Marc Spagnuolo's Blog, page 55

Wood Whisperer Thread Taps Pre-Sale

Now for something entirely unexpected. In collaboration with Andy Klein, we’re bringing a brand new tool to the market called Wood Whisperer Thread Taps. The tools are designed specifically for wood and can cut common sized coarse threads in seconds.

Pre-sale period is open until March 24th and if you buy the full set of 6, you get a pre-order bonus!

Pre-order your taps today! 

Because we know you’re probably wondering just how strong wooden threads can be, Andy devised a simple test and you can check that out here. 

The Pre-Sale period ends on March 24th, 2017 and we hope to have the taps in your hands by the end of June. By the way, these taps are being manufactured right here in the US!

Andy and I thank you for your support and participation in the Wood Whisperer Thread Taps Pre-Sale.

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Friday Live! – Thread Tap Demo & Jet vs Bessey Parallel Clamps

We appreciate your help and support on Patreon.

2:06 – Special Guest Millie

3:00 – Patreon Update

3:30/5:00 – Wood Whisperer Taps

4:27 – Denver Maker Meetup Group Info 

5:30 – Thread Tap Demo

6:40 – Does the speed of tapping have to be slow?

7:52 – Are you going to make dies to match the taps?

11:33 – Do the taps come in metric?

15:00 – How durable are the threads? Will they wear over time?

16:51 – Do you get access to the guild if you pre-order with the bed project?

17:07 – Marc is a sway-er.

18:40 – Differences between end grain and long grain tapping?

20:32 – What’s your opinion on parallel clamps these days?

24:04 – How far off the floor are you shop windows? Do you like the location and the light they bring in?

27:13 – Which furniture styles go best in modern homes?

29:29 – Can you show some details about your clamp rack?

31:21 – When making cabinet shelves do you only put edge banding on the front?

31:58 – Which style of spray gun is better for spraying: Bleeder gun or Non Bleeder gun

33:58 – Should I run filtration through the slab floor of my shop?

36:11 – Who is your favorite Avenger?

36:25 – How can I best build the Roubo on limited working time when it comes to wood movement after milling?

38:30 – What woodworking shows would be best to see if you had two weeks to travel?

41:10 – Best way to care for tools when it comes to long term storage?

42:13 – Do you recommend good stopping points in your projects?

42:52 – How do I find offcuts videos on Facebook?

43:33 – Next shop upgrade? Dust collection plumbing or 8” jointer?

44:35 – Where do you get Marc’s shirts?

44:54 – How long do you normally have to wait for epoxy to dry?

46:12 – Do the guild projects have recommended tool lists to look at before you buy?

47:12 – Do you ever do scroll saw projects?

48:06 – I can’t seem to get my table saw blade to 90 degrees, any idea why?

48:52 – Tips on cutting plywood without a tablesaw.

50:15 – Where are you going to do your spraying in the winter?

50:50 – Are you changing band saw blade preferences with your new saw?

51:50 – Would you still remove the safety guards from your tools if you weren’t recording video?

54:43 – Is there a better way to insulate garage doors that you still have to use?

55:38 – Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie?

56:22 – Patreon Sponsors

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Brandon’s Modular Wall Storage

This project came about due to my precious lil bundle of joy that was going to be coming into this world. We have a rustic modern style throughout the home and being in a small two bedroom condo with nice vaulted ceilings, I had to utilize every inch that I could. We don’t plan on living here forever so I designed a modular/removable “built-in” bookcase.

I designed and laid it out in Sketch-up for the cut list and had to build it in sections since we only have a one car garage to work in. For the sub-assemblies I used 3/4 Baltic Birch fastened together with rabbit joinery, glue, and brads. I milled down all my face frames from solid 4/4 Poplar. I wanted to keep the modern square style constant but soften the edges so there is a stepping down of chamfers along the outer and inner trim pieces. I used two different off-the-shelf varathane oil base finishes, Kona for the body and American Walnut for the trim. Sanded and wiped down multiple times before thinning down some poly to spray. With a few more wet sanding sessions and one last coat, I was left with a nice smooth finish.

Once all the sub-assemblies were finished, I created a jig to locate the fasteners when doing the final assembly in the room. I used pocket hole screws but not in pocket holes, if that makes sense. They were the only ones I could find that had a nice looking brown finish on the head and once counter sunk almost disappeared. After the main body was put together I glued and pin nailed the trim to cover the seams. I Attached it to both walls, climbed it like King Kong to prove to the wife it wasn’t going to fall, and pounded my chest in excitement! This project is the second favorite thing I’ve made, the first favorite you can see in last picture :D

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Shop Update: End of Phase 1

I’m officially done with Phase 1 of the garage to shop conversion and I’m ready to start building. I wanted to bring you up to speed by showing the various changes I’ve made up to this point for those who’ve been following along with my progress. None of these things warranted a standalone video so I figured I’d lump them all into one recap. I’ll publish an official shop tour soon that will likely contain some redundant information with regard to this video.

Moving Stuff Around

One of the most challenging tasks was putting stuff away and maneuvering tools where they need to go. It reminded me of one of those cheap little slider puzzles I played with as a kid where you can’t move one tile without moving a tile next to it. Eventually I was able to get the tools into a relatively decent configuration that allowed me to begin laying out the electrical plan.

Clamp Racks

I installed all of the clamp racks from the previous shop in a corner configuration. It’s quite breathtaking. This includes the Parallel Clamp Rack, the Utilitarian Clamp Rack, and a couple of Rockler Clamp Racks. Getting the clamps off the floor made a huge difference in feeling like I could move around the space.

Electrical Outlet Installation

I have a total of five circuits in the shop: 2 for the heaters, 1 for the cyclone, and 3 multi-wire branch circuits for the power tools (one along each wall and one down the center of the ceiling). As stated in the video, I will only address questions about the electricity privately for those who need more information. Feel free to discuss, debate, or yell at each other in the comments but I won’t be participating.

Because some of my primary outlets were run in the ceiling, I had to employ extension cords in my setup. Most extension cords are made with 14 gauge wire and are really intended for a 15 amp circuit. So I made my own extension cords using 12 gauge wire and 20 amp plugs and receptacles. Running tools off extension cords isn’t ideal, but having properly-sized wiring can help keep things safe.

Ductwork Installation

Because I already covered Nordfab Ductwork Installation in detail in the last shop, I didn’t feel inclined to do it again. But I did want to show you my current configuration and how I adapted the system to this shop’s unique needs

Air Cleaner Installation

My air cleaner worked quite well in an 1800 sq ft space and I can only imagine how much more effective it will be in a 950 sq ft space. What can I say, I get excited about clean air. I installed the unit on the ceiling a few feet from the wall with the air blowing in the same direction as my heaters. I often use the air cleaner to help mix the air for even temperature distribution.

Lumber Rack

Not much new with the lumber rack. I used the same heavy duty Closet Maid stuff I had in the old shop. Only difference is I used the material from the previous owner’s garage cabinets as shelving material for each level of the rack. It’s nice to be able to repurpose that stock since I felt really bad about dismantling those cabinet. A sheetgoods rack and a rolling scrap storage cart are definitely in my future.

Garage Door Track Removal

Two of the three garage doors are now completely non-functional. I had the tracks and the openers removed which really opened up the space and gave me much more headroom. I have all of the materials in storage should I ever need to reinstall them. I didn’t mention it in the video but we had to use simple L-brackets to hold the top door panels in place. Those normally rest in the curved section of the rail and when that was removed, the door had no support. The L-brackets worked like a charm.

Paint Color

Paint color for a shop is just as much a personal decision as it is inside your home. So if you’re a big fan of chartreuse, go for it. But if you boil it down to practicality, it’s hard to beat white and off-white. Lighter-color walls help reflect ambient light back into the space creating a brighter environment. And while vivid colors can certainly help set a mood in a room, they can also reflect the light back in such a way that skews the perceived color in the space. So if you’re trying to judge wood colors and stains, you might find your judgement is slightly off. But again, unless you film in your space like I do, the wall color probably isn’t nearly as important and you should go with the color you actually want to see on the wall.

Flooring

Remember the rubber floor tiles I installed in my old shop? Well, they made the trip to Colorado. And because the shop is smaller, I was able to essentially go wall to wall. The heavy tools are still sitting directly on concrete but all of the walking paths in the shop are covered, which is really nice on the feet.

Wall Art

Finally, I have much of my wall art back up. My walls may be off-white and boring but the stuff I hang on those walls doesn’t have to be! So my superhero posters and other decorations are proudly displayed on the wall. My shop is not just my place of business but also my creative space, my sanctuary, and the room in the house I probably spend the most time in. So it should reflect my personality and inspire me.

Thanks for following along on this new adventure. It’s been fun but it’s now time to make some sawdust!

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Acoustic Panel Installation

The Case for Acoustic Treatment

Since I record videos in my shop, the quality of the audio is very important to me. Most garages and shops features lots of hard surfaces and that means voices and tool noise tends to bounce around the space creating lots of echo and reverberations. To combat that, I’m installing ATS Acoustic Panels (2′ x 4′) on the ceiling. These panels are actually pretty easy to make as they consist of a acoustic panel core, a solid frame, a plywood back, all with a layer of acoustically-transparent fabric on top. But it’s been a few months since I built a piece of furniture and time is money, so I decided to buy my panels instead of building them myself.

Installation

While these panels are meant for the wall and the manufacturer specifically says NOT to install them on the ceiling, I’m going to do it anyway. Yes, I’m a rebel. The panels come with Z-clips which are like tiny aluminum French cleats. With four of these cleats per panel, I have no concerns about these panels coming down. But follow my lead at your own risk. Each cleat is attached to the ceiling using s.

The Difference

With 12 panels, I only covered about 1/3 of the shop space but I can already hear a significant difference. If you want to hear it too, use a pair of headphones and listen to me talk in the first scene of this video. Then skip to the last scene and listen again. You should hear less reverberation and room echo and my voice will have more presence. To be honest, the audio in this space wasn’t terrible to begin with so the difference isn’t quite as dramatic as the one I experienced in my last shop.

Soundproofing Vs Acoustic Treatment

I cover this in the video but it bears repeating: adding acoustic treatments does NOTHING for soundproofing. If you want to isolate sound in your shop space, you have a much bigger challenge on your hands. All we’re accomplishing here is improving the quality of sound within the space by cutting down on how much sound gets bounced around the room. If you want to get a good idea of what can be involved in sound isolation, check out what my buddy Andy Klein is doing in his basement shop. It’s a lot of work!

I plan on adding more panels to the shop just to make sure I have full coverage, but for now this is pretty effective in the areas I need it most.

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Friday Live! – Refinishing Risks & Negotiating Shop Time

Today we discuss the risks of refinishing veneered furniture as well as negotiating shop time with family. Of course we also have a bunch of Q&A. Let’s do this!

1:27 – Patreon Update

1:52 – New Guild Early Bird Bundle

2:55 – Guild Discounts

4:10 – Phase 1 Shop Update Complete.

4:40 – New Videos this week (Lighting and Acoustic Panels)

5:18 – Denver Maker Meetup

5:56 – Thanks to the KC Woodworker’s Guild

6:44 – I want to spray clear lacquer, how many stages should I look for in an HVLP?

7:37 – This Month’s Giveaway

8:36 – How would you strip paint off a large chest of drawers?

11:06 – Do I really need a 4” main if all my tools have 2.5” fittings?

12:20 – Should I upgrade my table saw, buy a band saw, or upgrade power?

14:52 – How do you find time outside of regular working hours to work in the shop when you have kids?

17:30 – What is the first project you’re going to do in the new shop? & When will the next guild meeting be?

19:18 – How do you stop yourself from being too complacent around your power tools?

20:43 – Marc isn’t pre-diabetic.

21:44 – How long did Phase 1 of the shop remodel take to complete?

22:18 – Where is your Powermatic Sign?

23:06 – You seem to spend more time moving things around than working on projects. What’s up with that?

26:32 – How does Nicole deal with all the questions?

27:42 – Can you recommend a decent entry level Table Saw that won’t break the bank?

28:28 – What’s an easy affordable way to clean blades?

29:12 – Are you going to put a raised floor in your shop?

31:04 – Can you tell us the square footage of your shop and do you deduct the space from your taxes?

32:50 – Can you give any info on the guild dining room chairs?

33:54 – Have you guys been dieting?

34:54 – How did the clock build go? 

35:52 – Are you going to show the batch process for the dining chairs?

36:18 – X-men or Avengers?

36:34 – Is Nicole going to get a turning video?

36:57 – Have you done a tattoo of your kid’s names?

37:24 – How do you join the guild?

38:23 – What’s your favorite color?

38:27 – What’s your favorite Pizza?

38:33 – Oil or water based finishes?

38:40 – Favorite Hand plane?

40:20 – Patreon Thanks

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Dennis’ Garage Workshop

My workshop is a continual work in progress. I sometimes feel like I work more ON my shop rather than IN my shop. That being the case, this is its current incarnation.

The workshop is in my garage which is an extra deep two stall. The extra depth is actually large enough to be a third stall. The overall size is about 10′ x 24′. A few years ago, I built a wall between the workshop and the rest of the garage so I could heat the workshop in the winter. I live in Michigan and the winters can be…well…brrr. The wall contains a set of double doors that open wide for moving tools and sheet goods in and out of the shop. I built the doors from a White Ash tree that blew over in a storm on my property. There is another single door that my family and I use to get to the back door of the garage to access the backyard. Between the doors are a few mobile tools; the planer, table saw, and miter saw.

Moving to the west end of the shop I have my workbench which I inherited from my wife’s step-dad. Rumor has it that it’s at least 150 years old. It looks like it too. It is not very usable other than a place to set things. The top is so beat up that it is not even close to being flat anymore. I’m afraid of putting too much torque on the vice handles for fear of breaking them. The dog holes look like they have been chewed on by dogs. I am tempted to move it into the basement and use it as a piece of furniture somehow.

The south wall contains my CNC work center. I bought a 1000mm X-Carve last year and have been making some signs to sell on Etsy. Below the CNC table are a couple more mobile tools; the router table and the jointer.

The east end of the shop is sort of a catch-all. It has my lathe and a cabinet, but it is where I end up dumping everything that I don’t have a place for. The workshop does occasionally spill over into the rest of the garage when I have to work with large sheet goods or long pieces of lumber. Mostly, though, I stay in my cozy little single stall.

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LED Shop Lighting

When I selected the lighting for the Dream Shop, T8 fluorescent lights were the obvious choice. LED technology existed but was still cost prohibitive. Even two years after the build I considered retrofitting the space with LED bulbs and once again I couldn’t justify the cost. But in 2017 (five years after the initial Dream Shop build), it’s a whole different story! I’m now in a new space in Colorado and I have the opportunity to install completely new fixtures and these days it seems like LED is really the way to go.

We’re working exclusively with American Green Lights who designed and supplied our lighting solution. The fixtures are PerformaLUX SL Series in both single strip 24 W models and 5-strip 60 W models. These units can save 50-60% compared to traditional fluorescent lights, have a lifetime of 120,000 hours, and feature a CRI of 92-95 (for color accuracy).

For my installation, the situation was pretty much ideal. I have an attic above my garage that gives full access for wiring. There was an existing light circuit already in place so all we needed to do was tap into that circuit and expand the line to the various fixtures. It was still a lot of labor and took two guys all day with an extra two guys helping for a few hours in the afternoon. But it was well worth it for the finished result.

Below is a special supplemental article written by my friend Vic Hubbard, an energy consultant. He has some thoughts on LED lighting fixtures and options that you might be interested in.

I was listening to the recent discussion on lighting for the workshop on Woodtalk. While I am not what I would call an expert, I hope that I know enough to help you make some good lighting choices. With the rapid advancements in LED technology, the lighting article I wrote for The Wood Whisperer published in June, 2013 needs a facelift. The majority of the information, however, is still applicable.

What has changed? Inside of the energy efficiency field, which is my day job, we knew LED was going to be a disruptive technology. Most of us have been surprised at how quickly that has happened. When the Illuminating Engineer’s Society of North America (IESNA) put forward the recommendations for new and aggressive efficacy targets for lighting that phased out the average T12, the 100 watt, and then the 60 watt incandescent, soon to be followed by the 40 watt incandescent, the LED market started to take off. Since then it has been making huge strides in both technologies associated with control of that light and efficacy, or how many lumens per watt are created.

You can now buy a wide variety of LED lamps and luminaires. There are many lamps for the home, like candelabra lighting, PAR (flood lamps), and standard A19 Edison lamps (the shapes we’re all used to). Fortunately for consumers, light manufacturers continue to use the form-factors that work with the fixtures we’ve all grown up with and have become accustomed to in our homes, work environments, and other public spaces. Lamps for reading, canned lights, etc., all have maintained the same screw in base and, with few exceptions, the same familiar shape. Lots of innovation and the icing on the cake is that prices have also dropped dramatically.

Another lamp that has been very successful in the marketplace is the tubular LED (TLED). You can find both T8 TLEDs and T5 TLEDs, the former being the most common. Not even five years ago, the payback for retrofitting a T8 fixture from fluorescent to TLEDs was beyond 35 years. The paybacks with incentives for energy efficiency are now usually between two and five years for businesses with normal 8 to 5 operation hours. Also, the quality of the TLEDs are very good.

If your existing fixtures are near end of life, you’re lighting a new space, or just want to jump into LED there are a few things to consider. How much light do you need? This will vary based the operations you perform in the space. You’ll want more lumens, or foot candles in areas where you do more precise or finer work and less for the general purpose areas. What color of light (Kelvin temperature) do you want? Where this was discussed in the last article, I will add that the most common color I see go into production areas is 5000 Kelvin. As I know many are getting into filming in addition to woodworking, I asked Christopher Landy, a fellow woodworker who also works in the film industry as a lighting designer, his opinion. “I shoot everything 4200, sometimes 4600 – 4800. That gives me a dynamic range of colors. If I shoot 5600, the engineers have to take the blue out and if I shoot 3200 they have to take the red out. So, when I shoot in the middle I am able to get a wider range of color.” However for his home shop he uses warm lighting, as he likes the “romantic glow” warm light gives to his basement shop.

If you’re retrofitting existing fixtures, you have several options. You can go the way of the TLEDs, a retrofit kit or all new LED fixture. If you go the way of TLEDs a google search will yield a very large selection. If you want to make sure any tubular lamp is the quality listed on the specification sheet, be sure to check the Design Lights Consortium Qualified Products List (DLC QPL) (https://www.designlights.org/qpl/en) or look for this symbol . If you already have a product in mind, simply enter the model number and the manufacturer in the QPL. If you don’t have an idea which product to buy, you can use this list to find a make and model. There are basically four types of TLEDs to consider. “Plug and play” (UL type A) will run off most existing T8 and some T12 ballasts and you simply replace the lamps. Ballast compatibility must be verified and running through a ballast typically will draw at least a couple more watts per lamp than the watts on the specification sheet. Ballast-bypass/line voltage/direct wire linear LED (UL type B) requires the ballast to be removed and the line voltage wired directly to the socket, or tombstones. This may also require you to replace the sockets with either shunted or non-shunted tombstones, depending on the manufacturer’s specs. LED driver retrofit kit (UL type C), while the least common is still an option. Finally, hybrid/dual technology linear LED (UL type A&B), which can be “plug and play” or direct line voltage. For most lay persons, I would suggest “plug and play” for a retrofit. It is the most simple of all the options. However, if you’re comfortable doing electrical work or will have a qualified electrician doing the work, all the options are worth looking into. If you are happy with the amount of light you have, a simple one to one replacement will do.

If you’re doing new construction or need more lighting in an existing space the first thing to do is figure out what type of LED you may want to use, get the specification sheet and complete this simple calculator. http://www.gelighting.com/LightingWeb/emea/resources/tools/lighting-assistant-toolkit/lighting-layout-estimator.jsp, which will give a good ball park for the number of fixtures and the cost for running them. You’ll need to know the square footage of the shop. If the shop is broken up into more than one room, calculate your needs for each room separately. For desired foot candles, IES recommends 20 – 50 foot candles for your basic shop procedures like milling and 50 – 100 foot candles for finer operations such as hand work, sanding, and finishing. I have an average of 45 foot candles in my shop and use task lighting at my work bench and a raking light for inspecting how well I’ve sanded and finished a piece. When you get to “Ballast Factor”, you will use 1.0 if you’re installing an LED fixture. If you’re using a T8 fixture and “plug and play” TLEDs, you’ll need to google the ballast to find the ballast factor. I would stick with the 0.60 for the Coefficient of Utilization if you’re using a standard T8 troffer with T8 ballasts and TLEDs. If you’re looking at LED fixtures and have white walls, and ceiling, check the specification sheet, but you’ll likely be OK using 0.80.

Other tools you may find useful. This calculation will inform you of payback, whether you’re doing a retrofit or deciding between fluorescent or LED for new construction.

***Savings per month = ((Existing System Wattage – LED System Wattage)*hours per month)/1000=kWh, kWh*Electricity Rate. Divide the cost by this number and you’ll know your simple payback period.***

I use an app in Google Play called Light Companion for determining foot candles. It is able to be calibrated, but was only off by 2 foot candles from my professional unit.

No matter which direction you go, I encourage you to purchase two to four fixtures from somewhere with a liberal return policy and hang them in place. That will let you know if you like the color, if you’re getting enough light and if you are getting shadows because the beam angle isn’t wide enough. In the case of shadows, pick a fixture or lamp with a wider beam angle or less wattage and lumen output and install more of them. Again, the calculator will be a great place to start. Good luck and have fun in the shop.

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Friday Live! – Shop Progress Update

This week, I show off the new shop since we’re almost done with phase 1 of the conversion. Time to make some sawdust finally! The topic rundown is below and don’t forget you can help support the show on Patreon! 

0:40 – Kansas City Show Recap

1:25 – Denver Maker Meetup Recap

Denver Area Makers Facebook Group

4:15 – Thanks to Joseph Muench

6:35 – Andy Klein’s Miter Fold Blade

7:15 – January Giveaway Wrapping up – Enter Now!

8:35 – Marc has dermatitis

10:22 – Marc in Woodcraft Magazine

10:43 – Shop Update Tour

19:55 – Arcade Cabinet Video Released

20:25 – How do you plan on keeping dust out of your living space?

21:34 – Does plywood need a backer veneer?

23:25 – Can you use too much cold press veneer glue?

24:12 – What recommendations can you make on shop lighting?

26:48 – Do you know when the next Powermatic 15% off sale will be?

28:20 – What’s the longest board you can run through your table saw?

28:54 – Does the jointer fence rest below the table saw surface?

30:30 – Will you be filming the removal of the door rails?

32:03 – What are your thoughts on pen turning?

33:21 – Recommendations for sign appropriate wood?

34:37 – My jointer seems to be milling a bow into board, what’s wrong?

36:02 – Do you know what the student discount at Austin Hardwoods is?

36:20 – Will you mount the dust collector on the wall in the future?

36:46 – How long do you run these videos?

36:58 – Can I use my Festool router and track to drill dog holes in my benchtop?

37:53 – Patreon Thanks!

39:35 – Marc is pre-diabetic.

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Dustin’s Budget Farmhouse Table

For many years I wanted my own 7’+ table that I could fit at least 8 people around. I met a wonderful woman when I was in High School and we dated for a little while before both moving on and getting married. After 16 years we found our way back to each other. We are building a new family together and love family dinner. So, I built us a table that she will keep at her house until we are married. This is a farmhouse inspired table and rather than distress the top to make it look like it had 30 years of use, we decided to finish it smooth and we will put the dents and dings and stains in it ourselves over the next 30 years so we can remember each one. Pretty standard mortise and tenon joinery on the legs/apron and biscuits for the tops. I also wanted to show that even though I have a bunch of expensive lumber, if you have a tight budget, a few good tools, and a little time, you can build something that is perfect for you. This entire table is built from 2x6x8 lumber from the Big Box store that I milled myself for $175. I used cheap flat black paint, Minwax stain, and finished with Wiping Polyurethane. Now we are ready to make our memories with this new table and the money I saved can go towards an engagement ring :) You can also see my Step-back Cupboard in the background.

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