r/BeginnerWoodWorking

Purchased a Kreg router table top and fence from Amazon due to the positive reviews there and on YouTube. When I received the top its made from chipboard, not the MDF listed on the box, and listing, and pictured in the photos.

I've noticed Kreg seems to be moving to this material since the Kreg website lists "particle core" when it did say MDF in the past.

Also stinks since the fence won't work with any other top so I'd have to return that as well.

Im annoyed since this is a weaker lower quality material but the price hasn't changed. But will it make a difference long term? Am I just being precious about it?

I had some rough cut stuff left in the shop of this house I bought. Stored it away for a while and was considering making a vanity and use this for face frame.

Looks like 2 different types to me (left vs right). Both are of similar density and hardness from what I can feel. Definitely hardwood(s). I'm in East TN so my first guess would be oak, maybe red on the left. I don't see much white oak around here as it is pretty bougie these days.

Trying to find a matching plywood for slab doors.

Thanks!

Have seen some people get destroyed in the comments here for building a stool that is not up to code and could kill everyone around them, so I thought I'd share my truck cap.

Needed to carry some equipment in the back that I didn't want to get rain on or people to be able to steal easily, so I fired up SketchUp and spent about $800 CAD in materials.
I don't really know anything about building stuff with wood, but tried my best to come up with a good design.

Last picture I tried showing the foam seal that I put around the boards and between the cap and truck bed walls (you can see at the very top).
Everything worked pretty nicely, except the doors started being a bitch to close because it shifted and misaligned.

I am planning to build another one for my new truck, so if anyone has any advice on how to make doors that can take the shifting and still be able to close, I'd appreciate it!

I’m helping a friend redo a fairly nice fence. the boards are approx 1” thick and heavy. (i.e. not Home Depot treated pine.) they are about 20 years old.

is it worth filling the cracks in these with anything? the final finish will be some type of wood protector that is supposed to soak into the wood grain- shown in the last picture.

I got this beautiful slab of cedar that I want to make into a coffee table, and I'm unsure what type of legs would look and work best.

I made it mb 3 years ago, that was a gift for neighbor's boy, he was happy.

I saved these photos on my pc and forgot about them, i think it's time for a post.

I just started woodworking for about a month, after watching the dovetail video from Rex and I decided this is gonna be my first joinery. I used a handsaw jig and chisel to make this dovetail joint and with a little bit of luck.

I learned how to use handsaw and chisel and once I get the hang of it, it is really enjoying. The most difficult part is to sharpen my chisel blade, and I never get it actually very sharp.

And when I finish it with little bit of clear stain it pop like magic and that is the best feeling, and this kind of feeling is what keeps myself going into woodworking!

Please give suggestions!

(I used red oak S4S bought in Rona, it is so much harder to work with. It is like a full workout just to saw this thing. I don’t have a hand plane so it is not even on the surface)

If this doesn’t suck it’ll be HUGE for us who can’t justify a Festoon domino joiner. I’m intrigued for sure, anyone else?

https://www.kregtool.com/shop/power-tools/joining-systems/kreg-edge-20v-ionic-drive-loose-tenon-joiner-tool-only/KPTEDGE100B.html?src=hpbedgerevealpdp0526

Just finished building my workbench and I’m honestly pretty happy with how it came out.

The usable work surface is 39” × 63” and the bench height is about 36”.

Built the frame using:

-4×4 beams (10×10 cm)

-2x3 lumber (roughly 7×5 cm)

it feels surprisingly solid and sturdy for a beginner attempt

The top is made from MDF because that’s what I already had on hand. I know MDF isn’t the best choice for moisture or heavy impacts, but it seemed good enough to get started and I can always upgrade the top later.

I also added height-adjustable casters, which let me roll the bench around when needed and then lower it onto solid feet for stability while working. That ended up being one of my favorite features.

Other details:

-built-in space for my table saw/circular saw setup

-open storage underneath for tools and materials

I learned a ton during this project and I would love to hear your thoughts:

-What would you change?

-Any upgrades you’d recommend?

-Anything I should watch out for long term with this design?

Thanks

I was planning building an outdoor bench and I found these laying around in my shed for the frame. Anyone knows what kind of hardwood this is?

Hey guys! I was bored, I asked my fiance to bring home some wooden pallets from his job, I said I was interested in building a shoe rack, where his response was “I’ll bring some home, but you’re not gonna end up building anything”, so I ran off of spite and did. I have no tools besides a hammer, sanding sponges, pry bar, an impact and some wood screws I had laying around, so nothing was measured at all (I’m sure you can tell) and I had never used an impact or even screwed anything in before this, so that’s wildly uneven too. While it is a bit of an eyesore, I’m very proud of myself! I made it using wood from two pallets, I sanded it the best I could with the sponges I had, and then coat it quite a few times with fast drying polyurethane

I found this cool piece of curly oak and intended to make a small triangular cricket table with it, but when it came down to it, I didn't want to cut the board up. So I kept it as long as I could and made this little bench. Really happy with this.

Red oak, worked mostly with hand tools, finished with natural shellac and wax. I also used a bandsaw to break down the stock and a power drill to make the tenons with a tenon cutter--it was my first time doing that and I'm not sure I will do it again. I found it difficult to control and ruined a leg. Everything else was done with planes, chisels, handsaws, bit & brace, etc.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

On the advice of a few commenters from a previous post, I got a Kreg 320 pocket screw jig to join a simple box that I’m making.
Even though this is a rudimentary project that I’m using just to get practice, I want to make sure I have it properly lined up before I start drilling.
Am I correct in measuring this as 3/4”? That’s what the wood measures out when I do it with a traditional tape measure. But this little tool that came with the jig makes it look like 1/2”.
And if I want to screw these two pieces together as seen in the picture, do I have it set in the right place? It doesn’t seem like it’s long enough.
I watched a few videos online but I’m still a little confused.
Thanks.

We agreed on $40 but I’m having 2nd guesses. Other people sell ryobi or wen for just $10 more…

This clogs up on every bottle I have. I eventually end up destroying the top. How do you prevent this?

The wood is Makore, also known as Cherry Mahogany, with maple and walnut on the second pic.

I know the colour will probaby fade with time and use, but right now it’s beautiful after the oiling.

I guess it's technically carpentry and not woodworking, but I'm pretty happy with this little cat house I improvised along the way. I used hand tools from my partner.

I got in touch with a wood tile artisan for the roof, and he got excited about the project because he loves cats and he sent me some tiles he could not sell.

Because I didn't make any plans before starting the house turned out really big, but my cat seems to enjoy it nonetheless.