Prodigal Ponderings — lumberyards RSS

I recently purchased quite a bit of rough sawn hardwood from someone closing their woodworking shop.  Beauties like 8/4 walnut along with cherry, mahogany and maple were a welcome addition to my inventory; however since these boards were rough sawn they did not all  come with a straight edge.  In lieu of dropping $300 on a benchtop jointer or plenty more on a floor model I came up with a DIY solution for around $25.00. I purchased a pair of 3-Inch Hold Down Clamps (Grizzly G9589) and made a sled to run along my table saw fence.  Starting with a squared up piece 3 ½ “ wide oak (choose your length)  I glued a piece of ¼” plywood to the...

  Being a guy means I suffer with a common problem of male ego. We don’t always like to ask for help nor do we like to feel intimidated by what we don’t know.  My first few trips to the lumber yard shopping for quality hardwoods were all about breaking that barrier.   On my first trip I was asked by different employees if I needed some help, but I kindly replied “no thank you” and proceeded to walk around, observe the variety of woods, trying to not to look like I was new.  After 30 minutes of “wandering” I finally swallowed my pride and went up to a guy and asked for help….and help I got!  After that, it...