STL187: Desert Island Dream Projects

STL187: Desert Island Dream Projects

Author: FineWoodworking.com April 12, 2019 Duration: 1:13:02

Question 1: From Paul: Heide Martin's serving trays in the May/June 2018 are beautiful and I have since made a couple. My question is about keeping the bottom boards flat. I cut some walnut that had been air dried for probably 20 years. In an hour or two both boards cupped. I then sequentially tried wetting one side, wetting both sides, soaking in water, soaking in fabric softener, each time clamping the boards to keep them flat and leaving for days and days to dry out. None of these things worked and in the end I ended up using some walnut plywood instead. How do you folks keep wide, thin boards flat?

Question 2: From Richard: In reality we all have limited amount of shop time available.  However, if the amount of time you could work on a project was not limited what one piece would you choose to make?

Segment: All-Time Favorite Technique

Mike: Using pocket holes to quickly make and change full-size mockups

Tom: Beveling an edge of a workpiece with a handplane

Ben: Riding the back of the blade to start a cut on the edge of workpiece

Question 3:   From Mark: I have been building furniture full-time for just over a year. Is it legal and/or ethical to build something from the magazine or a video workshop and then sell it? For instance, if a client asks me to build 4 Adirondack chairs, my thought is build them loosely based on what I find at Fine Woodworking, vs. reinventing the wheel with my own design every-time.

Question 4: From John: I was reading a FWW article by Steve Latta in issue #241 about draw-bored tenons where he said, "I make pins from riftsawn or quartersawn stock...". If you're making dowels, how can it possibly make any difference whatsoever if you use quartersawn or plain sawn boards? I still like Steve Latta, btw.  Keep up the great work, see y'all at FWWlive!


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
STL185: Reading Bob Van Dyke's Mind [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 Ques…
STL184.5: Chris Schwarz [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:41
Chris Schwarz is a furniture maker and writer who works from a German barroom built in 1896 in Covington, Ky. He is one of the founders of Lost Art Press, a book-publishing company that specializes in handwork, and Cruci…
STL184: Is it time to stockpile ash? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:21
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 Ques…
STL183: The Call of the Cordless Tool [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:44
Leave a comment on this episodes show notes page to be entered in the giveaway of Craig Thibodeau's book, The Craft of Veneering. Peter Galbert's FWW Live 2018 Keynote Speech - Unsurprisingly, the journey of a windsor ch…
STL182.5 - Veneer Master Craig Thibodeau [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:11
Normally here I post a bunch of links. I'm going to be honest, you just need one link on this, Craig's website. Everything he discusses is easily found on his website, and the site itself is wonderfully done. It's worth…
STL 182: Tiny Scratches On My Blade [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:21
How Ben finished Mike's spoon - Finish Greenwood Spoons Like a Pro by Emmet Van Driesche Question 1: From Fabian: I have a sliding table saw and struggle to convert all the jigs mentioned in the magazine to fit my saw. H…
STL181: Will a Jobsite Saw Cut It? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:05
Check out our newest video workshop, Enfield Cupboard with Hand Tools featuring Chris Gochnour and be sure to help us make our video workshops even better by filling out this quick survey. Question 1: From Dean: I have a…
STL181: Will a Jobsite Saw Cut It? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:05
Check out our newest video workshop, Enfield Cupboard with Hand Tools featuring Chris Gochnour and be sure to help us make our video workshops even better by filling out this quick survey. Question 1: From Dean: I have a…
STL180: Designing Without Drawing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:31
Question 1: From Cameron: I'm thinking of making a bench inspired by Mark Edmundson's "Modern Danish Cord Bench" from issue #194-Nov/Dec 2007. I'm want to stretch the width to 6' to use at my 7' table. Will the front and…
STL179: Barry's Insane For The Scrub Plane [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:53
Question 1: From Tony: We hear so much talk about Lie Nielsen, Veritas, and Stanley hand planes but, I have a Millers Falls No. 8 that i picked up from an Antique store, that works really well. I don't think I've ever he…