STL185: Reading Bob Van Dyke's Mind

STL185: Reading Bob Van Dyke's Mind

Author: FineWoodworking.com March 15, 2019 Duration: 1:06:56

Enter for your chance to win Fine Woodworking's Shop Giveaway: Upgrade to Laguna! The winner will receive a prize that includes:

  • 14|12 Bandsaw
  • F2 Fusion Tablesaw
  • 1 HP Dust Collector
  • REVO 12|16
  • 6″ Jointer ShearTec II

Question 1: From Shawn: I'm working on a Christmas present for my sister.  It's a hallway table with 2 drawers in cherry. This is the first piece I've made with cherry.  Some of the surfaces have a quarter sawn grain orientation and I'm finding them highly prone to tear out. My card scraper seems to be the only tool I've got that can tackle it, and even then I still have to pay really close attention to the changing grain direction. I'd like to hear any recommendations you might have about tools and techniques to deal with tear out, and also about other tear out prone woods you've worked with. I've found quarter sawn maple to be difficult as well.

Question 2: From Joe: To build a bed for my grandson I ordered 50 bd ft of rough lumber,  Black walnut. The wood was beautiful but this is where my confusion began. I got the job done but I don't know if I went about it the best way. The bed with headboard, frame, 6 drawers underneath, and footboard had over 100 pieces. All the lumber was about 8 inches wide and about 10 feet long. Is it better to mill the long boards and then layout all the parts, or layout the parts oversize and cut them out and send smaller pieces through the planer and jointer?

Segment: All-Time Favorite Tool

Mike: 6-in. Combo Square
Bob: Stanley #4–Type 11
Ben: Lie Nielsen honing guide

Question 3:   From Mike: I've come to realize my jointer needs tuning, and i recall you guys saying how you set your outfeed table a hair lower than your cutter head. I can't find the episode that contains this discussion, but i don't recall there being any reasoning for this. I adjusted mine as y'all suggested but found this was causing the trailing ends of the boards to not touch the blades. After reading my powermatic manual, it says to have the outfeed table level with blade, so what's up with your hack causing me this grief?

Recommendations:


Every two weeks, a team of Fine Woodworking staffers answers questions from readers on Shop Talk Live, Fine Woodworking's biweekly podcast. Send your woodworking questions to shoptalk@taunton.com for consideration in the regular broadcast! Our continued existence relies upon listener support. So if you enjoy the show, be sure to leave us a five-star rating and maybe even a nice comment on our iTunes page.


Ever find yourself in the middle of a project, staring at a tricky joint or a piece of lumber that just won't behave, wishing you could ask an expert? That's the space where Shop Talk Live-Fine Woodworking lives. Hosted by the editors and seasoned contributors from Fine Woodworking magazine, this isn't a formal lecture. It's the sound of a conversation happening right in the workshop, where real questions from woodworkers at every level meet practical, time-tested answers. You'll hear the specifics-discussions on tool tuning, finishing nuances, joinery adjustments, and design problem-solving-all grounded in decades of collective hands-on experience. The dialogue is direct and the advice is applicable, whether you're building your first box or restoring a classic piece. This podcast from FineWoodworking.com pulls back the curtain on the craft's finer points, turning those moments of frustration into breakthroughs. It’s like having a master woodworker right there with you, offering clarity and confidence for your next cut. Tune in for the kind of shop talk that makes your time at the bench more productive and a lot more enjoyable.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Shop Talk Live - Fine Woodworking
Podcast Episodes
STL252: The pull of the Japanese handplane [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:44
Links from this episode can be found here - http://www.shoptalklive.com Sign up for the Fine Woodworking weekly eLetter - https://www.finewoodworking.com/newsletter Sign up for a Fine Woodworking Unlimited membership - h…
STL251: Assume the glue is going to fail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:12
This episode is sponsored by Festool 0:00 - Intro 1:52 - End grain glue myths! 21:34 - Joints in long runs of crown molding 32:43 - Segments 45:22 - Floating tenon joinery options We're hiring an assistant digital editor…
STL250: Catching up with Ed Pirnik [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:21
Visit FoundationsOfWoodworking.com for more information on Mike's online course, The Foundations of Woodworking. Links from this episode can be found here - http://www.shoptalklive.com Sign up for the Fine Woodworking we…
STL249: MDF on a jointer? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:30
Bob Van Dyke joins Mike and Ben to discuss story sticks, cooling glue to get more open time, spring joints and admits to milling MDF on his machines! Sponsored by Grizzly Industrial 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Are woodworking cl…
STL248: Best of Shop Talk Live #1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:52
Segments from: STL179 https://www.finewoodworking.com/2018/12/21/stl179-barrys-insane-scrub-plane STL185 https://www.finewoodworking.com/2019/03/15/stl185-reading-bob-van-dykes-mind STL214 https://www.finewoodworking.com…
STL Profile: Erika Torres [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:20
Erika Torres is a woodworker in Oregon who has been building in some form or fashion since 2002. After completing Gary Rogowski's mastery program at the Northwest School of Woodworking, she has begun her woodworking care…
STL247: Drop the baseline [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:31
Mike and Ben discuss getting rid of marking gauge lines on dovetails, how long their blades last, more apron and pencil preferences, and why Mike has a day job. This episode is sponsored by Pony/Jorgensen 0:00 - Intro 1:…
STL246: The mighty biscuit joiner vs. the domino [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:22
0:00 - Intro 6:33 - How do you keep track of huge projects? 17:17 - Should a semi-pro get a slider? 34:20 - Biscuit joiner vs. domino 47:23 - Dealing with big glue ups? Mike's YouTube page - https://www.youtube.com/c/Mik…
STL245: Hope chest or nope chest? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:58
This episode is sponsored by Maverick Abrasives - https://www.maverickabrasives.com/ 0:00 - Intro 8:14 - How do you approach a new project? 22:51 - Breadboard end pinned on a glue joint 29:11 - Smooth moves 44:00 - Oil s…
STL244: Laura Mays–The Inquisitive Furniture Maker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:10
Jon Binzen interviews Laura Mays, woodworker and director of The Krenov School, about her journey to woodworking and the inspiration behind her inquisitive work. This episode is sponsored by Maverick Abrasives - https://…