Woodworking

Soygen · Dec 17, 2021

I share your pain in nothing being close. South Florida is pretty terrible for woodoworking. No Woodcraft/Rockler around. I have yet to find a good lumber yard that carries thicker rough stock. The few specialty shops I've found online are only open during work hours, so I haven't even really checked them out.

Burns · Dec 17, 2021

Kovaks said:
Most big stores like HD and lowes have s3s or s4s boards. For alot more than at a lumber yard. My local yards have rough but also have s3s or s2s as well so check for a yard near you. Some woodcraft and rocklers have space where you can rent tool time for bigger milling equipment. You should be able to joint on your saw but planing is harder, can be done with a router but it is a pain. Also maybe look for local small shop groups in your area on social media folks will usually help out.

I didn't think HD or Lowes had any quality wood. This would be my first venture into hardwood. Everything I have worked on previously was finished ply and/or MDF. Ply from big box stores is mediocre and has a bunch of voids.

I am also going to build 2 bookshelf speakers and a center channel, out of ply; so need to go to a proper yard to get Baltic birch, anyways. I would like to find a few shops that offer CNC cutting (at least to price out) as well, but that search came up goose eggs too.

Burns · Dec 17, 2021

Soygen said:
I share your pain in nothing being close. South Florida is pretty terrible for woodoworking. No Woodcraft/Rockler around. I have yet to find a good lumber yard that carries thicker rough stock. The few specialty shops I've found online are only open during work hours, so I haven't even really checked them out.

I could imagine how annoying it would be, the farther from a big city you are, for such projects. Basically a whole work day just trying to round up supplies and stressing over whether you remembered/found everything you needed.

It's a bit of a drive but at least DFW has at 3+ good lumber yards and, if you want to pay double, Woodcraft (never been in the Rocklers, to see prices). One place in Ft. Worth even lists prices of their lumber.

If I cant find anything closer, the one lumberyard close to Dallas (couple hour drive) offers a whole host of services, they will joint, glue and clamp, and plane for you (trying to exhaust every other option before emailing them for prices of services). They are also open for a 4 hours, every other Saturday!

BrutulTM · Dec 17, 2021

I ordered an 8 foot long cherry 2x4 from home Depot last year. Came via UPS in very good condition and cost $100. Even Home Depot and Lowes are 200 miles away from me and the two local lumberyards don't carry much for woodworking.

Kovaks · Dec 17, 2021

BrutulTM said:
I ordered an 8 foot long cherry 2x4 from home Depot last year. Came via UPS in very good condition and cost $100. Even Home Depot and Lowes are 200 miles away from me and the two local lumberyards don't carry much for woodworking.

Damn I'm spoiled my yard has everything I could want, chery right now is only about $5/board ft, my favorite wood right now is sapele which is like 6.20 / board ft.

Soygen · Dec 17, 2021

Kovaks said:
Damn I'm spoiled my yard has everything I could want, chery right now is only about $5/board ft, my favorite wood right now is sapele which is like 6.20 / board ft.

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Captain Suave · Dec 17, 2021

Kovaks said:
Damn I'm spoiled my yard has everything I could want, chery right now is only about $5/board ft, my favorite wood right now is sapele which is like 6.20 / board ft.

I was going to make a crack about how stupid lumber prices still were, but they're actually only 20% more than that, which isn't bad for LA. I was going to make a loft bed for my son; maybe I should try hardwood...

Foler · Dec 19, 2021

Looking for strong wood for workbench shelving. Maybe pine? Suggestions? Anything I can get at Home Depot?

Captain Suave · Dec 19, 2021

Foler said:
Looking for strong wood for workbench shelving. Maybe pine? Suggestions? Anything I can get at Home Depot?

Pine is fine for shelves unless you're storing bulk metal ingots or something. If you have the equipment to cut it to size, plywood is probably cheaper and slightly stronger, provided you don't care about the aesthetics.

Foler · Dec 19, 2021

Captain Suave said:
Pine is fine for shelves unless you're storing bulk metal ingots or something. If you have the equipment to cut it to size, plywood is probably cheaper and slightly stronger, provided you don't care about the aesthetics.

Aesthetics are nice… I’ll put an oscilloscope tabletop psu and other electronics equipment on it.

Captain Suave · Dec 19, 2021

Foler said:
Aesthetics are nice… I’ll put an oscilloscope tabletop psu and other electronics equipment on it.

Buy from your home center pre-surfaced boards ( "select" grade at HD) of whatever species you like/afford and cut to length, inspecting for knots and straightness. Apply some finish to protect against dirt. (Linseed oil, danish oil, polyurethane, to taste.)

Foler · Dec 19, 2021

Captain Suave said:
Buy from your home center pre-surfaced boards ( "select" grade at HD) of whatever species you like/afford and cut to length, inspecting for knots and straightness. Apply some finish to protect against dirt. (Linseed oil, danish oil, polyurethane, to taste.)

So one problem is that I need to drill holes through it for metal pipes. I can get a drill press no problem but have nothing to mount said drill press on. Ideas?

Im making this, for reference.

Workbench Shelves

Workbench Shelves: This workbench shelving design is a quick and easy way to add organization and more storage to your workspace. Since my shelves were built using modular aluminum speed rail connectors, it can be modified and adapted to a work bench of any size. In f…

www.instructables.com

Captain Suave · Dec 19, 2021

Foler said:
So one problem is that I need to drill holes through it for metal pipes. I can get a drill press no problem but have nothing to mount said drill press on. Ideas?

Im making this, for reference.

Workbench Shelves

Workbench Shelves: This workbench shelving design is a quick and easy way to add organization and more storage to your workspace. Since my shelves were built using modular aluminum speed rail connectors, it can be modified and adapted to a work bench of any size. In f…

www.instructables.com

Gotcha. I've built desks with very similar design concepts (pic below). A few suggestions, if you're open to them and aren't already committed to that particular part list:

- Consider home center chain link fence top rail instead of aluminium tubing. It's $2/foot, doesn't require shipping, and is compatible with standard 1 3/8'' pipe fittings.
- You can get fittings with internal stops that will eliminate the need to drill through the panels, possibly saving you the purchase of a drill press. (Quik Klamp Base Flange - FarmTek)
- Either way, you can certainly drill through 3/4'' boards with a handheld drill and a forstner bit. Just make sure to use a sacrificial backer board so you don't blow out the fibers on the end of the hole.
- Get a decent pipe cutter and don't try to use a hacksaw. They're MUCH easier, cleaner, and give perfectly square results.

(If you do buy a drill press, they're either benchtop, which you can put anywhere, or come with their own freestanding column. No mounting required, typically)

Foler · Dec 19, 2021

Captain Suave said:
Gotcha. I've built desks very similar to that (pic below). A few suggestions, if you're open to them and aren't already committed to that particular part list:

- Consider home center chain link fence top rail instead of aluminium tubing. It's $2/foot, doesn't require shipping, and is compatible with standard 1 3/8'' pipe fittings.
- You can get fittings with internal stops that will eliminate the need to drill through the panels, possibly saving you the purchase of a drill press. (Quik Klamp Base Flange - FarmTek)
- Either way, you can certainly drill through 3/4'' boards with a handheld drill and a forstner bit. Just make sure to use a sacrificial backer board so you don't blow out the fibers on the end of the hole.
- Get a decent pipe cutter and don't try to use a hacksaw. They're MUCH easier, cleaner, and give perfectly square results.

(If you do buy a drill press, they're either benchtop, which you can put anywhere, or come with their own freestanding column.)

View attachment 388763

Ok so I skipped aluminum tubing and did galvanized steel to the tune of $400

.

I did buy a rigid steel pipe cutter that’s coming in tomorrow.

If I got a drill press with a freestanding column, how would I secure a 72”x14” pine wood to it? I have sawhorses but who’s to say they’ll be the same height as the column. I.e how do I support rest of the board?

Edit - I guess I could skip drilling through and just buy 8 more of these?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/SteelTek-3-4-in-Silver-Galvanized-Steel-Structural-Pipe-Fitting-Rail-Support/999930958?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-plb-_-ggl-_-LIA_PLB_142_Pipe-Fittings-_-999930958-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gbraid=0AAAAAD2B2W9PE9wTR98GZfJTFC-jp-bMo&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIleabjsHw9AIVRbGGCh1xIAPKEAQYASABEgJbfPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Captain Suave · Dec 19, 2021

Foler said:
If I got a drill press with a freestanding column, how would I secure a 72”x14” pine wood to it? I have sawhorses but who’s to say they’ll be the same height as the column. I.e how do I support rest of the board?

You'd have to rig your own stabilization/clamping system. The precision you get from a drill press really isn't necessary for this job. I'd recommend marking carefully and doing it with handheld tools.

Foler · Dec 19, 2021

Captain Suave said:
You'd have to rig your own stabilization/clamping system. The precision you get from a drill press really isn't necessary for this job. I'd recommend marking carefully and doing it with handheld tools.

Ok great. I’ll use my dewalt drill and Forstner bit. For 3/4” pipe do you think a 7/8 bit is good?

Intrinsic · Dec 19, 2021

When I did something similar instead of drilling through and supporting them I used these (*edit: yeah just caught up on Suave's post where he mentioned the same thing):

Amazon product ASIN B07JXX8BB8
and

Amazon product ASIN B07RN2FFH7
You can also use the pine as a base and get say a 1/4" or 1/2" ply to go over the top if you aren't comfortable with getting the pine solid and laminated up for the tables.

Foler · Dec 19, 2021

Captain Suave said:
You'd have to rig your own stabilization/clamping system. The precision you get from a drill press really isn't necessary for this job. I'd recommend marking carefully and doing it with handheld tools.

What screws would you recommend for the bottom flange that will be attaching all this to my husky desk?

Captain Suave · Dec 19, 2021

Foler said:
What screws would you recommend for the bottom flange that will be attaching all this to my husky desk?

Whatever size wood screw where the head fits the flange, probably #8. Pick a length that won't come out the back of your shelf, accounting for the depth of the fitting, and pre-drill a hole that's slightly smaller than the shaft.

If your post above shows the exact fittings, you'll want a pan or round head. The normal flat head wood screw has a taper undereneath that will cause it to stick out when you tighten it to that fitting.

Foler · Dec 19, 2021

Captain Suave said:
Whatever size wood screw where the head fits the flange, probably #8. Pick a length that won't come out the back of your shelf, accounting for the depth of the fitting, and pre-drill a hole that's slightly smaller than the shaft.

If your post above shows the exact fittings, you'll want a pan or round head. The normal flat head wood screw has a taper undereneath that will cause it to stick out when you tighten it to that fitting.

Thank you!

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