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So I learned a few things this weekend. First, I dislike cutting 4x4s, especially if I have multiple that need to be exactly equal in length. Would’ve been FAR easier with a chop saw. Too long for table saw, too inconsistent with circular saw. Finally after failing twice decided to clamp all four together and did an 8x8 cut with a handsaw guided by a speed square. My shoulder is still sore. Second, you can never have enough clamps. I wound up taking the ratcheting tie downs out of my car trunk and using those. Third, pocket hole joinery is wicked simple. Feels like cheating, but I’m gonna choose to be okay with that. Fourth, it’s worth a few extra bucks to get the higher grade wood. The inconsistency of the standard stuff just made everything harder and take longer. The $20 I saved wasn’t worth the inconvenience and I should’ve gone with higher quality Fifth, it’s painfully obvious when you lack the right tool for the task at hand, and I’m probably gonna need a router. Sixth, building is easier and more enjoyable when you don’t need to compromise every choice with your spouse. To that last point, haven’t begun yet but I’ve decided to build my own farmhouse style dining table. I fell in love with black walnut and found a quality local supplier. I wanted 2 or 3 larger live-edge-style pieces for the table top to really highlight the burl and crotch areas. It would be stunning and I’d love looking at that every day. My wife, however, wants multiple smaller boards (6”) for the table top and is also set on using oak. So, guess what kind of top I’ll be building and which species I’ll be using? Hardly the worst thing in the world, of course, and I’ll save money, sure, but I’m the one putting in the work and money to do it all. Ugh... Goodbye sweet delicious luscious luxurious lovely lasting walnut! Anway. Enough bitching. I’m heading back out into the garage to do some more hand planing and sanding on the work bench I just threw together as practice.

For context: I spent $25 total for a WEN on amazon

Many of the posts above, including yours, would really be better here:

I've had an electric one from Black & Decker for years that's primarily a powered staple gun which happens to accept small brads. It's useful in some scenarios, but I've found it lacks power when going through more than about 1/2" of wood. Given this, I decided to put my air compressor to good use and move forward with a pneumatic one so wood hardness and thickness becomes less of an issue.

I know you’ve been banned and likely will never see this, but in large part based on your suggestion I decided to pick one up tonight. I sometimes get amazon gift cards for helping people solve complex problems at work and I decided this would be a great use of my most recent one. As the weather warms, I’ll finally be able to get back out into the garage and start practicing again.

The market has crashed extremely hard this week, and more than once (1,000 points just today). I’m eagerly awaiting my update from POTUS or FOX on how it's the democrats fault. #thxobama

That was my very first thought before I read that it was a wine press... cider press. Soo... So... delicious fresh.

Nice! Now I'm thirsty...

Dow "Joans." Pick up an effing book once in a while, FFS...

Those are cool, but I've got an old Skill saw I picked up years ago at a garage sale and lay it against a straight edge that I clamp down. Not as fancy, but works just as well. I've done a few plunge cuts with it that came out well. Using a few pieces of scrap, I built a magnetic handcut dovetail gauge, one that sells for a ridiculous amount online (like $60). Came out great, but am a little pissed at myself for focusing too much on making (what I thought was going to be) the "perfect" cut. Once I'd assembled and glued the full piece, it was time to insert the 1" diameter magnets. So, I drilled the holes with a forsner bit and made my depth so the magnet would lay just under flush. I gave about a 1/16th to 1/32nd for the glue, but as the glue cured it puffed up big-time and pushed out one edge of the magnet so it was quite a bit proud of the surface. Really pissed me off. All that work making everything perfect, only to have the Gorilla glue bubble it out on the final step. I managed to file down the magnet a bit to make it nearly flush again, but I need to spend some more time with it to get it right (it's been far too cold to work out in the garage, so it's sort of just been lingering on my bench waiting for me to get out there again).

That’s wicked cheap. Appreciate the great tip! I love the knots and dark crotch areas in that piece of hickory. I happened to pick up two hand planes cheap this weekend on Craigslist. Gonna put a nice edge on them and practice smoothing joined pieces.

It’s actually rather encouraging seeing that you can do something like that just with pine

That’s pretty! I notice you framed out all four edges instead of just using breadboard ends. I like the legs, too. My wife is into turned legs... the big beefy type... but I’m a fan of more architectural legs. I prefer ones that look like the ceiling in a really kickass church...art, curvy, but functional and rooted in physics. I respect lathe work, but find turned legs somewhat mundane and even boring What type of wood is that for the top? I want to say oak, but don’t feel comfortable enough yet guessing based upon looks alone. It’s cool that you make your own acquariums. I remember you trying some 3D stepped stuff and posting sketches on graph paper some months back. Way cooler than a boring rectangle \ elongated cube.

I will! What kind of joinery do you use for your projects?

That’s excellent! I have to imagine length of the string and composition matter. Fishing line could help. Spacing between the balls likely plays a role, so consequently where you attach the strings to your structure. Also, I suspect you want that structure to be as rigid as possible so it doesn’t “radiate” the energy outward with vibrations.

Damnit. So much for that idea It would be so much easier if I had someone to help me with my questions... to offer the occasional guidance or encouragement... but alas... like so many other areas of my life, I’m stuck going after it alone with sheer grit and stubbornness and forced to “hoist” upon my own petard. Really appreciate that post, btw. Thank you

Use metal. Most woods are too soft. Absorbs too much of the impact. Okay, so shoot me straight, fellas. I’m new to this. Smart, but lacking practice. Experienced, but in a very different domain. I attempted my first dovetail last weekend. Bought my first table saw over thanksgiving. Sharpened my first chisel set over Christmas. Should I attempt a farmhouse style table for the dining room, or just buy one?

Perhaps a decade from now, I’ll do the same. That said, it may also take me a full decade to complete a single project. Lol. I’ve got an air compressor, but no brad nailer. I may consider looking into that one of these days.

I’ve been scouring the cull pile at Home Depot every few days. Stuff they mark down 90% due to warps, twists, cupping, tears, etc, ... you know, with the orange and purple spray painted ends... but which works fine for me to rip down and practice some basic chisel work, or build pegboard shelves and holders and push sticks out of I’m still so new to this that the best lumber I’ve bought so far was the finished birch plywood for my cross cut sled

Lol. I’m not too proud for that.

That's sort of where I am now, going to places like Menards and picking up lumber that's already been properly dimensioned. It's more pricey than I'd like, but works. My longer-term / ideal state, or where I really want to be, is to be able to get a gorgeous piece of black walnut or maple or something similar and use it as a live edge top. I bet if I find a decent mill that will go a long way (and also help to more quickly drain my paychecks!). It's currently unrealistic, but a farmhouse table for our dining area would be super cool, especially with a top that accentuates the wood grain and character, but I have a LOT more work and practice needed to improve my skills before even attempting that.

Lol. Just grabbed one on Saturday (a double cut saw, actually), which is part of what prompted me to try my first dovetails on Sunday. I’ve also been scanning craigslist for a decent deal on a bigger plane (jack or otherwise), but no luck so far.

Thanks. I actually subscribed to their eTips newsletter in December and set the DVR to record their show on PBS. Those guys are masters. Interestingly enough, the cross cut sled I built is actually modeled on their plans. Made the stop block and cursor DIY instead of purchasing a commercial option like Kreg, though. https://www.woodsmithvideoedition.com/projects/table-saw-sleds/two-sided-sled/ I basically have a table saw (incredible cyber Monday deal after watching them for about a year) and some hand tools. I did, however, plug my shop vac into the saw like a makeshift air filtration system.

Good tip. I’ve learnt this the hard way. Pencil just wasn’t getting it done. I’ll also now sometimes exaggerate my knife lines with a chisel prior to taking a saw to it. Nice. I’ve been exploring materials like this, but lack the equipment to make it flat, remove hills and valleys and curves and whatnot. A smoothing plane just follows the undulations instead of removing them. Same here, though I’m admittedly still rather short on rewards. That’s beautiful, and the dog seems to like it, too! I had a waterbed in college. Lots of fun, but had to give it up bc it made the bedspins unbearable after drinking too much. I spent several nights abandoning the bed for the floor.

You hit your target. I LOL’d. No worries. Speaking of targets, I should consider a homemade dartboard with different colored inlays. The material is cork though, right?