Getting A Router Table

 As I mentioned I thought there was an easier way to put profiles on my projects other than using a handheld router. Maybe this way could be much safer than doing it by hand. 

So after doing some research I thought I needed a router table. This would make my life much easier and safer using a router table so I thought. Then from my research I found a lot of Woodworkers make their own router tables. My mindset at the time I thought buying a new router table would be the way to go other than making one. So one day I went to Home Depot and bought myself a Ryobi router table.  this router table would sit on top of a workbench or table or a makeshift work table. 

After I got the router table at home I had to find some free time to assemble it. Then mount the fix base for router to the table.  I finally got the router fixed to the router table insert and then I decided to try out some roundovers on the router table. I wasn't long finding out that this router table wasn't perfect there was some sag in the router insert that goes in the table that holds a router.  I wasn't long learning that this router table wasn't perfect but I was going to make do with what I had got.  it definitely did help putting round over profiles on my projects. I use a router table for other with other profile bits like chamfer bits and template routing.  I still have this router table today I do find it handy for projects and it hangs on the wall in my workshop. It has advantage as it portable.

While I was buying the router table I just decided that I maybe I need a band saw.  so I bought a Ryobi 9 inch band saw.

 After I got the new tires & thrust bearings installed on the 10 inch Rockwell Beaver bandsaw was ready to make sawdust. This little Rockwell Beaver was a step from the 9 inch Ryobi bandsaw I had. Over time I learnt this bandsaw had some flaws. The wheels that the blade rides on were plastic. The wheels had no bearings. Only brass bushings that needed oil every use. The saw blade didn't track very well. Even with these flaws the bandsaw did what I need to do. I knew I would want upgrade to a better bandsaw some day

The Delta 16 inch scroll saw seem to be in pretty good shape.  So this was a plus. I order some scroll saw blades to give the saw a whirl. I was fun to use. I found a project online to make. So I tried my luck out making bowl with the scroll saw. I glued a template on a board cut rings in a octagon shape. When the cutting was all done. All the parts were cut to make the bowl including the bottom of the bowl.

Now the bowl was ready for sanding a glue up. The glue up was alittle tricky as there wasn't alot room for glue. Each ring was glued to corner of another ring. Then next ring would be rotated to offset the next corner until the bowl was complete. These bowls turned out good. The upper blade clamp flew apart. Now i was on the search for upper blade clamp for 30 plus year old scroll saw. I started off looking online. I didn't have much luck. I did that someone was making replacement blade clamp. It was a bit pricey and with shipping I didn't worth it to buy.  I remembered there was a place in my area that sold Woodworking Equipment. I drove there to see what they had. I was lucky they had one on the shelf. I learnt there they would be hard to find as Delta when out of business. 

The Next Project

The next project I would build was a bench. The bench was for a Christmas gift for my wife Sarah. She was my girlfriend at the time. The bench wasn’t too hard to build. There was one design flaw. I didn’t make the legs wide enough. So the bench wasn’t too stable. I remember my niece loved sitting on the bench. I believe she likes the bench so much. That she could rock the bench due to the unstable legs.

The following year I made her a bench for birthday. This time she got her gift on time.

My First Project

After getting the planer and jointer to my place I started to select the one lumber I was going to use for the toy box project. Not knowing much cupped and twisted lumber. I thought having a wood planer these boards would be perfect. This was not the case. I remember watching a wide board with a cup in the middle go through the planer. As the board entered the planer the board would flatten out. Then when I saw the board exit the planer the cup was still there. This was disappointing. Many trips through the planer to get the board to ¾ of an inch the cup wasn’t as bad. I tried putting several boards through the planer one after another. This turned out to be a nightmare. The rough thickness of the boards started at 1 inch to 1 ½. Some boards on one end would be 1 then the other end would be 1 ¼. My problems didn’t end there. While running the boards through the planer. I noticed the planer was getting pretty loud as the boards went through the planer. This noise that came from my planer  got the attention of my neighbors. Then I knew something wasn’t right. I shut the planer off and got the manual out to see how to replace the knives.  I end up buying a new set of knives and installing them. Then I was ready to finish planing the lumber.I remember  this experience was frustrating and exhausting. The lumber was ready to glue into panels for the toy box. I now remember the gluing up of the panels was another interesting experience. As I am writing this I remember the toy box wasn’t done on time for my niece’s birthday. I believe I lost interest in this project. The toy box did get completed several months later. The toy box ended up making a great Christmas gift.

The Journey

Several months ago I decided that I'd like to share my journey in woodworking. This journey started several years years ago. By looking at woodworking magazines and following some Woodworkers on YouTube and eventually Instagram peak my interest in woodworking. I eventually join some forms on the internet for information on woodworking beginning this journey  When money came available I would purchase tools.I thought that everything that I got for tools had to be new. It took several years for me to learn that the quality of new tools today are not the same as tools made in the past. Without quality tools and Quality Power Tools it can add to some frustration when you're trying to build something. After 4 or 5 years doing woodworking I realized I needed a better table saw. I could have bought probably a good used table saw at the time. But with the lack of my experience I chose to buy brand new. I got lucky this contractors had a cast iron top iron top. Which I wanted and it seemed to be fairly solid and less tippy than my aluminum top contractors saw. This new table saw allow me to use a dadoo stack blade for cutting dad's or rabbets in boards. I still have the same table saw today and I do like it gives me a good quality cut and it was worth every penny I paid for it. Actually  I didn't pay any money for it it was a gift for Father's Day from my Wife and girls. As I gain my experience over the years I learned that it was better for me to purchase vintage woodworking tools that were made out of cast iron and not so much plastic or aluminum. This was a real game changer for me. So ever since I purchased my first cast iron bandsaw I've been hooked on Vintage equipment. You can always buy vintage equipment on Facebook Marketplace or on auction sales.

Getting better quality tools makes life easier. This is what I've learned along the way. I became a self-taught woodworker and I still have a lot to learn and enjoy watching and learning stuff from YouTube and Instagram reels. This can be a great resource of information for somebody interested in woodworking.

This blog is meant to share my experiences and what I've learned along the way of my journey. I plan on posting two blogs a week as long as I have content to post.

So please subscribe to this blog and you will see posts when there posted. Feel free to ask any questions.  I will do my best to answer them.  Or just leave comment.

Where It all Began

 I have been asked how long you have been woodworking. My usual answer is since Avery was born. Avery is our oldest daughter. She was born in 2010. I had dabbled in woodworking a little before Avery was born. Nothing too serious. I did build a couple basic benches, doll house and a toy box. I didn't have many tools at that time. After I bought my house I purchased some tools I thought I could use as a homeowner. I got a table saw, jigsaw and sander. I already owned a hammer, circular saw and chisel set.

With tools I purchased, I started doing projects like replacing the privacy fence to the entrance to my rental unit. Building a railing around the deck to the rental unit.  Then I decided I needed a shed. I bought all the lumber for the shed from the local sawmill. While picking up this lumber I was asked by the yard person if I wanted any Pine shorts. I had no clue what the yard person was talking about. So she took me over to a few stacks of pine shorts.  Lumber shorts are lumber under 6 feet in length. I remember buying 3 stacks of pine shorts. These were random thickness , widths and lengths. Honestly at the time I didn't care. Getting this deal on the Pine shorts felt like I won the lottery. I really had no reason to buy this lumber. I brought the lumber home. It sat in the yard in a nice neat stack and covered up from the weather.

The idea of building my niece a toy box for her birthday. This lumber was rough sawn. So I need to use my brother’s planer and jointer that was in storage at my parents. The only experience I had with these tools was in Woodshop in Public and High school.