AutumnWoods

Look, Allenn, nothing personal here, but your little mathematical tirade is starting to get on everyone's nerves. Just what exactly are you trying to prove? That Asa isn't a math expert? He'll probably agree he's not. That he doesn't have an absolute grasp on the delicate nuances of semantics in relation to mathematical concepts? That he hasn't scientifically evaluated the hypotheses set forth in the article? Get real, man, this isn't a scientific journal and his statements weren't meant to be evaluated as such. Several people have done a damn good job answering your little questions, some have even given you an adequate word problem. Obviously nothing anyone here can do or say will satisfy you, so give it a rest. I'm starting to wonder, myself, if you actually have an adequate understanding of the realm of numbers. I took algebra, trigonometry, geometry, statistics, physics, and three levels of calculus when I was an engineering major in college. Honestly, I find nothing semantically or mathematically offensive or 'wrong' about the way Asa described his observations about the life of carbide vs steel blades. They were simply observations, not a mathematical proof. After all, to have the kind of accurate assessment you seem to want, we would have to compare all of the different types of tool steel available for cutterheads (Hss, T2, stainless, laminated or solid, high or low tungsten, solid carbide {blade type}) to all the different grades and qualities of square carbide inserts, then organize the data in a meaningful way. Such an analysis is CLEARLY beyond the scope of this article. Any such answers you are to get on this subject will have to be arrived at by yourself. So I will ask you, not so quietly or gently, to cut the condescending crap, stop your tirade against Asa, and move on to something else. Preferably something actually relevant to the world of fine woodwork.

Sorry, Allen, for some reason the MIDDLE of my post got cut out. Seriously guys?

So, here's the formula that was removed for your purely academic purposes:

Formula: where T = time till my next blade change with carbide, t = a normal time between blade changes with HSS knives, and <= means less than or equal to.

20t <= T <= 30t

The same formula works with the amount of material milled when BF = the amount of board feet milled with carbide inserts, and bf = the number of board feet milled with HSS knives.

20bf <= BF <= 30bf

Sorry for the posting error

Allen: Trying to get everyone to do your math homework for you? I think this has been successfully explained several time in the comments, but I'll do my best to make this clear.

The reason Asa did not bother to include some long mundane word problem, mathematical equation, or table of blade-life expectations is that every woodworker has a different application and set of experiences with this topic. He also used a working assumption that all woodworkers have at least a modicum of common sense. To derive a semi-accurate view of what 20-30 times longer means do the following: develop a mental picture of what the life of one blade change is for you, in terms of time between changes, board ft milled, number of cabinets built, number of times your mother-in-law calls, number of saturdays, or whatever it might be. Then multiply that times a number somewhere between and including 20 and 30.

Example: if I change the blades on my planer once a month with HSS knives and I switch to carbide, I can now expect to perform my next blade change at a point in time somewhere between 20 and 30 months.

Formula: where T = time till my next blade change, t = a normal time between blade changes with HSS knives, bf and T > t.

Thus, one could - with relative certaintly - say, that carbide blades will last "longer" than HSS knives, as well as giving a performance that is "20 to 30" times better than HSS knives given a factor of BF planed, time, MIL calls, saturdays, or whatever your experience happens to be. Please note, this is my best explanation of what Asa meant, not an accounting of my own experiments or trials with the product.

Now…for the love…of ALL THAT IS HOLY...can we get back to woodworking for a little while?

That's pretty funny guys! I think I'll go with the shop-made version though. The real jokes are the guys getting multi million dollar settlements for being stupid and careless. Where is the sense of personal responsibility these days? Nobody cut their finger off but themselves. Nobody ignored safety rules and disconnected fences and blade guards but them. What did they think was going to happen? Bunch of fricking idiots.

Outstanding! That's the coolest thing I've seen in quite a while! Definitely going to have to try that sometime!

Beautifully done! Exquisite detail! Is the centerboard functional as well? I'm curious to know the technique for building it. Did you have to loft the patterns and make an upside down framework to bend the ribs and planks over, or was it easier than that being a scale model?

I've also noticed that unfinished pieces of cherry tend to age a lot faster than finished ones. Some of that could be the UV protection a lot of finishes impart, but I also wonder if oxygen helps speed the process along. Cool trick, though, I love the look of naturally aged cherry!

I've also noticed that unfinished pieces of cherry tend to age a lot faster than finished ones. Some of that could be the UV protection a lot of finishes impart, but I also wonder if oxygen helps speed the process along. Cool trick, though, I love the look of naturally aged cherry!

What an incredible honor and a fine addition to a lifetime of acheivement!

Usually I would charge an agreed upon price for finishing rather than an hourly rate. The cost would be based on the type of finish used, ease of application, and time spent in my shop. For example, a premium conversion varnish can be quite costly but I can finish a piece and move it out in as little as 1-2 days. A classic linseed oil & wax finish like Tried&True with Liberon wax is relatively inexpensive for the materials, but the application is slow and cure time is nearly eternal. It could be taking up space in the shop for weeks. Any time I have to level and hand polish something like a table top there is an upcharge as well. As you can tell, prices can vary widely for different jobs.

I have always been pretty flexible with transportation, bids, and pre-inspection. For small jobs I usually request that the client deliver the piece, where I will give an on the spot quote. For larger pieces I will often drop by while I'm out an about to give a quote and usually pick up the piece. I've done everything from large case pieces to simply tinting pre-finished shadow boxes a redder color for the military base here in town.

Also, on occasion when the client didn't have the budget for finishing work, but seemed to have a little finishing savvy, I have done custom color matches and sold the stain to them along with instructions for application. In those cases, I usually try to stay simple and recommend a wiping varnish or polyurethane type finish.

Although I primarily build furniture, I've taken jobs from time to time refinishing or restoring furniture and finishing new furniture from local woodworkers. My biggest complaint from the side of the finisher is that its often not appreciated the level of work that goes into a quality finish, thus they don't want to pay much for the work. I tried to offer a wide variety of finishing options to work with every budget, but I can't color match and finish an entertainment center for $50. The other complaint is that many times the pieces were not even close to being adequately sanded and some even had planer, snipe, and chatter marks all over them. They probably didn't realize how bad those defects would look once stain was applied, and they were difficult to sand and scrape out now that the piece was assembled. Take pride in your piece and your finisher will be more likely to as well.

One final tip for a good experience - when you take your piece to the finisher, take along a few offcuts from the build, especially if you're having it color matched. Have a sample block made to verify that the finish and color are to your liking before the whole piece is done. Know exactly what you want and do your homework - come prepared with your color sample and desired finish type. It only makes the process difficult when a client doesn't know what he/she wants. "A medium brown, not too warm and not to chocolate" could mean a hundred different shades. "A nice vintage finish" could have dozens of different implementations as well. If you aren't willing to be specific, please be prepared to accept the artist's interpretation of what you said. You may not have the desire or talent to finish a piece yourself, but you should at least understand enough about the process to communicate intelligently with the finisher. Follow these tips, find a good finisher you can trust, and both of you will have a good experience and a good result.

As a professional furniture builder, finisher, cabinetmaker, and antique restorer I've run across a wide variety of work. The biggest problem I see is there's just not a lot of versatility among woodworkers and finishers alike. A lot of furniture finishers either started off in their garage doing pieces for themselves and neighbors, or worked in cabinet shops. For the former, their skills are often overstated and limited to products off the shelf at a local hardware store. For the latter, their skills are generally superior as long as they stay within the realm of sprayed modern finishes. I don't mean to say this covers everybody, but you have to ask a lot of questions to find out what you've really got before they get to work. It's not enough to say "do you french polish," ask them to describe their technique for french polishing. Also, don't entrust your freshly sanded latest creation to a new finisher - buy an old piece at a garage sale and pay them to refinish it first or give them a small shop stool and have them color match it. This will ensure you have a quality person.

I want to offer a word of encouragement and thank you for addressing this issue. I've had trouble as well, finding the things I was looking for, but I'm glad you all are willing to square with this and look for solutions. One thing I remember from my subscription process is you seem to have no easy way to subscribe to both the magazine and the online content at the same time. I had to do the magazine first, then wait a few weeks to be processed and subscribe online to get the bundled rate. Might be something good to streamline a little. Best of luck!

Sure, a cutlist might save a little time, but I fail to see how anyone couldn't work up their own cutlist in short order working off the extremely detailed drawings provided. I design my own furniture, and thus work up my own cutlist, and for me it's an important time to double check everything and review each structure and stage in my mind. I would suggest embracing the opportunity to really get to know the piece you're working on by making your own cutlist from the drawings and enjoy the challenge. It really doesn't take that long and it's an important skill building step. Some day you may want to build something that doesn't come with dimensioned drawings, much less a cutlist. What will you do then?

I know some people are new and want a little hand holding, but maybe you should consider live classes in addition to the magazine. I've only been woodworking for five years, I've learned everything I know about furniture from Taunton Press, and I just built a pair of endtables off a five minute scratch drawing on an old restaurant napkin. C'mon guys, you can do it!

I've been using an older model Dewalt 12" saw for a while now and it works good for my purposes. I personally can't see myself using it as a "one tool shop" arrangement where it substitutes for a table saw, shaper, miter saw, etc. But for a simple crosscut device with a sharp blade and dust collection I feel it's superior to other tools. The reach of it enables me to square up door panels and case pieces, the power (3 hp) blows right through even 8/4 quartersawn oak, and when set up properly with a quality shopmade fence it will stay square. The only time I've had it start to catch is with thick rough lumber, especially near knots - you just have to nibble at it to keep it from binding.

I guess what I'm saying is that yes, it's endangered in the professional shop where the user can't spare the time to change it into it's various configurations. But I think it still has it's place. Has anyone ever had an easy time cutting an 8" wide board of 8/4 white oak with a chopsaw?