AdamCisme

Going off what EdMerc said you can get 1000, 1500 and 2000 a lot of time at autobody shops pretty cheap. I happen to have a parts place here in town that sells up to that grit (HE Eversons). I may have to give the lapping sheets a try. Thanks EdMerc for the tip: http://www.bestsharpeningstones.com/catalog/Lapping%20Film.htm#

Also, thick piece of glass can also be pretty easily gotten cheap for sandpaper backing.

Just learning about finishing and reading up on it now. French polishing would be a great addition! Please add me to the drawing and keep up the good books!
Adam C.

Thats is truly incredible! You should do an article with one of these guys about sharpening. I know we don't need to go to that level for building furniture, but I would think a guy could sure learn something from their technique.

Thanks guys for picking up my question in the last podcast. How cool was that to be working in my shop listening to my ipod and to hear you guys start answering my question. The show is great and I like the relaxed style.

As to the workbench I am working on right now I just wanted to give you some feed back as I am plugging away on it right at the moment. I am building it in the general style of Ed's not so big work bench. Great video series!

I realized there was no way I was going to be able to build a top for it without a jointer. So I have a plan B for the time being. A very flat and very heavy fire door salvaged from our local hospital. Then when I do get my jointer I can replace the top. I tried doing a small project once with a similar top only much much smaller and ended up throwing the top away. As Asa(?) said there really is no way to get good glue joints at all.

Also Asa is absolutely right. I have had to fit all the joints by hand, trial and error because thing are not perfect, but I have been happily surprised with the results. Tenons fit nice and snug and chopping the mortices has been fun.

One caveat that I didn't mention in my question post was that the reason I was resawing for the posts and stretchers is that it was free dunnage from a local wood post yard 4x6 posts (that and I read the article about tuning up your bandsaw with the correct blade etc so had to try it out). So the posts and main framing is a type of pine I believe.

As an aside I really don't think you can beat the drum of the price and return for what you get with an online subscription to hard. The access to all the article is a staggering resource for the price. The price is not even worth thinking about with the quantity of quality you get.

Thanks again for the help and one day I will have my 8 inch jointer!
Adam Canfield

Boy you bring up a good subject and from all the previous posts I think you hit a nerve!

I agree with what someone said above: that its only cheating if you misrepresent to the customer how you did it. I think if you don't include the customers thoughts in the discussion were missing and important piece.

On a side note I think that with new woodworkers like myself there may be a feeling of cheating when things are not done soley by hand. That if there is a jig with a machine behind it that it isn't truly 'by hand'.

Thanks for the permission to 'cheat'!

I would be interested in a follow up post: "What constitutes 'hand made'. When can you no longer say its 'hand made'?"

Very nicely done!