the butcher block!

again it's not perfect- i used the same technique as the butcher block (but doubled in size), gluing up pine and poplar, but this time the store had maple (dark brown):

Nicely done. Be careful though, you'll soon end up with a desire for all the fancy tools of the trade. It is a fantastic hobby.

[a fan]

Well done, Paesan!!!

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

Very nice, Chairman!! Your work bench is gonna make you want to cut your veggies and bread on it, which isn't to say your buthcer block look isn't very cool.
"This is where things started to go wrong" This is where my youngest would say, "Well, you'll have that.",then show you how make it all right. Tricks of the trade and experience are the best tools.
I have questions:
How high is it?
Not a slippery type felt under the feet, right? Friction is a good thing there.
A cautionary word from my observation, with regard to your well being of course.
Muscling something around in that vice might/maybe/could tip the work bench?

thanks! waist-level, about 3' high. i've only looked at small vises that wont tip- i dont really need anything bigger.

there is enough friction on the flooring, and the pads i added, and the feet are somewhat coarse.

and yes- i did consider larger food projects on this workbench- particularly pasta!

[ChairmanOfTheBoard]

Gorgeous...well done.

A cool look for the base might be to use a small torch and burn the wood slightly giving it an aged look. This YouTube video can give you a visual. https://youtu.be/Jir-1_-iETQ

I have been looking into making a kitchen island something like this. Considering using 2” threaded black pipe with plumbing fittings and threaded flanges for the base, going for the industrial/rustic look....I’m not a fan of your typical cabinets and big box store products.

that torch idea is really cool! i have a small food-grade torch. maybe ill practice on scrapwood?

is this an idea of what youre looking to do? http://jenloveskev.com/2016/07/26/diy-b ... en-island/