Woodworking: Amateurs, Craftsmen, & In-Between

[zapatos]

42 minutes ago, Sensei said:

It would be funnier, and self-paying, if you set up a couple of cameras around you on tripods while you work, and create a "how I did it" timelapse and then upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, FB and IG..

I do like watching those when I'm trying something new; that would have been a good idea! Of course I'd have to bleep out the reactions I had when I discovered that a few of the very precise cuts I made were at the wrong end of the board, or when I'd just get done dragging my tools outside about 5 minutes before a thunderstorm rolled in. 😀

[Sensei]

@zapatos Ten years ago+ I bought a video camera with selfie feature and found that it didn't have a built-in timelapse feature. So I started poking around how to send commands to the camera via USB (WiFi/BT unavailable) and wrote an application for the computer that sends these commands by wire and then automatically downloads the photo and deletes it from the camera's memory. A cool project in the C++ .NET Framework for a weekend with a beer (or ten)..

These days people merge 4x 2TB NVMe drives (RAID-0) to have one continuous 8 TB drive (600 USD investment), to be able to edit lengthy videos in UHD resolution (3840x2160). The better input source resolution, the better final quality on-line..

If you're doing timelapse, the sound/voice is added post-factum, so you'll tell what you want to the people watching it. They would have had no idea of the error if you hadn't said so.

Edited May 3, 2023 by Sensei

[WoodworkingWizardry]

Sounds like the perfect weekend project—coding, cameras, and a six-pack! I love how it went from “let’s hack this camera” to “now we need 8 TB to handle the footage.”

[zapatos]

Having trouble uploading an image.

 

 

Edited September 17 by zapatos

[iNow]

12 minutes ago, zapatos said:

this is my latest project

Nice! Storage shed or drinking tavern? 😂 

I redid our deck. Intended to just reskin and replace the boards but everything below was rotten and joists deflected up and down more than 1/2” each way so regraded it, new posts, new rails.

Then I taught myself how to build stairs. 620 pounds of concrete into footings I dug 42” to be below the frost line, handcut stringers using 2x12x16 treated (5 of them), some Simpson strong ties into the concrete pad below, and mechanical linkages with blocking on the landing.

It’s sturdy and pretty as hell, but I spent a lot of calories calculating and checking and cutting and lifting it all. I’m still tired even though I finished weeks ago. I understand now why deck replacements cost so much money. That was a lot of work. 

Note: I saw your image but did have to take the risk of opening it 

Edited September 17 by iNow

[zapatos]

11 minutes ago, iNow said:

Nice! Storage shed or drinking tavern? 😂 

I redid our deck. Intended to just reskin and replace the boards but everything below was rotten and joists deflected up and down more than 1/2” each way so regraded it, new posts, new rails.

Then I taught myself how to build stairs. 620 pounds of concrete into footings I dug 42” to be below the frost line, handcut stringers using 2x12x16 treated (5 of them), some Simpson strong ties into the concrete pad below, and mechanical linkages with blocking on the landing.

It’s sturdy and pretty as hell, but I spent a lot of calories calculating and checking and cutting and lifting it all. I’m still tired even though I finished weeks ago. I understand now why deck replacements cost so much money. That was a lot of work. 

Note: I saw your image but did have to take the risk of opening it 

Thanks, I'll get the pic back out there as soon as I figure out what the issue is.

We have a simple, rustic cabin on a river in southern Missouri and this building is just to give us more options. So far it's mostly been used for sleeping and for kids to play in.

We did the same thing as you with the footings. I've learned all about the options that Simpson supplies. I had someone make the trusses as I didn't know how to calculate strength requirements then design accordingly. I think I spent more time figuring out what I needed and buying supplies than I did actually building.

 

Here it is...

[WoodworkingWizardry]

Awesome Cabin!

[StringJunky]

On 9/17/2024 at 2:47 AM, zapatos said:

Thanks, I'll get the pic back out there as soon as I figure out what the issue is.

We have a simple, rustic cabin on a river in southern Missouri and this building is just to give us more options. So far it's mostly been used for sleeping and for kids to play in.

We did the same thing as you with the footings. I've learned all about the options that Simpson supplies. I had someone make the trusses as I didn't know how to calculate strength requirements then design accordingly. I think I spent more time figuring out what I needed and buying supplies than I did actually building.

 

Here it is...

Lovely, Zap.

[TheVat]

Nice!  Is there insulation in the trusses?  I see a gable wall vent (looks identical to the ones I put in our attic this spring), so guessing yes.  Though any venting is a help in the loft, in a MO summer.

Future reference, you could buy standard king post trusses, off the shelf, for those dimensions and load (assume S. Missouri has fairly light snow loads, and tin roofs are relatively light) - on 24 inch centers.

[zapatos]

23 minutes ago, TheVat said:

Nice!  Is there insulation in the trusses?  I see a gable wall vent (looks identical to the ones I put in our attic this spring), so guessing yes.  Though any venting is a help in the loft, in a MO summer.

Future reference, you could buy standard king post trusses, off the shelf, for those dimensions and load (assume S. Missouri has fairly light snow loads, and tin roofs are relatively light) - on 24 inch centers.

No insulation. We added the vents to help with the heat and installed electric so we can put a fan up there if needed. We did build with an eye to possible insulation later though. For example the interior walls are covered with plywood siding (like the outside) and installed with screws so we can easily remove if necessary. Although that would reveal the surprise I left for future generations who might open the wall for some reason. 😀

I didn't know that about the standard trusses, thanks for the info. As it turned out the trusses were built "to code" but since as you say the roof is relatively light, they are no more robust than I would have built myself.

It was a really fun project with lots of family members who joined in to help periodically, including little kids who got to drive screws for the first time. And the day always ended with beer and BBQ.

[iNow]

I’ve been screwing around with some old rotten pieces had laying around for a few years, replacing everything rotten with something pretty. 

Lots of faults and flaws and material removal and it became a sort of side meditation for me these last few months.

Gonna start applying tung oil finish this weekend (which itself will take a few weeks to complete correctly). 

 

[zapatos]

Nice work! Love all the detail. What types of wood are in there? Looks like some walnut and birch maybe? Was that bent wood difficult?

[iNow]

1 hour ago, zapatos said:

What types of wood are in there?

Thanks! The main two workpieces as you said are walnut. The center inlay is also walnut but was a super curly quilted piece from an off cut I saved. 

The thick center stripe and mixed in with the curvy strips is cherry. The white wood around the center stripe and mixed into the curvy strips alongside the cherry is maple (same with the outline on the inlay). The circle plugs are a curly fruit tree of some sort either pear or apple maybe (potentially cherry). 
 

1 hour ago, zapatos said:

Was that bent wood difficult?

Let’s just say it presented me with many moments where I had to stop, walk away, and come back to it another time with a cooler head. 😂

Took some planning and multiple small steps. I bought slower setting glue (TB-2 Extended) to help give me more working time, but actually the hardest part was getting the walnut sides to be a perfect puzzle piece match to one another after smoothing out their curved rough cuts from the bandsaw.

This was when I taught myself not only how to make a template, but then how to make a mirror of the template for the other side. Ensuring the thick center stripe stayed perfectly aligned during glueing and clamping was a serious PITA, as well.

As long we’re on the topic, putting in the second curvy stripe down the middle and ensuring the first wavy stripe it intersected still lined up properly after being cut and getting pushed apart took some effort, but I solved that by getting myself a new router bit that had close to the same dimensions as my lamination strips and used that to make the cut instead of the bandsaw. It was a series of hard slow cuts and the bit def didn’t like it, but it performed admirably.

The bent lamination part was actually my primary motivation underlying this piece. I’d never done bent laminations before and used this as an opportunity to finally teach myself how. I will do a few things differently if I ever try doing something similar again in the future, but all in all am okay with the result on attempt number one. ✌️

 

Edited October 10 by iNow

[CharonY]

I am so envious of everyones woodworking abilities. And here I am arguing with contractors about about all the random things they keep destroying for no god reason.

[iNow]

9 minutes ago, CharonY said:

I am so envious of everyones woodworking abilities.

FWIW, we are all beginners when we first begin. 👊

[CharonY]

15 minutes ago, iNow said:

FWIW, we are all beginners when we first begin. 👊

OK, maybe you can tell me what I am doing wrong. Measure twice, cut once. Measure again: darnit. Cut just a little bit more. Hold on, was it inches or cm? Measure again: doubledarnit. Go to Home Depot and get more material and glue. Measure again, oh I forgot the wood screws, why didn't I get them while I was there? Measure once more. Hold on, why is the line not where it is supposed to be? Maybe the pencil sucks. Anyway, cut once. Hold on, why is it too short again? Oh goddamnit, I screwed up the frame in the first place, didn't I? Off to Home Depot, return, forgot the stupid screws again.

Just for reference, in the lab I have built devices with <5 micron precision. And they worked! Why am I unable to get 5 cms right? Does this measure tape actually have cm on it?  

[zapatos]

13 minutes ago, CharonY said:

OK, maybe you can tell me what I am doing wrong. Measure twice, cut once. Measure again: darnit. Cut just a little bit more. Hold on, was it inches or cm? Measure again: doubledarnit. Go to Home Depot and get more material and glue. Measure again, oh I forgot the wood screws, why didn't I get them while I was there? Measure once more. Hold on, why is the line not where it is supposed to be? Maybe the pencil sucks. Anyway, cut once. Hold on, why is it too short again? Oh goddamnit, I screwed up the frame in the first place, didn't I? Off to Home Depot, return, forgot the stupid screws again.

Just for reference, in the lab I have built devices with <5 micron precision. And they worked! Why am I unable to get 5 cms right? Does this measure tape actually have cm on it?  

Har! 😂

 

23 minutes ago, CharonY said:

OK, maybe you can tell me what I am doing wrong...

I once built a chicken coop in my basement then had to disassemble it so I could get it out the door. Uh, derp!

[iNow]

Lol

[Moontanman]

13 hours ago, iNow said:

I’ve been screwing around with some old rotten pieces had laying around for a few years, replacing everything rotten with something pretty. 

Lots of faults and flaws and material removal and it became a sort of side meditation for me these last few months.

Gonna start applying tung oil finish this weekend (which itself will take a few weeks to complete correctly). 

 

I need to come and take some lessons from you, do you mentor old men?

[zapatos]

13 hours ago, iNow said:

The bent lamination part was actually my primary motivation underlying this piece.

i've looked at a couple of projects with bent laminations but never pulled the trigger. Your description of the effort reminds me that much more time goes into planning and setup than actually goes into executing.

One of the things I enjoy about 'construction' projects is that accuracy is more forgiving. If you cut a stud too short you can just toss it aside and start over or put in a shim. Woodworking requires you to be 'on' all the time.

[Mordred]

I regularly make these for sale out of cedar. They sell fairly well.

[zapatos]

That's really nice! 

[TheVat]

On 10/9/2024 at 9:06 AM, zapatos said:

was a really fun project with lots of family members who joined in to help periodically, including little kids who got to drive screws for the first time. And the day always ended with beer and BBQ.

Never been good at enlisting family into reno projects, but have fond memories of a son assisting for a couple months on an extensive remodel.  As you noted in a later post, "construction" is a little more forgiving.  I do ok so long as I make sure to cut slightly too long (easier to shave off a fraction of an inch, than add) - heck, sometimes you can get a slightly too long structural member in there by whacking it with a sledgehammer.  And yes must have something good at days end even if it's just pizza.   

14 hours ago, CharonY said:

Off to Home Depot, return, forgot the stupid screws again.

After a couple decades of that, I went on a binge and bought all the screws known to mankind.  This has its downside also.

 

[iNow]

4 hours ago, Moontanman said:

I need to come and take some lessons from you, do you mentor old men?

No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

3 hours ago, zapatos said:

If you cut a stud too short you can just toss it aside and start over or put in a shim.

Hopefully can’t see them, but there’s a shim or two in those laminations  

2 hours ago, Mordred said:

I regularly make these for sale out of cedar. They sell fairly well.

Nice work, mate. That looks like the big one you did for the backyard. Love it!

[Mordred]

Yeah I have several sizes I regularly build. The small ones sell faster and help restock supplies. I also don't charge much I typically just double the material price rather than base it on labour hours as it's simply a hobby.