Milling Your Own Logs, Checking, Maker Spaces & MUCH More!

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/woodshoplife This episode is sponsored by: Shaper Tools, makers of Shaper Origin Guy 1) Hey guys, Jonas from Germany here. Since you’re always looking for question, here is another one. As a weekend woodworker who doesn’t get much time in the workshop, I regularly get the problem that milled stock doesn’t get touched for several days before I can continue with the project. Right now I am working on an outdoor table made from European oak and there might be a few weeks between milling the boards and actually assembling the table. I have heard of the solution to use plastic bags or shrink wrap but that doesn’t really work for 7-foot boards. How do you handle stuff like that? 2) Hey guys, love the podcast and thank you for all you guys do! I made a dining room table for my sister-in-law about a month ago. The table is made out of Hard Maple and is 3.5’ wide by 8’ long. I noticed when I first bought the boards that there were some very small, hairline cracks at the very ends of the boards. After glue up I was able to square up the table by cutting the end that had the worst cracks completely off. Unfortunately, I did not have enough material to completely eliminate them from the other end. So instead, I cut as much as I could from the other end and filled the remaining hairline cracks with Plastic Glue wood filler. This seemed to have remedied the problem! I then finished the table with 4-5 coats of water based poly, achieving a nice, thick coat of finish. Now, about a month later, my sister-in-law is showing me spots where the hairline cracks are reappearing. Curiously enough, they’re reappearing from both ends too. My question is multilayered. First, is this cause for concern? The cracks are very small and not easily noticed unless you look very closely. However, will these cracks continue to grow over the years? Second, given how small these cracks are, how can I go about repairing this issue? I don’t know if thin CA glue will help with the issue or simply act as a bandaid. And I don’t believe these cracks are large enough to allow thin epoxy to seep into them. Any help/advice you guys could give would be very much appreciated! Chris     Sean 1) Love the show and appreciate what all of you contribute to the woodworking community. I have been a hobbyist woodworker for a long time and though my projects are not fine furniture or wining any awards I truly enjoy time in the shop and making simple things for friends and family. My question is about finishing.  I hate finishing, so much that I feel guilty sometimes that my project truly never really gets completed even those it's gifted away. I justify to myself that I'm letting the new owner finish it to their preferences but the reality is I hate that step.  I've done spray on (rattle can) shellac, poly, cheap spray paint, Briwax  and rubbed on some polyurethane but I would like to venture out a little farther without fear of ruining my hard work. Any suggestions on how to take the next step without jumping in over my head?   I have sanders, planers, all the usual finishing tools but I'm basically lazy. 2) I am a hobbyist woodworker with a full time job to support my hobby, and I am lucky in the fact that people are asking me to make things that I want to make. With the urban lumber I am really enjoying the wild and crazy figure that comes from non-commercial trees, crotch grain especially, and the randomness of pallets (everything from cedar to white oak and an occasional exotic species). My question, since we are all woodworkers, is how much would you spend to not buy commercial lumber? As an example, I purchased my 14" bandsaw, 6" joiner, and 10" planer used for $400 total. The chainsaw and chainsaw mill cost $130. Am I crazy? Joshua Huy 1)Good morning gents. I hope this finds you well. Thanks for the great show. So 2 questions that are related: I'm losing access to my current workshop - a 2 car garage. Renting commercial space is very expensive, so any other suggestions for finding a space for my workshop would be appreciated. I'm only looking for 400 square feet or so. Because of #1, I'm considering joining a community maker space. Pros and Cons? thanks Mark 2) I made a slatted bench out of red oak, but I'm questioning how I want to finish it.  The bench is from Steve Ramsay's course, and can be seen here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-LKKPyBEVE/ Because of the slats, which are about 3/4" wide and 2 1/2" deep, getting finish down there with a sprayer would be impossible, so I think I want to do something I can wipe on.  I've created my own simple finish of equal parts spar urethane, mineral spirits, and boiled linseed oil (so similar to a Danish oil) that I've wiped on to other projects with success, but not sure if there may be other options that I should consider.  This is a gift for my parents and will live inside, probably by their patio door for them to sit down on to put on their shoes. Also, if I go the homemade Danish oil route, any suggestions on how many coats to apply, and what to do between coats? Keep up the great podcast, thank you! -Nick